Oakland Raiders: The 5 Toughest Games On The Schedule

Aug 22, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) is tackled by Oakland Raiders linebacker Nick Roach (53) and defensive end LaMarr Woodley (57) after getting a pass away in the 1st quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

For the Oakland Raiders, 2015 will be about the furthest thing from a walk in the park that you can get. Traveling the third most miles in the league, and having the seventh most difficult schedule in the entire NFL, it’s safe to say that Oakland has their work cut out for them.

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Week in and week out, the Raiders are going to be tested. They’ll be tested again. And they’re going to be tested some more. But with a roster filled with veteran leaders and a core of explosive young talent, for the first time in a very long time, there is some real hope among the Raider faithful that is founded upon something tangible.

With upgrades up and down the roster, some outstanding talent, and some real difference makers, the Raiders are in a good position to not just be competitive in games this season, but they’re in a good position to win some games this season – and we’re talking about more than the three or four wins some in the sports media world seem to feel they’re capable of.

While most of the talking heads in television and on the radio have already written the Raiders off this season, they fail to see that the winds of change are indeed blowing through the Bay Area. Under the leadership of Jack Del Rio and his very solid, very experienced coaching staff, the Raiders are going to be a fiery team and a force to be reckoned with.

Now that Reggie McKenzie has built a very solid foundation for the organization, if they want to take that next step and start fighting their way back to respectability and relevance, the Raiders are going to have to step up and really challenge some of the top teams in the league – and they’ll get to see plenty of them this season.

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Though there are no gimmies on the Raiders’ schedule, not all games are created equal. Parity may reign in the NFL, but there are still some very, very good teams in the league that are going to win a lot more than they’re going to lose. Which is why we often tend to see many of the same teams in the playoffs year after year.

Oakland is going to have fresh challenges each and every week. They have a young team who will be learning a lot on the fly. But they also have a squad and a coaching staff capable of doing just that. Better days are coming to Oakland, and they may be coming much sooner than some people believe possible.

While every game on their schedule is going to be tough, these five stand out as perhaps, their most difficult of the upcoming season.

Next: Week 1: The Red Rifle Comes To Town