The season has been over for a few weeks, and fans are beginning to move on. Every fan wants to see their team do what the New England Patriots did in 2016, so they’ve started mapping out the road to Minneapolis and Super Bowl LII. Unfortunately, not all schedules are created equal. Fans of the Silver and Black have been discouraged by the difficulty of the Oakland Raiders schedule in 2017.
The Illusion of the Oakland Raiders Schedule
It’s true, the Oakland Raiders have the fourth hardest schedule in 2017. They have to play six games against 2016 playoff teams, including the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, in Mexico City. Even the easier games are still pretty difficult.
The NFC East
The NFC East is one of the funniest divisions in the NFL. One week, they might be the best division in football. The next? They might be one of the worst. They’re impossible to predict. There hasn’t been a back-to-back NFC East champion since Andy Reid coached Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004.
Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys can run the ball up and down the field all day, but there are questions about Dak Prescott and the defense. Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. can explode one minute, and be completely unreliable the next. The Washington Redskins are so unsure of quarterback Kirk Cousins that he’s going to make another $20 million dollars through the franchise tag this year. And who the hell knows about Carson Wentz and the Eagles.
It’s hard to imagine the Raiders going 0-4 against the division, but it’s also unlikely that they sweep the east. How they perform against these teams will play a big role in determining whether they’re contenders or pretenders in 2017.
The AFC East
Outside of the New England Patriots and maybe the Miami Dolphins, there aren’t proven winners in this division. The New York Jets are a dumpster fire, and the Buffalo Bills are a mystery. Players like Sammy Watkins and LeSean McCoy can make life miserable for defenders, but Tyrod Taylor hasn’t proven to be a franchise quarterback yet.
As interesting as other three games might be, the real issue here is that Mexico City game. It could be a blowout or a shootout, but there’s no way the scoring total stays under 30 points. If Derek Carr and the Raiders can beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, then they’ve solidified themselves as bona fide Super Bowl contenders. But one game does not a difficult schedule make.
The Second Best
Since the Oakland Raiders finished with the second best record in their division, that means they’ll also play every second best team in the AFC. This year, that means the Raiders will face the Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore Ravens as well. Despite missing the playoffs, neither team is a pushover.
The Baltimore Ravens are almost always competitive and the Tennessee Titans are one of the best young teams in football. If Marcus Mariota heals properly, and they nail this draft, the Titans could be a playoff team next year.
However, neither of these teams are new to Derek Carr and the Raiders. Carr has faced both teams both of these teams in the last two seasons, and the young quarterback has yet to lose. Both teams might improve in 2017, but so will the Raiders.
The Illusion
Most of the teams that have been mentioned so far are pretty solid, but not unbeatable. However, there are six missing games on the schedule. Six games against three opponents. That’s right, the Oakland Raider schedule includes the rest of the AFC West, like it does every year.
However, there’s an interesting fact about the San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Denver Broncos that people seem to have skimmed over. The Oakland Raiders schedule is the fourth hardest in the NFL, but the rest of the division take up the first three spots. That’s right, the Oakland Raiders actually have the easiest schedule in the division. It’s the easiest because they don’t have to play themselves.
So yes, the Oakland Raiders schedule isn’t a cakewalk. They’ll have to beat good teams if they want to repeat, or even improve upon 2016’s success. But that’s the secret. Great teams can beat good teams. It’s not like the playoff teams next year will be slouches.
