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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
I fully expect the Los Angeles Chargers to finish at the bottom of the AFC West. The coaching staff seems to be intent on allowing journeyman quarterback, Tyrod Taylor<\/a><\/strong>, to enter the season as the starter. While I\u2019m sure first-round pick, Justin Herbert<\/strong><\/a>, will be starting by this time, I doubt they\u2019ll be playing for anything significant at this point in the season. The Chargers are notorious for having the worst medical staff in the NFL, if not all of sports. By this point in the season, what\u2019s left of their roster shouldn\u2019t be able to come in-between the Raiders\u2019 postseason aspirations.<\/p>\n This will be another home game for the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders have an enormously large amount of fan support in Los Angeles, definitely more than the Chargers and even possibly more than the Rams. All the Chargers did by moving to Los Angeles is to ensure that they\u2019ll never have a home game advantage against one of their division rivals.<\/p>\n Brand new head coach, a new starting quarterback, and a lack of off-season programs due to the virus should all equate to a tremendously slow start for the Carolina Panthers. While they do have amazing weapons on offense, their offensive line is atrocious, and their defense is extremely young and leaves a lot to be desired. While I do believe the Panthers will surprise some people this year, it won\u2019t be until the team has a chance to click further into the season.<\/p>\n I fully expect rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa <\/strong><\/a>to be the starter for the Dolphins by the time they travel to Las Vegas. While I\u2019m a big fan of Brian Flores<\/strong> and the additions the Dolphins made in the off-season, they too have a young and rebuilding team. That young team will have to travel across the country to play a Raiders team that will likely be in the midst of a push for the playoffs. The Dolphins are likely a year out from being able to say that about themselves.<\/p>\n As I stated in my last article, I\u2019m nowhere near as high on the Denver Broncos as everyone else. That isn\u2019t to say that they aren\u2019t talented, because they definitely are. Pat Shurmur<\/strong> is just way too vanilla of a play-caller and his offenses are way too predictable. It wouldn\u2019t surprise me to see Shurmur ousted by the end of the season.<\/p>\n It wouldn\u2019t surprise me at all if Dan Quinn<\/strong> was no longer the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons by this point in the season. There were rumors that Quinn was going to be fired during the off-season, but alas here he is. Considering the difficulty of the division they play in, anything short of a hot start to the year will likely result in Quinn being fired mid-season. The Falcons will likely already be looking to next season by the time the Raiders come to town.<\/p>\n Despite the dumpster fire the Patriots are rolling into the season with on offense, they still likely have one of the best defenses in the league. Fans of the Raiders are all too familiar with how Derek Carr<\/a><\/strong> plays against top-tier defenses and on the east coast. The saving grace here is that the Patriots, even despite the young defense of the Raiders, will be lucky to score more than 21 points, in a game, even once this season. As long as Carr can refrain from throwing the ball away on third and fourth downs, then they should have no problem eventually cracking through that tough secondary of the Patriots.<\/p>\n Insert the final team that I happen to not be as high on as everyone else, the Indianapolis Colts. While the Colts made a good addition in the off-season by trading a first-round pick for DeForest Buckner<\/a><\/strong>, I still don\u2019t believe that the interior of the defensive line was their biggest need. What the Colts need, besides a true franchise quarterback, are more dynamic players on offense. The additions of Michael Pittman Jr.<\/strong><\/a> and Jonathan Taylor<\/strong> <\/a>should certainly help, but there\u2019s still something about this offense that just doesn\u2019t do it for me. Maybe it\u2019s just because I feel like Philip Rivers<\/a><\/strong> is a shot fighter that is already looking towards retirement, who knows. Luckily enough for them, the AFC South appears to be a mixed bag thanks to the ineptitude of Bill O\u2019Brien<\/strong>. The Colts should have no issue competing for the division crown in 2020.<\/p>\n Be sure to check out the most difficult games on the Las Vegas Raiders 2020 schedule<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
Week 9: at Los Angeles Chargers<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Week 1: at Carolina Panthers<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Week 16: vs Miami Dolphins<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Week 10: vs Denver Broncos<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Week 12: at Atlanta Falcons<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Week 3: at New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Week 14: vs Indianapolis Colts<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n