Closer look at Oakland Raiders’ 2009 schedul
What is it with the TV networks’ love affair with the Raiders? Despite being arguably the worst franchise in the NFL for the past few seasons (OK, Lions might be No. 1), Oakland will open the 2009 regular season in prime time for the fourth time in the past five seasons and for the second year in a row at home on Monday night when the Raiders host the San Diego Chargers.
Yet head coach Tom Cable is geared up for that matchup.
‘That’s where it should be for us,’ he said. ‘We need that game. We need San Diego to come in here, we need to do it at night so everybody can watch us. We won the last two games we played in that mattered.
It’s a great time for it. They’re a great football team. They’ll have Merriman back, they’ll have LT, everybody will be fresh and ready to go. It’s perfect for us. We need that right away.’
Expect a loss on opening night for Oakland, as San Diego has beaten the Raiders 11 consecutive times. However, a Week 2 win in Kansas City isn’t out of the question as Oakland has won there two years in a row.
And, hey, don’t rule out an upset of Pittsburgh in Week 13. The last time the Steelers were defending Super Bowl champs, they lost to a Raider team that went just 2-14 that season.
Oakland, which has the 19th-toughest schedule in 2009 as rated by opponents’ 2008 records, also gets some rare Thanksgiving Day exposure as the Raiders travel to Dallas on Nov. 26. It’s the Raiders’ first Thanksgiving game since 1970.
The Raiders are +7000 on WagerWeb.com to win Super Bowl XLIV. Those are the longest odds on the site other than for St. Louis and Detroit.
RAIDERS’ 2009 SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)
Week 1: Mon, Sept. 14 vs. San Diego Chargers ESPN 10:15 p.m.
Week 2: Sun, Sept. 20 at Kansas City Chiefs CBS 1 p.m.
Week 3: Sun, Sept. 27 vs. Denver Broncos CBS 4:15 p.m.
Week 4: Sun, Oct. 4 at Houston Texans CBS 1 p.m.
Week 5: Sun, Oct. 11 at New York Giants CBS 1 p.m.
Week 6: Sun, Oct. 18 vs. Philadelphia Eagles FOX 4:05 p.m.
Week 7: Sun, Oct. 25 vs. New York Jets CBS 4:05 p.m.
Week 8: Sun, Nov. 1 at San Diego Chargers CBS 4:05 p.m.
Week 9: Bye
Week 10: Sun, Nov. 15 vs. Kansas City Chiefs CBS 4:05 p.m.
Week 11: Sun, Nov. 22 vs. Cincinnati Bengals CBS 4:15 p.m.
Week 12: Thu, Nov. 26 at Dallas Cowboys CBS 4:15 p.m.
Week 13: Sun, Dec. 6 at Pittsburgh Steelers CBS 1 p.m.
Week 14: Sun, Dec. 13 vs. Washington Redskins FOX 4:05 p.m.
Week 15: Sun, Dec. 20 at Denver Broncos CBS 4:05 p.m.
Week 16: Sun, Dec. 27 at Cleveland Browns CBS 1 p.m.
Week 17: Sun, Jan. 3 vs. Baltimore Ravens CBS 4:15 p.m.
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