The 8-Game Stretch That Could Define the Raiders’ 2026 Season

RAIDERS SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

The Raiders’ 2026 schedule is finally here, and in our latest podcast we break down what it actually means for the season ahead. This isn’t a lazy win-loss prediction show. We dive into the toughest stretches, travel and rest advantages, where the bye week lands, and the hidden opportunities and potential trouble spots that could shape the Raiders’ season. If you want to understand what the structure of the schedule tells us about the road ahead for the Silver and Black, make sure you check out the full episode linked above.

LOL

KTNV’s Taylor Rocha snagged an exclusive interview with Kirk Cousins, who was on hand to crank the rally siren ahead of the Golden Knights’ Game 5 victory over the Ducks this week. In the interview, he revealed that he’s been Ubering around town and taking in the sights around Las Vegas. I wonder how many of those trips have been to Sports Clips?

BRUTAL STRETCH

The Raiders dropped their full 2026 schedule on Thursday evening, and as I worked my way through it, one stretch in particular jumped off the page.

The first three games set up pretty well for the Raiders to get out of the gates with a strong start if they’re able to gel quickly. But the stretch from Weeks 4-11 is about as brutal as it gets.

It starts with a home game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Then the Raiders head across the country to face the AFC champion New England Patriots. They return home to take on Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, who will be on a short week coming off a Monday night game against the Rams in Los Angeles. Then it’s another home game against a Rams team that has made the playoffs in five of the last six seasons.

From there, the Raiders head back East to face the Jets. No one expects New York to be any good, but Geno Smith will undoubtedly have that one circled as a revenge game, and cross-country trips have not exactly been kind to the Raiders over the years.

After that, they travel to the Bay Area for their first regular-season trip to face the 49ers since relocating to Las Vegas. San Francisco will be coming off a bye week. Next up, Klint Kubiak gets a shot at his former team, the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks, before the Raiders head to Denver, where the Broncos will also be coming off a bye.

You’d think the NFL might have thrown the Raiders a bone and dropped their bye week somewhere in the middle of that gauntlet. Instead, they added a trip to Cleveland, where the Browns may have their issues offensively, but still field one of the nastier defenses in football.

The Raiders finally get their bye in Week 13.

Things change so much from year to year that I generally hate leaning on previous records to judge schedule strength. But in this case, it’s easy to see why ESPN ranked the Raiders’ schedule as the seventh toughest in the NFL.

From Weeks 4-11, the Raiders will face teams that have combined for 31 playoff appearances and 10 trips to the Super Bowl since 2019. Aside from the Jets, there’s a good chance every team in that stretch is firmly in the playoff mix again this season.

In other words, that eight-game run will test the Raiders in every way imaginable, and it will likely go a long way toward defining what their 2026 season becomes.

What does all of that mean for Fernando Mendoza? And when might he make his first start in Silver and Black?

For my full thoughts on that, check out the complete schedule breakdown podcast linked above.

MISS ANYTHING?

Catch up on some of our recent stories:

RAIDERS WINNERS & LOSERS

With the bulk of the major offseason moves and events now in the rearview mirror, it’s a great time to take a step back and evaluate where the Raiders’ roster stands. In Tuesday’s live show, we broke down the biggest winners and losers from the offseason, which veterans are in a better spot than they were a few months ago, and which players may now be fighting for their jobs. We also hit on rookies who could contribute early, key depth-chart battles to watch, and the players under the most pressure heading into training camp. If you want a full reset on where the roster stands today, this is a great episode to check out.

ADDED COMPETITION TO THE DL

Adam Butler looks like one of the biggest winners of the offseason. The Raiders didn’t invest heavily along the interior defensive line, which speaks volumes about how Rob Leonard feels about the pieces already on the roster. Butler’s versatility is a big part of that. He can line up at nose tackle and 3-technique, giving the Raiders the flexibility to shift between multiple looks without tipping their hand.

The signing of Benito Jones adds a true nose tackle to the mix. At 6-foot-1 and 335 pounds, Jones gives the Raiders a classic run-stuffing option when they want to get into their base fronts. But because the Raiders are unlikely to spend a ton of time in a traditional 3-4, I still expect Butler to handle the bulk of the snaps at nose tackle while continuing to move around the line in sub packages. In other words, Jones adds depth as a situational guy, but Butler still looks like a key piece in Rob Leonard’s defensive plans.

FANSHOTZ FRIDAY

“FanShotz Friday”

By now, you have seen the phenomenal photos we’ve been using in many of our newsletters. They’re some of the best shots you’ll find of your favorite team, captured through the lens of our friend Arnie Bazemore of Fanshotz.com. Every Friday, we’ll feature Arnie’s favorite Raiders shot of the week that he captures at practice or on game day.

This week, we’re featuring a shot Arnie snagged of UDFA RB, Roman Hemby at Raiders’ Rookie Minicamp a few weeks back. Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr. will be the lead dogs but I can’t help but wonder if Hemby will turn into the next UDFA success story that we’ve seen over the years in this Kubiak/Shanahan scheme. They always seem to find diamonds in the rough at running back.

Check out Arnie’s work at his site linked above and reach out if you’re interested in working with him. He’s a great guy and has been so supportive of me over the years when I was at NBC here in Vegas, and he’s come along for the ride with Silver & Black Sports Network, too.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The weekend is here, so kick back and relax.

Things should pick up again next week as the Raiders return to OTAs and we start getting more news out of Henderson. We’ll also be back on our regular podcast schedule, with a new episode dropping Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. PT.

As of now, the plan is to take a deep dive into Jack Bech and what he needs to do to break out in Year 2. Matt Harmon from Reception Perception is expected to join me for that one, so keep an eye out for it on the 19th.

Catch ya next time,