Photo by: Kelvin Kuo / AP
Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018 | 8:44 a.m.
Week 1: vs. Los Angeles Rams Monday, September 10, 7:20 p.m.
Current line: Rams minus-4
A tough opening-night assignment, as the Rams sit tied behind only the New England Patriots in future odds to win the Super Bowl, currently at 10-to-1 at the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook.
2018 Raiders Season Preview
- Real fans wear black: An introduction to Raider Nation
- The Raiders are already forging a strong bond with the people of Las Vegas
- Five things to know about the Raiders’ future home
- Names to know: five potential Raider breakout stars
- Game by game: breaking down the Raiders’ 2018 schedule
- How will returned Raiders coach Jon Gruden fare in the modern NFL?
Week 2: at Denver Broncos Sunday, September 16, 1:25 p.m.
Current line: Broncos minus-3.5
The Raiders have dropped five of their past six games in the hostile confines of Broncos Stadium at Mile High.
Week 3: at Miami Dolphins Sunday, September 23, 10 a.m.
Current line: Dolphins minus-1.5
This is the first of three games this season with early kickoffs in the Eastern time zone—a spot in which the Raiders have historically struggled.
Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns Sunday, September 30, 1:05 p.m.
Current line: Raiders minus-6
Cleveland has gone 1-31 under current coach Hue Jackson and could potentially ride a 20-game losing streak into Oakland.
Week 5: at Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, October 7, 1:05 p.m.
Current line: Chargers minus-5
A key early-season matchup: The Chargers are currently favored to win the AFC West division at 6-to-5 at Westgate Las Vegas Superbook.
Week 6: vs. Seattle Seahawks at London’s Wembley Stadium Sunday, October 14, 10 a.m.
Current line: Raiders minus-1.5
The Raiders will make their second-ever trip to the United Kingdom, where they lost to the Dolphins 38-14 in 2014. This is one of three NFL games to be played in London this season.
Week 7: bye
Week 8: vs. Indianapolis Colts Sunday, October 28, 1:05 p.m.
Current line: Raiders minus-6
Off the bye week, the Raiders’ coaching staff will have extra time to prepare for Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who returns from a shoulder injury this season.
Week 9: at San Francisco 49ers Thursday, November 1, 5:20 p.m.
Current line: 49ers minus-4.5
Barring the unlikely scenario of the teams meeting in one of the next two Super Bowls, this will be the last time the rivalry is contested while both franchises are based in the Bay Area.
Week 10: vs. Los Angeles Chargers Sunday, November 11, 1:05 p.m.
Current line: Chargers minus-2.5
Longtime Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has beaten up on the Raiders throughout his career, compiling a 16-8 record and throwing for 41 touchdowns and just 18 interceptions.
Week 11: at Arizona Cardinals Sunday, November 18, 1:05 p.m.
Current line: Raiders minus-1
Undergoing an overdue youth movement, the Cardinals come into the season power-rated as one of the league’s five worst teams in sports books.
Week 12: at Baltimore Ravens Sunday, November 25, 10 a.m.
Current line: Ravens minus-5
In a scheduling quirk, the Raiders will play the Ravens for an unlikely fourth-straight year. They won the first two meetings, before falling to Baltimore 30-17 last season.
Week 13: vs. Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, December 2, 1:05 p.m.
Current line: Raiders minus-2.5
Unless there are strong playoff implications in a Week 16 matchup against the Broncos, this figures to be the loudest game of the year at the Oakland Coliseum, as the rival Chiefs always bring it out of Raiders’ fans.
Week 14: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, December 9, 5:20 p.m.
Current line: Steelers minus-3.5
It’s currently scheduled as the Raiders’ only appearance on Sunday Night Football, but NBC reserves the right to “flex” the late-season game out of the primetime slot if a more attractive matchup becomes available.
Week 15: at Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, December 16, 10 a.m.
Current line: Bengals plus-1.5
This trip will hold special meaning for new defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who spent 13 seasons in Cincinnati before jumping to Oakland in the offseason.
Week 16: vs. Denver Broncos Monday, December 24, 5:15 p.m.
Current line: Raiders minus-3
The Raiders’ only stand-alone Monday Night Football appearance—there are annually two Monday Night Football games for Week 1—doubles as the NFL’s lone holiday game this December after the league staged Christmas day contests the previous two years.
Week 17: at Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, December 30, 10 a.m.
Current line: None (Sports books don’t post early Week 17 lines because of how many teams end up resting players with the season ending and stakes typically nonexistent.)
The Raiders will look to break a seven-year streak of ending the regular season with a loss to a divisional opponent.
