3 Things on the Raiders 2026 Schedule Wishlist
The full 2026 NFL schedule will be released on Thursday night. Although multiple primetime matchups have already been announced over the last few days, the complete slate of games for the upcoming season will finally be revealed.
While the timing of games may seem to be minute details, a team's level of success is somewhat contingent on catching fortunate breaks at specific times in the season. For example, if you were a team that faced the Kansas City Chiefs in the final weeks of the season, you considered yourself extremely lucky, as they were without Patrick Mahomes for the final three games of the season.
The Las Vegas Raiders were one of those teams that faced Kansas City during that stretch, and while that contest meant nothing, as both teams were already shifting their focus to the draft, this time around, the Raiders could take advantage of a similar break falling their way. With that in mind, here are three things Las Vegas is hoping for in their schedule release on Thursday night.
1. Play the Chiefs Early
In the Mahomes era, Kansas City has been historically great in September, boasting a 20-6 record ever since the 30-year-old quarterback took over as the starter in 2018. However, the three-time Super Bowl MVP is coming off a torn ACL, and while he is pushing to be back on the field by Week 1, it is going to take time for Mahomes to fully find his footing.
Additionally, Kansas City has a completely revamped secondary and a new starting running back in Kenneth Walker III. The Chiefs may need to experiment during the first four weeks of the season to truly find out who they are, and that will be the best time to face them before they figure things out. Las Vegas faces Kansas City twice a year, but getting one over on the Chiefs early in the season, while they are working things out, is the best-case scenario.
2. Bye Week Sandwiched With Easy Opponents
This one has more to do with the event that the Raiders make a quarterback change at some point during the season. Earlier this offseason, head coach Klint Kubiak made it clear that he prefers Fernando Mendoza to sit out most, if not all, of the season and learn on the bench behind Kirk Cousins.
However, as in life, the NFL provides no guarantees. With poor play and injuries being constant variables in the equation, we could see the Raiders' No. 1 overall pick on the field sooner than expected. Cousins is 37 years old, and he could be on the 18th hole of his career, which was evident last season. Mendoza could be thrust into the starting role at some point in 2026.
Ideally, teams with rookie quarterbacks have games circled on their schedules that could provide a manageable matchup for their young signal caller.
Even more so, coaches hope that these games follow a bye week, as it gives the rookie quarterback ample time to prepare for their debut. Let's say the Raiders have a three-week stretch in the middle of the season featuring the Dolphins, bye, and the Jets. Mendoza could start against Miami, then have a bye week to assess his film and learn from it before preparing for New York. That would be a "soft launch" stretch, allowing Mendoza to find his footing.
3. Avoid Bad Weather Games
Las Vegas plays indoors, automatically eliminating eight games from being derailed by weather conditions. You then take into account that the Raiders' road games include the Cardinals, Chargers, Saints (all dome teams), and the 49ers. Those are four games, where the weather will not play a significant role.
That leaves road games against the Chiefs, Broncos, Patriots, Browns, and Jets as the only possibilities of "bad weather" games, depending on when they occur on the schedule. If Las Vegas can play these opponents before Thanksgiving, that would be a major plus for an indoor organization.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi as 3 Things on the Raiders 2026 Schedule Wishlist.
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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 4:00 AM.