Oakland Raiders' 2018 NFL schedule: Jon Gruden returns to some marquee matchups
Sept. 10 L.A. Rams, 10:20 p.m.
Sept. 16 at Broncos, 4:25 p.m.
Sept. 23 at Dolphins, 1 p.m.
Sept. 30 Browns, 4:05 p.m.
Oct. 7 at L.A. Chargers, 4:05 pm.
Oct. 14 Seahawks (London), 1 p.m.
Oct. 21 BYE
Oct. 28 Colts, 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 1 at 49ers, 8:20 p.m.
Nov. 11 L.A. Chargers, 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 18 at Cardinals, 4:05 p.m.
Nov. 25 at Ravens, 1 p.m.
Dec. 2 Chiefs, 4:05 p.m.
Dec. 9 Steelers, 8:20 p.m.
Dec. 16 at Bengals, 1 p.m.
Dec. 24 Broncos, 8:15 p.m.
Dec. 30 at Chiefs, 1 p.m.
(All times ET)
Marquee game: The second Jon Gruden era starts, fittingly, on Monday Night Football with a home game against the Rams. It should be a very tough test for Gruden’s Oakland offense against a stout defense that added defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh and cornerback Aqib Talib in the offseason. (The only thing that would have made this matchup more intriguing is if the Raiders had kept Talib’s nemesis, receiver Michael Crabtree, on the roster).
Stumbling block: The Raiders lost their first bout with the 49ers this year, when San Francisco won a coin flip for the No. 9 draft pick at the scouting combine. But the real Bay Area battle is in Week 9, when the Raiders travel to Santa Clara for their first regular-season game at Levi’s Stadium. This Thursday night game will tell us a lot about Oakland's trajectory ... as well as who has supremacy in the local market.
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Noteworthy: For the third consecutive year, the Raiders will forgo a home game to "host" an international game. This time, rather than traveling to Mexico City, they will play at London in Week 6 against the Seahawks. Assuming Marshawn Lynch remains on the Oakland roster, this would be his first meeting against his former club.
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Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story had the Raiders playing at Los Angeles in their opener. Paste BN Sports regrets the error.