Breven Honda
On Thursday, the Las Vegas Raiders unveiled their 2026 schedule. All 32 NFL teams announced their 17-game slates simultaneously, a media spectacle.
The Raiders will travel 21,099 miles in 2026, the 12th-most in the league. They also own the seventh-toughest strength of schedule at .529, based on opponents’ 2025 records.
For the first time since 2010, the Raiders will not appear in a single primetime game, which isn’t surprising given their record over the past several years. Barring a late-season flex, Fernando Mendoza and the Silver and Black will get no national spotlight on Monday, Thursday, Saturday, or Sunday night. Las Vegas is also the only NFL team that has not played an international game this decade, a streak now stretching to seven seasons. The last time the Raiders played internationally was in 2019 in London.
Let’s break down the slate.
Week 1: Las Vegas Raiders open season against Miami
The Raiders open at Allegiant Stadium, hosting a Week 1 game in the building for the first time since 2021. Every Raiders game in 2026 is scheduled for a Sunday. This one most likely marks the debut of either Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza, the latter a Miami native. Las Vegas last hosted the Dolphins in 2021, winning 31-28.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders Secondary Overhaul: How John Spytek’s 4 Draft Picks Fit Klint Kubiak’s Defense
Week 2: at Los Angeles Chargers
Las Vegas faces its first AFC West opponent in Week 2 when it travels to SoFi Stadium to face the Los Angeles Chargers. This was the meeting last year against the Chargers when tight end Brock Bowers recorded a one-handed touchdown grab at his shoelaces. In the first 17 weeks, the Raiders are expected to play 11 games on CBS and six on FOX.
Week 3: at New Orleans
The road trip continues in New Orleans as the Raiders visit the Saints. It’s the first of three consecutive games away from Allegiant Stadium and the third straight meeting between the teams at the Caesars Superdome. The series is split between those games. The Saints won on Halloween Eve in 2022. Two years later, the Raiders took the game as Aidan O’Connell threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns.
Also read: Las Vegas Raiders Draft Recap: Getting to know the picks, including Fernando Mendoza
Week 4: vs. Kansas City
October opens with the Kansas City Chiefs at home inside Allegiant Stadium. The Chiefs could roll with Patrick Mahomes or backup Justin Fields, depending on Mahomes’ recovery from a torn ACL. The injury came weeks before the Raiders won the 2025 season finale on a 60-yard walk-off field goal from Daniel Carlson.
Related: ‘Every Ball Is a Dart’: Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit Make Stunning Fernando Mendoza Comparison
Week 5: at New England
The Raiders travel to Gillette Stadium to face the defending AFC champion New England Patriots. Las Vegas beat New England in Week 1 last year, with then-rookie Ashton Jeanty scoring a touchdown in his NFL debut. A win in Foxborough would even the all-time series at 18-18-1. It is the first of three games scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m. PT. The rest fall in the 1 p.m. PT window.
Week 6: vs. Buffalo
The Raiders host their second straight AFC East opponent on Oct. 18, looking for their first win over Buffalo since the franchise moved to Las Vegas. The Silver and Black lost to the Bills in 2020 and 2023. Cousins last faced Buffalo in 2022, leading Minnesota to a 33-30 overtime win punctuated by Justin Jefferson’s one-handed fourth-and-18 grab.
Also read: Where Is Taron Johnson? The Raiders’ Best Offseason Trade Has Quietly Vanished
Week 7: vs. Los Angeles Rams
The Raiders also draw the NFC West this season, and the Los Angeles Rams come to Las Vegas first. It’s the first time the franchise has hosted Los Angeles since relocating in 2020. The Raiders have lost both prior meetings at SoFi Stadium (2022, 2024) by a combined six points. The matchup also marks Davante Adams‘ first game against his former team since the trade.
Week 8: at New York Jets
Las Vegas wraps its AFC East slate at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets. The Raiders have won four of the last five meetings, including the last two in 2020 and 2023. The 2023 game at Allegiant Stadium was highlighted by Michael Mayer’s 7-yard touchdown catch from O’Connell. In 2020, Darren Waller posted 13 receptions for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Derek Carr capped it with a 46-yard touchdown to Henry Ruggs III with five seconds left.
Week 9: at San Francisco
The legendary Bay Area rivalry returns. The Raiders make their first trip to Levi’s Stadium since 2018, having also drawn the 49ers in their third preseason game. The Raiders last hosted San Francisco in 2023, when Davante Adams went for 150 yards and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard score.
Week 10: vs. Seattle
Head coach Klint Kubiak faces his former team for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in Seattle. Kubiak brought offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko and offensive line coach Rick Dennison with him to Las Vegas. The Seahawks will play in Las Vegas for the first time on Nov. 15. The game caps a stretch in which the Raiders face three NFC West teams in four weeks. The last meeting came in 2022, when Josh Jacobs ripped off an 86-yard walk-off touchdown run.
Also read: ‘No Excuses’: Klint Kubiak Issues Blunt Warning to Raiders Coaches and Front Office
Week 11: at Denver
The annual trip to Mile High lands the week before Thanksgiving. Denver reached last season’s AFC Championship Game with former Raider Jarrett Stidham under center. The trip caps three straight weeks on CBS.
Week 12: at Cleveland
Weather could become a factor in back-to-back road games before the bye. The matchups will say plenty about where the offense stands. The Browns fielded one of the NFL’s top defenses last year. Cleveland is led by Myles Garrett and Carson Schwesinger, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year, respectively. Garrett set the single-season sack record with 23 in 2025.
Also read: Las Vegas Raiders Wide Receiver Depth Chart 2026: No Clear No. 1 Option Heading into Training Camp
Week 13: BYE
Las Vegas gets its much-needed bye week before the playoff run. This will get all the troops ready for a potential playoff run, whether Mendoza or Cousins is under center.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders Advised to Pursue All-Pro Pass-Catcher
Week 14: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Las Vegas returns from the bye with three straight home games, starting with the Chargers. It is the first of three December games. The Raiders play each of their three AFC West opponents over the final five weeks of the regular season.
Week 15: vs. Denver
For the second time in four weeks, the Raiders and Broncos complete the season series, this time at Allegiant Stadium. This will either happen in the heart of the stretch run or be valuable minutes for Mendoza. Las Vegas is looking for its first home win over the Broncos since Week 18 of the 2023 season. That win also marked eight straight wins over Denver, a stretch that started when the team moved to Las Vegas.
Related: Why Analysts Are Already Counting the Raiders Out of the 2026 Playoffs
Week 16: vs. Tennessee
The home finale comes a few days after Christmas. The Raiders have won four of the last six meetings with Tennessee, including last year, when Maxx Crosby sacked 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward twice in a 20-10 victory at Allegiant Stadium. Week 16 also marks the third Raiders home game in the last four meetings since 2019.
Week 17: at Arizona
The Raiders head down Highway 93 to Phoenix to face the Cardinals for the first time since 2022. It is their first trip to Glendale since 2018, a game Carlson won on a 35-yard field goal as time expired during his rookie season. Arizona’s backfield to watch includes Jeremiyah Love, who was drafted two spots after Mendoza last month.
Week 18: at Kansas City
The season ends at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, the third time since 2022 the Raiders and Chiefs have closed the regular season against each other. A lot could be on the line. The Raiders could have a playoff seed clinched and rest starters. They could be fighting for positioning. Or Mendoza could be playing valuable minutes in the final game of his rookie season.
