Raiders schedule 2022: Dates & times for all 17 games, strength of schedule, final record prediction

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There are lofty expectations for 2022 in the Nevada desert. After a wild-card weekend exit last season, the Raiders hired Josh McDaniels as their new head coach and put to bed any talk of moving on from quarterback Derek Carr, instead signing him to an extension. They also brought in Carr's former Fresno State teammate Davante Adams.

Therein lies the reason for the Raiders' new ceiling. Adams immediately puts the receiving room in the top half of the league, and he'll take pressure off Hunter Renfrow. The defense still has question marks, but Maxx Crosby's breakout season last year is a promising sign for a unit that's looking to get better. 

But the Raiders are playing in possibly the most difficult division in the NFL. The Chargers and Chiefs are bound to be in the AFC championship conversation, and the Broncos landed one of the offseason's biggest fish in Russell Wilson. Nothing about the division is easy, but the Raiders have built themselves up as well.

The Raiders do have a fortunate draw against the AFC South, although the NFC West looms. They have the seventh-toughest schedule based on 2021 records. While that's a imperfect measuring stick, it isn't surprising to see that's where the Raiders are heading into the season.

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Las Vegas Raiders schedule 2022

Here is the Las Vegas Raiders' complete schedule for 2022.

Week Date Opponent Kickoff time TV
1 Sept. 11 at Chargers 4:25 p.m. ET CBS
2 Sept. 18 vs. Cardinals 4:25 p.m. ET CBS
3 Sept. 25 at Titans 1 p.m. ET Fox
4 Oct. 2 vs. Broncos 4:25 p.m. ET CBS
5 Oct. 10 (MNF) at Chiefs 8:15 p.m. ET ESPN
6 BYE      
7 Oct. 23 vs. Texans 4:05 p.m. ET CBS
8 Oct. 30 at Saints 1 p.m. ET CBS
9 Nov. 6 at Jaguars 1 p.m. ET CBS
10 Nov. 13 vs. Colts 4:05 p.m. ET CBS
11 Nov. 20 at Broncos 4:05 p.m. ET Fox
12 Nov. 27 at Seahawks 4:05 p.m. ET CBS
13 Dec. 4 vs. Chargers 4:25 p.m. ET CBS
14 Dec. 8 (TNF) at Rams 8:15 p.m. ET Prime Video
15 Dec. 18  vs. Patriots 4:05 p.m. Fox
16 Dec. 24 at Steelers 8:15 p.m. ET NFL Network
17 Jan. 1 vs. 49ers 4:05 p.m. ET Fox
18 Jan. 7 or Jan. 8 vs. Chiefs TBD TBD

The Raiders' schedule is extremely deep. They will try to navigate two of the best divisions in the NFL. Although they're in a favorable place within the AFC rotation, getting the NFC West while improving at just one position is hardly an ideal situation for the start of the season.

Raiders strength of schedule

The Raiders finished 10-7 last season, good for second place in the AFC West. A win over the Chargers in Week 18 propelled them to the playoffs and put them at .500 in the division. It will take better than that this year; beating the Chiefs must be a top priority. They're the team to best in the West until further notice.

Toughest tests: Games against the Rams, 49ers, and Cardinals in addition to the divisional schedule are a brutal draw for Las Vegas. The Saints are hardly a pushover, either, particularly at the Caesars Superdome. Being a second-place finisher last year isn't helping. The Raiders have to play the Steelers and Patriots, two of the evil empires of the AFC.

Biggest breaks: The only real break on this schedule is playing the AFC South. The Texans and Jaguars are still very much in the midst of rebuilds, the Colts will be breaking in a new quarterback (Matt Ryan) and the Titans have their own issues. While it may not be the pushover division it used to be, it's the Raiders' best option for a break.

Bottom line: The Raiders got better in the offseason, but they still don't look ready to challenge the Chiefs. The mentality will be Super Bowl or bust, but making it out of wild-card weekend would be huge. This season will be a success if they lay a foundation upon which to build, regardless of what people inside Allegiant Stadium say.

Record prediction: 10-7

Author(s)
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Kevin Skiver is a content producer at The Sporting News