The Oakland Raiders are trying to make fans quickly forget about the abysmal 2018 season. It was Jon Gruden's first season back at the helm and the Raiders ended the season at 4-12.
The 2019 season figures to be different as Oakland acquired Antonio Brown, Trent Brown, and Tyrell Williams this offseason. They also hired Mike Mayock as their new GM—likely to help with the draft process.
It's uncertain if the Raiders are moving forward with Derek Carr under center, but if they do, there are no excuses for him in the upcoming season. There are plenty of weapons for him to succeed with.
Recently, the NFL released the whole 2019 schedule for all 32 teams and there are a ton of marquee matchups. Here are five games that are must-watch games for the Raiders in 2019.
5. Week 12 at New York Jets
On the surface of this game, it may not seem overly exciting, but there are a couple of storylines. First, it's the first game we'll see where Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell are on opposite teams.
Brown and Bell played alongside each other for six seasons (technically five since Bell sat out in 2018) for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both had issues with the organization and decided to move on from Pittsburgh.
Lastly, we also get to see Kelechi Osemele face the Raiders, who traded him earlier this offseason to the New York Jets. There is nothing better than revenge games, even for offensive linemen.
4. Week 7 at Green Bay Packers
After the Raiders have their bye week in Week 6, they get the pleasure of traveling to Green Bay to play the Packers at Lambeau Field. It's tough to win on the road against Green Bay, but it'll be a good test to see where the Raiders are at.
Of course, fans get to witness Aaron Rodgers play the game of football which is always fun to watch. Derek Carr is going to be tested in this game and will need to put up points to keep up with the Packers.
The Packers have a new head coach in Matt LaFleur who is expected to bring a more up-tempo offense to Green Bay. This should be an interesting game to watch and see if the Raiders are an improved team.
3. Week 8 at Houston Texans
Following their Week 7 road game in Green Bay, the Raiders will travel south to take on the Houston Texans. The Texans were a playoff team last year and have a talented roster.
As fans, we get to watch two of the best wide receivers in the NFL in Antonio Brown and DeAndre Hopkins square off. Brown will want to prove to people that he is still elite, even in his 30's.
Containing Deshaun Watson will be key to winning the game and not allowing J.J. Watt to live in the backfield seems like a decent idea.
2. Week 16 at Los Angeles Chargers
If the Raiders are in a position to possibly make the playoffs, then their game in Week 16 could be a crucial one. They take on their division rival Los Angeles Chargers on the road.
The Chargers were 12-4 last season but were a Wild Card team since the Kansas City Chiefs are also in the division. We also get a Tyrell Williams revenge game in this contest.
Williams will probably ask for more targets behind closed doors to prove the Chargers wrong. If the Raiders aren't in a position to make the postseason in Week 16 then at least they could play spoiler to the Chargers season.
1. Week 2 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Raiders will quickly get an opportunity to face one of the best teams in the NFL. In Week 2, they already play in their second divisional game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes and company put points up like it's a game of Madden on rookie difficulty for the Chiefs. As a result, the Raiders new arsenal of weapons will need to be ready to produce a ton in Week 2 to keep up with Kansas City.
The Raiders game in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos is absolutely winnable. Therefore, if they could upset the Chiefs in Week 2, they could be in a great spot starting at 2-0 on the season.
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