Ranking Every Game on the Raiders' Schedule from Easiest to Hardest
The Las Vegas Raiders will soon find out their schedule. Below, we have ranked their opponents from easiest to hardest.
New York Jets
The New York Jets may be the worst team in the league heading into the 2026 season. After signing Geno Smith and reportedly being interested in signing Russell Wilson at one point this offseason, it is unclear if the Jets are actually trying to win games this season.
This is by far the easiest game on the Raiders' schedule this season.
Tennessee Titans
The new-look Raiders are better than the Titans.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints are up-and-coming, but this should be a win for the Raiders.
Arizona Cardinals
Las Vegas will face a Cardinals team with nearly as many new facets as they have. Still, this will be one of the easier games on the schedule.
Miami Dolphins
Cleveland Browns
Considering the Raiders lost to the Browns at home last season, and the Browns' solid defense, this is a challenging game for Las Vegas.
Kansas City Chiefs
Facing the Chiefs without Patrick Mahomes should make life much, much easier for the Raiders this season against the Chiefs. Otherwise, this would be one of their toughest games of the season. No Mahomes gives the Raiders a chance.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Raiders and Chargers usually make for good, competitive games. The same will be the case this season. Los Angeles is a team in the division that a competent Raiders coaching staff and team can surpass.
New England Patriots
The Raiders can beat the Patriots, especially if the weather isn't a factor. When in the season the Raiders are scheduled to face the Patriots will be a significant determining factor in the game's outcome.
Denver Broncos
The Raiders gave the Broncos a run for their money on Thursday Night Football in Denver last season. The Broncos are the better team, but with it being a divisional game and Las Vegas' familiarity with them, the Raiders have a chance to at least split the season series.
Still, the Broncos (and the rest of the AFC West) have given the Raiders trouble over the past few seasons.
San Francisco 49ers
This is where things go from manageable to flat-out difficult for the Raiders. All the other teams listed above are games they should at least be competitive in, if not win. However, once Las Vegas gets past those teams, it faces a gauntlet of opponents featuring some of the league's best.
The 49ers will likely be a team that ranks near the top half of the league. The Raiders will likely not be. This will be a challenging game for the Raiders, but far from their most challenging this season.
Buffalo Bills
A road matchup with Buffalo is simply not a good one for the Raiders. It was three seasons ago, and completely different teams, but the last time the Raiders traveled to Buffalo, it was a blowout. The Raiders are not the only team to get blown out in Buffalo, but this is simply a bad game.
If the Raiders travel to Buffalo early in the season, they will face a motivated Bills team that is already better. If Las Vegas travels to Buffalo late in the season, the game could be affected by snow. Either way, this is a difficult matchup for the Raiders.
If Las Vegas did not also face the Rams and Seattle Seahawks, the Bills would be their most difficult game of the season.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams will once again be playoff contenders this upcoming season. The Raiders will not. The Los Angeles team is one of the best in the league, while the Raiders are in the infancy of a rebuild. This is simply abad matchup for the Raiders, as both teams are at different points.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks may have lost several coaches and players, including Klint Kubiak. However, they are still the defending Super Bowl champions. They are still a much better team than the Raiders on paper. Although anything can happen on any given Sunday, this is their hardest game so far.
Luckily for the Raiders, this game is at home. Unfortunately, unless an unforeseen event, such as an injury, befalls Seattle, the Raiders' chances of winning this game are low. This is unquestionably their hardest game of the season. The earlier the game is scheduled, the harder it will be for Las Vegas.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi as Ranking Every Game on the Raiders' Schedule from Easiest to Hardest.
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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 8:30 AM.