Key dates for Raiders in 2008

By Os Davis  |   Wednesday, April 16, 2008  |  Comments( 28 )

Oakland Raiders
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The release of individual team NFL schedules should be considered a national holiday; heck, with no March Madness, October Madness, Summer Madness – just a long dry patch of sanity, in fact – the release of the NFL’s timetable is a welcome respite from the long stretch of nothing between the free-agent signing frenzy and draft weekend.

A quick look at the Oakland Raiders' 2008 schedule, then.

Week 1. Unlike last season, when NFL schedulers matched 2006’s dogs in Detroit vs. Oakland, this year the Raiders are getting thrown in the deep end. They’ll kick off hosting the Denver Broncos on 'Monday Night Football.'

Week 4. The Raiders and their fans will be able to discern Oakland’s ultimate fate relatively early, with games vs. Denver, at Kansas City and this one against the San Diego Chargers. Nothing like settling the AFC West early, eh? Of course, the Raiders were still looking good with regard to the division lead going into Week 6 last season, hanging in at 2-3.

Week 5. The bye week; sportswriters get to look for synonyms for “adjustment” before the Raiders go to New Orleans.

Week 9. Raider backers had better hope that JaMarcus Russell is up to spec by the time the Atlanta Falcons come to town, because it doesn’t take a seer to know that all the hype on FOX will incessantly center on the “Tale of Two Quarterbacks” variety involving Russell, likely Falcons rookie Matt Ryan, and the overwhelming shadow of Mike Vick.

Week 10. When Oakland hosts the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 9, it will mark the teams’ first meeting since 2004; prior to this, the Raiders smoked the Panthers 52-9 in the last week of the 2000 season. Ah, remember those days, Raider Nation?

Weeks 12-14. Another gamut-running for the Raiders as, in three consecutive weeks, they get at Broncos, vs. Chiefs, at Chargers. And just as Weeks 1-4 will give the early picture, these three games could well determine the division winner and maybe the AFC playoffs beyond.

Week 15. The Patriots are coming! The Patriots are coming! (Do you think the “18-1! 18-1!” chant will still smart by then?)

Week 17. The Raiders close the season at Chucky’s place, marking the first visit to Tampa Bay in the era of Jon Gruden. Imagine the Buccaneers fighting for a playoff spot against the Raiders ... nice. Now, when does the season actually start?

RealFootball365.com: Where the gridiron is on the schedule throughout the year.
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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