With training camp underway and the preseason fast approaching, Last Word on Pro Football is analyzing the schedules of all 32 NFL teams. Each team’s 16-game slate will be split into its most difficult (1-8) and easiest games (9-16). For this article, the Las Vegas Raiders most difficult games of 2020 will be discussed.
Las Vegas Raiders Most Difficult Games in 2020
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Week 5: at Kansas City Chiefs
This one is a no-brainer and doesn’t require much reading into. Derek Carr and the Raiders can never seem to perform in Kansas City regardless of what either team’s roster looks like. As a matter of fact, Carr is 0-6 in his career at Arrowhead. Add in the fact that the Chiefs are looking poised for another Super Bowl run, and it’s no surprise that the game in Kansas City would be at the top of this list.
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Week 11: vs Kansas City Chiefs
With what I said in my last paragraph, this selection shouldn’t surprise you in the slightest. Everything I said before applies here as well. The Chiefs will be the toughest game on every team’s schedule regardless of where they’re playing. This game will be right around the time teams start making their playoff push, so the atmosphere at the game will definitely be electric.
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Week 7: vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady is now the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Many people still aren’t high on this team, and it baffles me. The Buccaneers won seven games last year despite Jameis Winston throwing 30 interceptions. If you just cut that number in half, then it’s crazy to imagine how good this team can be. Their defense might be young, but you have to believe the sky is the limit for this team considering the firepower they have on offense. I would like to mention that adding Rob Gronkowski doesn’t really move the needle for me. He was a shell of himself before he retired, and I believe O.J. Howard is the better player at this point in time.
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Week 13: at New York Jets
I might be called crazy for having what many project to be a bottom-tier team so high up on this list. I haven’t forgotten the beating the Jets put on the Raiders just last season, winning 34-3. The Raiders will once again be traveling to the east coast, a place they typically struggle, to play Greg Williams’ defense. Young teams don’t travel across the country well, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see a repeat performance from last season.
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Week 8: at Cleveland Browns
Another case of a young team having to travel across the country to play what’s expected to be a sneaky good defense. The Raiders will be traveling to Cleveland right in the middle of the season, so we should have a pretty clear picture of who these teams really are by then. Both teams are expected to make a push for the playoffs this season, so this will definitely be a game worth watching.
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Week 2: vs New Orleans Saints
Normally I would have a team the caliber of New Orleans much higher on this list, but the Saints are notorious for coming out the gate slow. Despite being the regular season warriors the Saints have come to be known as, it usually takes a minute for this team to get the ball rolling. Add in the fact that this will be the first-ever regular-season home game for the Las Vegas Raiders, it’s easy to see why I have placed them here.
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Week 4: vs Buffalo Bills
I’m not as high on the Buffalo Bills as everyone else seems to be. While they do have an enormously talented roster, I’m still not sold on Josh Allen. Despite all the constant fawning over his tremendous arm strength, Allen finished the 2019 season with a deep-ball completion percentage of 25 percent. What good is that tremendous arm if you can’t use it to hit your receivers down the field? Even with the addition of Stefon Diggs, an amazing deep-route receiver, I still think we’ll get more dinking-and-dunking from Allen and the offense of the Bills. This team doesn’t scare me.
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Week 17: at Denver Broncos
Insert the next team I’m not as high on as everyone else; the Denver Broncos. The Broncos are a lot of people’s radar as a potential sleeper team entering the season, but I’d push back on that. Their offense is extremely young, and no one really knows what to expect from a full season of Drew Lock. Add in the fact that the Broncos hired notoriously vanilla play-caller, Pat Shurmur, as their offensive coordinator, and it’s clear to see why I consider this team to be overhyped entering the season. Their defense isn’t getting any younger either.
