As July kicks off, we finally enter the last month in 2016 without football. This time next month, the preseason will start, and we can finally watch America’s game again. We are mere weeks away from the end of speculating, and the beginning of spectating. No more guessing, no more hype, just football. And for one fanbase in particular, the season can’t come fast enough.
For the Raider Nation, the 2016 season has been a decade in the making. It has been Fourteen years since the Oakland Raiders had a winning record, let alone a playoff berth. Since 2002, the Raiders have failed to register nine wins in a season, and have had five or fewer wins ten times. The Raiders have picked in the top ten of the NFL draft eight times in that span, not including two seasons where they didn’t have a first round pick. The Raiders have selected players like JaMarcus Russell, Rolando McClain, and Robert Gallery with these picks, and the Raider Nation has been desperate for change.
Fortunately, after a strong off-season, it looks like 2016 may finally be the year that fans of the Oakland Raiders have been waiting for. Here’s a closer look at the Oakland Raider’s schedule for the 2016 season.
In-Depth Look At the Oakland Raiders Schedule
Week 1- @ the New Orleans Saints
The Saints are one of the more peculiar teams in the whole NFL. Drew Brees has thrown for at least 4,800 yards and 32 touchdowns over each of the last five years. For most quarterbacks, these numbers would be phenomenal and earn MVP consideration. But despite Brees’ statistical success, the Saints have struggled. Sensational passing numbers haven’t translated to wins as the Saints have only made the playoffs twice over that span.
2015 was no different for the Saints, as Brees led the league in passing yards yet again, but yet again they missed the playoffs. This is probably because the Saints were 31st in total defense, and gave up well over 400 yards per game. The Saints didn’t have a very impressive off-season, and the Raider’s improved defense should be able to keep Brees and the Saints at bay.
Result- Win (1-0)
Week 2- vs. the Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were a puzzling team in 2015. After starting out 5-0, they ended up 8-8 and they missed the playoffs for a third straight year. This is a hard game to predict. On one hand, the Falcons have a ton of firepower on offense. Matt Ryan has proven he can play well in the NFL, but he just can’t do it consistently. When everything is clicking for the Falcons, Ryan and wide receiver, Julio Jones, are among the best quarterback-wide receiver duos in the country. But when it isn’t, they’re just hard to watch.
This game could go either way, and it will be a huge test for the young Oakland defense. If they’re half as good on the field as they are on paper, they should be able to come away with the win, especially in front of a rowdy Raider crowd. If not, it will be a long day for David Amerson and Sean Smith as they struggle to keep Jones out of the endzone.
Result- Win (2-0)
Week 3- @ the Tennessee Titans
Of the three wins that I’m giving the Raiders to start the season, this is the one I feel the most confident about. The Tennessee Titans are a bad football team. They’ve got a brilliant young quarterback, and a very crowded backfield, but that’s about it. A significantly less talented Raiders team was able to defeat the Titans last season, and with all of their new weapons on both sides of the ball, this should be a cake walk as the Raiders have their best start in well over a decade.
Result- Win (3-0)
Week 4- @ the Baltimore Ravens
All good things must come to an end, and Oakland’s undefeated start meets it’s maker in the Charm City. The Raiders were actually able to defeat the Ravens last season, but it’s no secret that this will be a totally different Baltimore team. While the Raiders caught the Ravens before most of the injuries, they were still without star pass rusher, Terrell Suggs, and rookie wide receiver, Breshad Perriman. The additions of Mike Wallace and Eric Weddle give the Ravens some much needed depth, and the players returning from injury will make Baltimore a tough team to beat on the road.
While the Raiders are a talented team as well, and should be able to make it a game, the location makes all the difference. The Raiders have struggled mightily on the east coast over the last ten years, and having to travel to play a physical team like Baltimore isn’t going to be easy. For the sake of being unbiased, the Ravens win this game.
Result- Loss (3-1)
Week 5- vs. the San Diego Chargers
Fortunately for the Raiders, they get to go home after the cross-country trek. They get to go home and play none other than the miserable San Diego Chargers. Once the bullies of the AFC South, the Chargers have become the doormat of the division. The Chargers lost all six division games last year, and only got worse in the off-season. While first round pick, Joey Bosa hopes to be a difference maker for San Diego, the void left by safety Eric Weddle won’t be easily filled.
Result- Win (4-1)
Week 6- vs. the Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders will look to restore the glory of one of the older rivalries in football in 2016. Two teams that love to get together and play ugly football will lock up yet again this season, likely with the AFC West at stake. The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t improve dramatically over the off-season, but they didn’t really need to. After ending 2015 on a ten game run, one that saw two wins over the Raiders, they hold the NFL’s longest active win streak.
Since this game is in Oakland, I’m actually going to give the edge to Kansas City. The Chiefs play mistake-free, conservative football, and they won’t give the Raiders as many chances to steal the game. Rookie safety, Karl Joseph, will be tested by Travis Kelce, who is arguably the second best tight end in football, and the Chiefs will walk away with the win.
Result- Loss (4-2)
Week 7- @ the Jacksonville Jaguars
This game will be hyped up by the media as a duel between the two best young passers in football. Derek Carr and Blake Bortles, this era’s Manning and Brady. If it were possible to bump games to primetime mid-season, this might be the game that got the push. With the combined offenses of these two teams, nothing less than a fireworks display is expected.
Of course, the media will be wrong. Despite playing the game in Jacksonville, the Raiders will run over the Jaguars. Assuming Jacksonville improves their run game, they’ll have to work for every yard they can get against the hungry Oakland defense. Bortles will have to really prove himself against a talented secondary and the likes of Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin.
Result- Win (5-2)
Week 8- @ the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Hopefully the Raiders will just stay in Florida, as they’ll travel from Jacksonville to Tampa for their next game against the young Buccaneers. Nobody is sure what Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers will do in 2016, but it’s hard to imagine them catching up with where the Raiders are. They’ve got some really talented young pieces, but it doesn’t look like they have a set yet. The Raiders come home with a nice pair of Mickey Mouse ears and wins.
Result- Win (6-2)
Week 9- vs. the Denver Broncos
It’s very tempting to give the Broncos the win here. While they’ve lost several pieces and the contract talks with Von Miller continue to struggle, there’s no reason the Broncos should decline too much in 2016. They’ve still got many of the talented pieces that made them Super Bowl champions last year, and it’s not like replacing Peyton Manning‘s input (nine touchdowns, seventeen interceptions) should be too hard. However, the Raiders were able to defeat the Broncos, will of their pieces, in Denver. So without, the Silver and Black should make short work of their hated rivals.
Result- Win (7-2)
Week 11- vs. the Houston Texans
Many experts are very high on the Texans because of some of the big off-season moves they made. The biggest of these moves was bringing in quarterback Brock Osweiler from the Denver Broncos. The Raiders are very familiar with Osweiler, as Khalil Mack sacked him five times in just one game last season. This should be a very tough game for the Raiders, especially since they have to travel out of the country to play it.
However, when two teams have good defenses, it’s the one with the better offense that usually wins. Derek Carr will likely come home with some bruises thanks to J.J. Watt, but it will be nothing compared to what Osweiler leaves with courtesy of Khalil Mack.
Result- Win (8-2)
Week 12- vs. the Carolina Panthers
This could be a statement game for the Raiders. Not only could they knock off the defending NFC Champions, but they could finally capture that elusive ninth win. Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen. The Carolina Panther defense is just too good, and even if Oakland can manage to chase Cam Newton down, there’s no saying what Luke Kuechly and company will do to Derek Carr.
Result- Loss (8-3)
Week 13- vs. the Buffalo Bills
While the Raiders couldn’t get that fabled ninth win against the defending NFC Champions, they do earn it against Rex (and Rob) Ryan’s Bills. These Bills are just a poor man’s Kansas City, and it’s tough to imagine Tyrod Taylor playing well against Oakland’s pass rush. The Bills were clobbered by the Raiders in Oakland two seasons ago, and they haven’t improved anywhere near as much as the Silver and Black.
Result- Win (9-3)
Week 14- @ the Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs beat the Raiders in Oakland, so it’s only fair that the Raiders beat the Chiefs in Kansas City. With the return of Aldon Smith, the Raiders will be at full strength and clicking on all cylinders. Having just defeated a Bills team that plays similar style of football to the Chiefs, the Raiders will finally end their drought against their hated rivals.
Result- Win (10-3)
Week 15- @ the San Diego Chargers
Barring some kind of freakish blockbuster trade, the Chargers of Week 15 won’t be much better than the Chargers of Week 5. This may be the last time that the Raiders play against Philip Rivers in a Chargers uniform, so they’ll be sure to put one last beatdown on him.
Result- Win (11-3)
Week 16- vs. the Indianapolis Colts
This game will be what the Raiders vs. Jaguars game was hyped up as. Two of the best young quarterbacks in the game, duking it out. Andrew Luck‘s return should restore the Colts to playoff contenders, and this game should be playoff seeding implications. Unfortunately, Andrew Luck is a ridiculously talented young quarterback, and he could very well come into Oakland and leave with a win. An interesting subplot could be how this relates to stadium news. This could very well be the final game played by the Raiders in Oakland, and if so, a rowdy crowd could make all the difference.
Result- Loss (11-4)
Week 17- @ the Denver Broncos
As the Raiders claim their first AFC West championship in well over a decade, it’s only fitting that they do it by defeating the team that has spent the last few years dominating the division. The Broncos might be hungry, trying to play spoiler, but the Raiders will be doing something crazy. They’ll be playing for playoff positioning. The Raider Nation has been waiting for this season, and they’ll end it by crushing the Broncos in Denver.
Result- Win (11-5)
As ridiculous as it may seem to have the Raiders winning eleven games in a season, that’s the nature of the off-season. Every team is undefeated in July, after all. But when it comes to Oakland, they really do have all the potential in the world to pull it off in 2016. They’ve got the young offense, the young defense, the passionate coach, and the right schedule. The only people capable of prevent the Raiders from achieving their goals in 2016 are the Raiders themselves.
