Raiders 2026 Schedule: Potential primetime flex video games

Arguably, the most important disappointment within the Las Vegas Raiders’ 2026 schedule launch is that they didn’t get any primetime video games this season. To be truthful, that’s the results of the staff going 7-27 over the past two years. However, the NFL’s flex scheduling permits golf equipment that enter the marketing campaign with low expectations to “play their way into primetime”.

Per the league’s rules, any sport in Week 5 or later could be flexed into Sunday Night Football, as the entire tips are listed under. With these in thoughts, let’s take a look at a number of choices for Las Vegas to be within the limelight.

This sport getting flexed is extremely contingent on Fernando Mendoza being the beginning quarterback, and the NFL would adore it much more if it’s going to be his first begin. That offers the league a possibility to point out off the newest No. 1 decide of the draft and the present Super Bowl favourite. It helps that this sport is across the midway level of the season, which possible traces up with Klint Kubiak’s and the teaching employees’s supreme timeline to make Mendoza the starter.

Also, the Los Angeles Rams not too long ago buying and selling for Myles Garrett boosts the chances as a result of the league is probably going going to be trying to put the Rams on primetime as a lot as doable. On prime of that, there’s the storyline with Davante Adams’ first sport towards the Raiders since asking for a commerce throughout the 2024 marketing campaign.

Week 7 SNF: Kansas City Chiefs @ Seattle Seahawks

This is one other sport that might line up with the Heisman Trophy winner’s first NFL begin because it’s at concerning the halfway level of the season. Regardless, barring the Raiders storming out of the gates with Kirk Cousins, Mendoza should be behind heart for there to be sufficient curiosity surrounding the staff to get flexed into primetime. That goes for each matchup listed right here.

If Mendoza is beginning, then this could possibly be a superb primetime possibility because it pits the reigning Super Bowl Champs towards their former offensive coordinator. Kubiak going through his previous staff is actually a storyline the league would wish to drum up.

Week 10 SNF: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals

Any late-season divisional matchup is a candidate to get moved into primetime if each groups are contenders. So, the Raiders and Chargers should be within the hunt. But with all three flex home windows open at this level within the schedule, a rivalry sport with one thing on the road in mid-December is constructed for the massive stage. It may assist that none of the present contests slated for a primetime spot are divisional video games. Plus, it has the potential to be a superb quarterback matchup with Justin Herbert and Mendoza.

Week 14 Primetime matchups: Minnesota Vikings @ New England Patriots (TNF), Buffalo Bills @ Green Bay Packers (SNF), Pittsburgh Steelers @ Jacksonville Jaguars (MNF)

Admittedly, the Week 11 bout towards the Denver Broncos was the primary one which got here to thoughts as a flex possibility. However, solely the SNF window is open at the moment, and the NFL has a global sport between the Vikings and the 49ers in Mexico City in that spot, which makes it extremely unlikely to get rescheduled for logistical causes. Plus, the league would solely have to attend a month to place the Raiders-Broncos rivalry on primetime if the matchup has playoff implications.

Week 15 Primetime matchups: San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Chargers (TNF), Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings (SNF), New England Patriots @ Kansas City Chiefs (MNF)

Sticking with the theme of divisional matchups with the playoffs on the road, the league retains the ultimate week of the common season schedule open for that actual motive. While there are not any video games on Thursday or Monday that week, there are three standalone spots open on Saturday (one on Netflix and the opposite two on ESPN/ABC), and SNF will nonetheless be on to present the league 4 flex choices. Especially if it’s a winner-take-all state of affairs between the Raiders and Chiefs, you’ll be able to guess that this sport will get put into a type of 4 home windows.

Week 18 Primetime matchups: TBD