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2020 Las Vegas Raiders Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info
May 7, 2020
With the reveal of the NFL's 2020 regular-season schedule, the stage is now set for the Las Vegas Raiders as they embark on their first year in Sin City.
This season will be a pivotal one for Derek Carr.
Carr's development has stagnated for the most part following the last of his three straight Pro Bowl appearances in 2017. He threw for 4,054 yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2019, largely equal to his production from 2018 (4,049 yards, 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions).
The Raiders signed Marcus Mariota to a two-year, $17.6 million contract that could increase significantly based on his performance and number of appearances.
Although Carr is likely to open 2020 as the Raiders' starting quarterback, he may not end the season in that role with Mariota waiting in the wings.
Here's a look at the road ahead for Las Vegas this fall.
Raiders' 2020 Schedule
Analysis
While Tom Brady didn't sign with the Raiders, the future Hall of Famer is still making a trip to Vegas in 2020. The Raiders will welcome the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7 as part of their inter-conference slate.
This isn't a good year to draw the NFC South because both the Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints look like genuine Super Bowl contenders.
The Saints re-signed Drew Brees and didn't suffer too many significant personnel losses despite entering the offseason with little cap space. The Bucs showed their ambition by bringing Brady aboard to replace Jameis Winston.
Las Vegas is somewhat fortunate in that the two teams are coming to Allegiant Stadium.
The Raiders are playing Brady's old team, as well, and this is the first time in a long while that a trip to Gillette Stadium might not be that bad. With Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer as their two best quarterbacks, the New England Patriots appear to be taking a long view in the beginning of the post-Brady era.
Las Vegas will host the Indianapolis Colts and travel to Northeast Ohio to play the Cleveland Browns, two games that could serve as barometers for the team's postseason aspirations.
Pivotal Matchups
It's safe to assume right now that second place is the Raiders' ceiling in the AFC West. The Kansas City Chiefs are the reigning Super Bowl champions and have almost all their key players back from last year.
Las Vegas will still have a path to the playoffs through the wild card, and nine wins was enough for the Tennessee Titans to secure the second wild-card berth in 2019.
Looking to 2020, the Raiders basically need to flip their conference record from last year. They went 5-7 against AFC teams, while the Titans and Buffalo Bills had 7-5 marks as they qualified for the Wild Card Round.
Circle those matchups with the Colts and Browns because either one could be direct competition for Las Vegas in the playoff race.