The NFL announced the 2018 regular season schedule Thursday, and there's a lot you should know. 2018 will feature the Oakland Raiders in several primetime games, provide fresh storylines, and a new era in Raiders football.
Let's highlight some of the things you should know from the schedule release.
Schedule Notes:
The Raiders will appear in four primetime matchups this season, marking the first time the club has appeared in at least four primetime games in consecutive seasons since the 2002-03 seasons. The Raiders appeared in five primetime games in 2017.
The Raiders will host three playoff teams from the 2017 season, including one primetime matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football.
The Raiders will kick off the season on Monday Night Football for the first time since 2012, when the team hosted the San Diego Chargers. It will be the first time in club history that they will host the Los Angeles Rams on MNF. Their only other game against the Rams on MNF came on the road in 1985.
The only other time the Raiders have faced the Rams in a season opener came on Sept. 2, 1979 in Los Angeles. It will also mark the first time the Raiders will open the season at home since 2015.
The Raiders will play two contests on Monday Night Football (Sept. 10 vs. Los Angeles Rams and Dec. 24 vs. Denver) for the first time since 2006, when they hosted both games.
The Raiders will play the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football for the first time in franchise history. The game will also mark the first time the team has played at Levi's Stadium since its opening in 2014. The only other primetime matchup between the two squads came on Sept. 5, 1994 at Candlestick Park on Monday Night Football.
The Raiders will host the Pittsburgh Steelers for a Sunday Night Football matchup for the first time in club history, with the only other SNF game with the Steelers being held in Pittsburgh in 2002, a contest in which the Raiders were victorious, 30-17.
The Raiders will play a game on Christmas Eve (vs. Denver) for the third time in the last four years, the last time coming in 2016 against the Indianapolis Colts. The last primetime game the Silver and Black played on Christmas Eve was in 2015 at home against the Chargers.
The Raiders won't play the Chiefs until Week 13 this year, and they will face them twice in the final five weeks of the season. The Silver and Black's matchups with the Broncos come in Week 2 and 16, spread over 15 weeks.
The Raiders have two back-to-back road trips in 2018 (Sept. 16 at Denver and Sept. 23 at Miami; Nov. 18 at Arizona and Nov. 25 at Baltimore).
Oakland will face an AFC West opponent in Week 2, traveling to Denver, marking the earliest they in the year they have faced a division opponent since 2012.
The year will mark the fourth straight season that the Raiders will play the Baltimore Ravens, and the fifth straight year the Raiders will finish the regular season on the road as they travel to Kansas City.
Primetime:
The Raiders will play four primetime games in 2018: the season opener on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 10, a Thursday Night Football contest against the Bay Area-rival San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 1, a Sunday Night Football matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 9 and a second Monday Night Football game on Christmas Eve against the Denver Broncos on Dec. 24. The Thursday Night Football contest against the 49ers will be televised on FOX with a simulcast on NFL Network.
The Raiders will appear on Sunday Night Football one time in 2018, marking the second consecutive season that Oakland has been scheduled for a Sunday night. Last year, the Raiders appeared on Sunday Night Football three times, facing the Washington Redskins in Week 3, the Miami Dolphins in Week 9 and the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. The Raiders went 1-2 in 2017 on Sunday Night Football, defeating the Dolphins, 27-24, in Miami. In 2013, the Raiders participated in the latest NFL game ever played when they hosted the San Diego Chargers on Oct. 6. Due to an Oakland Athletics' postseason game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Raiders moved their game to an 8:35 p.m. PT start, marking the latest start time in NFL history.
The Raiders, 19-20 all-time in Sunday night contests since 1978, are 1-0 against the Steelers on Sunday night, who they will play on Dec. 9 in Oakland.
This will mark the Raiders' 69th and 70th contest on Monday Night Football and third consecutive year after playing their first-ever Monday Night Football game on Christmas Day last season and their first Monday Night Football contest outside of the United States in 2016 in Mexico City, Mexico. The Raiders have split their last two Monday Night Football appearances, defeating the Texans, 27-20, in 2016 and falling to the Eagles, 10-19, last year. It will mark the first MNF matchup against the Broncos since 2013 and first MNF game against the Rams since 1985.
Oakland holds a 38-28-1 all-time record in Monday Night Football contests. The Silver and Black last played on Monday Night Football on Dec. 25, 2017 at the Philadelphia Eagles. The Raiders lost that contest, 10-19.
On Thursdays, the Raiders are 10-10 all-time, including a 3-4 record on Thanksgiving Days. The contest against the 49ers will mark just the second overall primetime matchup between the two teams and first since 1994, when they met on Monday Night Football.
Gruden's Return:
Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden* *enters the first season of his second stint at the helm of the Silver and Black, bringing a 95-81 career record over his first 11 seasons. In his first four seasons with the Raiders from 1998-2001, Gruden posted a 38-26 record with two postseason appearances before recording a 57-55 record with the Buccaneers from 2002-08. Over his career, Gruden has posted a .500 record or better against eight of the Raiders' 2018 opponents.
AFC West:
Denver Broncos: 1-9
Kansas City Chiefs: 7-3
Preview the Raiders' 2018 regular season opponents and schedule.
Raiders vs. Rams – Week 1 - Sept. 10 - 7:20 p.m. - Monday Night Football (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)
Raiders at Broncos – Week 2 - Sep. 16 - 1:25 p.m.
Raiders at Dolphins – Week 3 – Sep. 23 – 10 a.m.
Raiders vs. Browns – Week 4 – Sep. 30 – 1:05 p.m. (Scott Boehm/Associated Press)
Raiders at Chargers – Week 5 – Oct. 7 – 1:05 p.m.
Raiders vs. Seahawks (London) – Week 6 – Oct. 14 – 10 a.m. (Eric Risberg/Associated Press)
Raiders vs. Colts – Week 8 – Oct. 28 – 1:05 p.m.
Raiders at 49ers – Week 9 – Nov. 1 – 5:20 p.m. - Thursday Night Football (Kevin Terrell/Associated Press)
Raiders vs. Chargers – Week 10 – Nov. 11 – 1:05 p.m. (NFL Photos/Associated Press)
Raiders at Cardinals – Week 11 – Nov. 18 – 1:05 p.m. (Paul Spinelli/Associated Press)
Raiders at Ravens – Week 12 – Nov. 25 – 10 a.m.
Raiders vs. Chiefs – Week 13 – Dec. 2 – 1:05 p.m.
Raiders vs. Steelers – Week 14 – Dec. 9 – 5:20 p.m. - Sunday Night Football (Al Tielemans/Associated Press)
Raiders at Bengals – Week 15 – Dec. 16 – 10 a.m. (Paul Spinelli/Associated Press
Raiders vs. Broncos – Week 16 – Dec. 24 – 5:15 p.m. - Monday Night Football
Raiders at Chiefs – Week 17 – Dec. 30 – 10 a.m. (Ed Zurga/Associated Press)
Los Angeles Chargers: 7-3
AFC North:
Baltimore Ravens: 1-2
Cincinnati Bengals: 3-0
Cleveland Browns: 3-0
Pittsburgh Steelers: 0-3
AFC South:
Indianapolis Colts: 2-2
AFC East:
Miami Dolphins: 1-3
NFC West:
Arizona Cardinals: 2-2
Los Angeles Rams: 2-1
San Francisco 49ers: 2-3
Seattle Seahawks: 6-6
International Game:
On Oct. 14, the Raiders will play a game outside of the United States for the fourth time in five seasons. This year, the Silver and Black will return to London, the site of their first international game in 2014. English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium will be the site of the Raiders' contest against the Seattle Seahawks, marking the first NFL game in the venue. Tottenham's new stadium becomes the third venue to stage a regular-season game in the UK, joining Wembley Stadium and Twickenham Stadium.
