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The next game the Raiders will play will be at Allegiant Stadium in September 2020, nine long months away. Just hours ago, the Raiders lost their final game in Denver, failing on a two-point conversion and ending a once promising season at 7-9, ending the year out of the playoffs.
The end of the regular season provided clarity on two of the biggest questions Raider fans want to know when looking forward to next season: Where will the Raiders draft in the first round and who will they play in their inaugural season in Vegas.
The Raiders will have the 12th pick in the 2020 NFL draft based on their season results and the 19th pick in the first round to complete the Khalil Mack trade with the Bears. They will have the 12th pick in each subsequent rounds, meaning that Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden will have plenty of draft capital to continue adding talent to a young nucleus.
The other topic that was clarified is the home and away schedule for 2020. The 2020 Vegas Raiders schedule is now official after the AFC 3rd place Colts lost to the Jaguars and will head to Vegas while the Raiders will head to Cleveland to play the AFC North 3rd place Browns.
Here’s the full schedule 2020 Vegas Raiders Schedule:
2020 Raiders Home Games
Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Chargers
Kansas City Chiefs
New Orleans Saints
Indianapolis Colts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
VEGAS INSPIRED COLLECTIONS
2020 Raiders Away Games
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers
New York Jets
Atlanta Falcons
Cleveland Browns
Carolina Panthers
New England Patriots
In other important news, the rumor mill (Review Journal) has the Raiders getting a Prime Time game in week one, as expected, to open Allegiant Stadium. The smart money has the Sunday Night game in week one in Vegas, with the opening game of the season showcasing the Rams new stadium in LA, with the Chargers getting slated for the second game of Monday Night Football.
It was reported that Vegas is also being considered to open the season, but Sunday Night seems to make more sense. Either way, it seems very likely that there will be a home game the first weekend and it will be a prime time game and match up. We are confident that the Vegas Raiders will play their first home game on one of the following:
- Thursday, September 10th
- Sunday, September 13th
- Monday, September 14th
The NFL will want a marquee match-up for the opening weekend, so I can’t imagine any team other than Kansas City opening the season in Vegas. The NFL opened it’s 100th anniversary year with the Packers/Bears and had 6 of the 16 opening games in division. The Raiders opened 2019 at home against the Broncos, so I see them as a less likely opponent on SNF.
SAVE BIG IN VEGAS
The only other marquee game I see on the home schedule that would make sense would be the New Orleans Saints. The Bills could make some sense as another playoff team, but lack that pizazz unless they make a Super Bowl run. The Dolphins, Colts, & Bucs all had mediocre to poor seasons, so they don’t make sense.
Since I am a betting man, I would say if you want to be in Vegas for the opening game, book a room for Sunday, September 13th and be ready for Mahomes and The Chiefs coming to Vegas for the opening weekend Sunday Night Football game.
It’s going to be a long time till we have football again, but here’s some important dates to keep you in the loop during the off season.
- Raiders Eliminated from the Playoffs: Week 17, December 29, 2019
- NFL Schedule Released: Mid-April, likely April 15th (Last Year April 17th)
- Buy Vegas Raiders Tickets in Secondary Markets: Mid-April
- NFL Combine: February 23rd – March 2nd in Indianapolis
- NFL Draft: April 23rd – 25th in Las Vegas!
- NFL Season Opens – Thursday, September 10th
- First NFL Sunday, Likely First Raiders Game in Vegas: Sunday, September 13th
- First Monday Night Football Game of 2020: Monday, September 14th
- Super Bowl LV in Tampa, FL: Sunday, February 7th
- Super Bowl Parade in Las Vegas?: Tuesday, February 9th
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