Oakland Raiders Schedule Release: 6 Games The Team Should Circle Now
By Kevin Saito
Dec 28, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) signals on the line of scrimmage during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 19-7. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Week #16 San Diego Chargers
There really is no reason to have this one circled on the calendar other than the fact that this game – on Christmas Eve, of course – may be the very final game played at the O.Co Coliseum.
Whether the Raiders have a new stadium deal with the city of Oakland and Alameda County, there is no guarantee where the Raiders will be playing in 2016. For all we know at this point, it will indeed by in Carson, just south of LA proper.
So it’s mostly for nostalgia’s sake really, that Oakland should have this game circled on their calendars.
Reasons for circling this one on the calendar that are not based in nostalgia though, are that this is an important divisional game. Depending on how the season goes, the Raiders could be fighting for a playoff berth, or to – at the very least – post a non-losing record.
The Raiders have just one more game after this one, and that one is against another hated rival in the Kansas City Chiefs. To win your division – and earn an automatic playoff berth – you have to beat the other teams inside of your own division.
The one-two punch of San Diego and Kansas City in the regular season’s last two weeks could be an amazing thing to behold. It could be what propels Oakland to a playoff berth. Or it could be what prevents the Raiders from getting into the postseason.
The week #16 game against the Chargers has the potential to be a very important game for Oakland. Unless it isn’t, and the Raiders are simply playing out the string yet again.