Breakdown of Raiders schedule, beginning and ending with Chargers

Week 1: at Los Angeles Chargers

Sept. 8, 1:05 p.m., SoFi Stadium

■ Network: CBS

■ Opening line: Chargers -3

■ All-time record: Raiders lead 69-58-2

■ Last meeting: Dec. 14, 2023 — Raiders 63-21

■ Lowdown: The Raiders get the honor of welcoming former 49ers coach and defending national champion Jim Harbaugh back to the NFL. It will be a familiar setting for new general manager Tom Telesco, who spent the last decade in the same role with the Chargers.

Week 2: at Baltimore Ravens

Sept. 15, 10 a.m., M&T Bank Stadium

■ Network: CBS

■ Opening line: Ravens -7

■ All-time record: Ravens lead 9-4

■ Last meeting: Sept. 13, 2021 — Raiders 33-27 (OT)

■ Lowdown: The first of the Raiders’ four trips to the Eastern time zone comes early as they head to Baltimore for the first time since 2018. In an odd scheduling quirk, the team opens the season with consecutive games against the Harbaugh brothers. Jim’s older brother John coaches the Ravens.

Week 3: vs. Carolina Panthers

Sept. 22, 1:05 p.m., Allegiant Stadium

■ Network: CBS

■ Opening line: Raiders -4

■ All-time record: Raiders lead 4-3

■ Last meeting: Sept. 13, 2020 — Raiders 34-30

■ Lowdown: Carolina did quarterback Bryce Young no favors last year by throwing the 2023 first overall pick into the fire with an awful supporting cast. While the Panthers roster should be better this year, it’s still a favorable matchup for the Raiders in their home opener.

Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns

Sept. 29, 1:25 p.m., Allegiant Stadium

■ Network: CBS

■ Opening line: Browns -1½

■ All-time record: Raiders lead 17-10

■ Last meeting: Dec. 20, 2021 — Raiders 16-14

■ Lowdown: One of the NFL’s most passionate fanbases will descend on Las Vegas for the first time, which should make for an interesting atmosphere. The Raiders have won four straight in this series.

Week 5: at Denver Broncos

Oct. 6, 1:05 p.m., Empower Field at Mile High

■ Network: Fox

■ Opening line: Broncos -1

■ All-time record: Raiders lead 73-54-2

■ Last meeting: Jan. 7, 2024 — Raiders 27-14

■ Lowdown: Will it be former Raider Jarrett Stidham or rookie first-round pick Bo Nix taking snaps at quarterback at this point of the season? Either way, the Raiders avoid a late-season trip to Denver when the weather can be unpredictable.

Week 6: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Oct 13, 1:05 p.m., Allegiant Stadium

■ Network: CBS

■ Opening line: Steelers -1

■ All-time record: Raiders lead 17-15

■ Last meeting: Sept. 24, 2023 — Steelers 23-18

■ Lowdown: The Raiders got a close look at Russell Wilson last season when he was in the AFC West with the Broncos. They’ll see him again in this matchup unless Justin Fields, who played for Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy with the Bears last season, has the job by this point. Steelers fans took over Allegiant Stadium last year, but tickets may be harder to come by for visiting fans in the Antonio Pierce era.

Week 7: at Los Angeles Rams

Oct. 20, 1:05 p.m., SoFi Stadium

■ Network: CBS

■ Opening line: Rams -4

■ All-time record: Raiders lead 8-7

■ Last meeting: Dec. 8, 2022 — Rams 17-16

■ Lowdown: The Raiders return to their second home, SoFi Stadium, for the second time this season for this matchup. Whoever is playing quarterback for the Raiders will be relieved to not see Aaron Donald on the other side of the line of scrimmage, provided he stays retired.

Week 8: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Oct. 27, 1:25 p.m., Allegiant Stadium

■ Network: CBS

■ Opening line: Chiefs -4½

■ All-time record: Chiefs lead 73-55-2

■ Last meeting: Dec. 25, 2023 — Raiders 20-14

■ Lowdown: The defending champs return to the site of their most recent Super Bowl victory. A certain pop star girlfriend will not be in attendance this time, however. Taylor Swift has a show scheduled in New Orleans the same day.

Week 9: at Cincinnati Bengals

Nov. 3, 10 a.m., Paycor Stadium

■ Network: Fox

■ Opening line: Bengals -7

■ All-time record: Raiders lead 21-13

■ Last meeting: Jan. 15, 2022 — Bengals 26-19

■ Lowdown: The Raiders return to the site of their last playoff game. They’ll hope this matchup has a better outcome. Derek Carr threw an interception in the end zone in the final minute of the Raiders’ 26-19 wild-card loss Jan. 15, 2022. The Bengals went on to play in that year’s Super Bowl.

Week 11: at Miami Dolphins

Nov. 17, 10 a.m., Hard Rock Stadium

■ Network: CBS

■ Opening line: Dolphins -6

■ All-time record: Raiders lead 21-20-1

■ Last meeting: Nov. 19, 2023 — Dolphins 20-13

■ Lowdown: The Raiders return to Hard Rock Stadium for a second consecutive season after both teams finished second in their divisions last year. A tremendous defensive effort by the visitors kept things close last season, but the Dolphins still prevailed.

Week 12: vs. Denver Broncos

Nov. 24, 1:05 p.m., Allegiant Stadium

■ Network: CBS

■ Opening line: Raiders -3

■ All-time record: Raiders lead 73-54-2

■ Last meeting: Jan. 7, 2024 — Raiders 27-14

■ Lowdown: The Raiders will host a game the same weekend the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix returns, resulting in an epic sports weekend. The logistics will be an absolute nightmare on paper, but the city is getting accustomed to these sorts of spectacles.

Week 13: at Kansas City Chiefs

Nov. 29, noon, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium

■ Network: Amazon Prime

■ Opening line: Chiefs -7

■ All-time record: Chiefs lead 73-55-2

■ Last meeting: Dec. 25, 2023 — Raiders 20-14

■ Lowdown: Fans said on social media last year the NFL whiffed by not including the Raiders in its first-ever Black Friday game. The league corrected things this year. The Raiders went to Kansas City on Christmas last season, so these matchups are becoming holiday traditions for both fanbases.

Week 14: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Dec. 8, 10 a.m., Raymond James Stadium

■ Network: CBS

■ Opening line: Buccaneers -1½

■ All-time record: Raiders lead 7-4

■ Last meeting: Oct. 25, 2020 — Buccaneers 45-20

■ Lowdown: This is the final time the Raiders will head to the Eastern time zone this season. It will also mark the last of their eight matchups against playoff teams from last year.

Week 15: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Dec. 16, 5:30 p.m., Allegiant Stadium

■ Network: ESPN

■ Opening line: Falcons -1

■ All-time record: Falcons lead 8-7

■ Last meeting: Nov. 29, 2020 — Falcons 43-6

■ Lowdown: A primetime game for the Raiders as “Monday Night Football” returns to Allegiant Stadium. The Falcons have high hopes after signing Kirk Cousins to distribute the ball to their collection of talented skill players.

Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Dec. 22, 1:25 p.m., Allegiant Stadium

■ Network: CBS

■ Opening line: Jaguars -1

■ All-time record: Jaguars lead 6-4

■ Last meeting: Nov. 6, 2022 — Jaguars 27-20

■ Lowdown: Trevor Lawrence visits Allegiant Stadium for the first time. The Raiders will try to snap a two-game losing streak against the Jaguars, who should be one of several teams fighting for an AFC wild-card spot at this point. The Raiders also hope to be in that mix, which could make this a pivotal game.

Week 17: at New Orleans Saints

Dec. 29, 10 a.m., Caesars Superdome

■ Network: Fox

■ Opening line: Saints -2½

■ All-time record: Series tied 7-7-1

■ Last meeting: Oct. 30, 2022 — Saints 24-0

■ Lowdown: This will be one of the most anticipated games on the schedule. Carr will face his old team for the first time as an opponent. He quarterbacked one of the worst offensive performances in Raiders history the last time the team played in New Orleans, a 24-0 loss to the Saints on Oct. 30, 2022.

Week 18: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

TBD, Allegiant Stadium

■ Network: TBD

■ Opening line: Chargers -1

■ All-time record: Raiders lead 69-58-2

■ Last meeting: Dec. 14, 2023 — Raiders 63-21

■ Lowdown: The Raiders will end the season against the same team they begin it with. The last time the Chargers played their season finale at Allegiant Stadium, it was one of the most memorable games of the decade. The Raiders won 35-32 in overtime Jan. 9, 2022 to make the playoffs when a tie would have sent both teams to the postseason.

Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal