The Raiders and their fans have known for months the team’s opponents for the 2025 season and will learn the dates and times Wednesday when the NFL releases the regular-season schedule.

Here are three things to keep an eye on as it relates to the Raiders:

1. Prime-time games

The NFL turned its nose up at the Raiders last season by featuring them only twice in showcase windows and once in prime time. That’s what a lack of star power, especially at quarterback, will do.

While new quarterback Geno Smith might not be a must-watch star, he significantly elevates the Raiders at the position and makes them a more feasible draw.

Throw in the pull of new coach Pete Carroll, young running back Ashton Jeanty and defensive end Maxx Crosby, and the Raiders are much more compelling this season than in 2024.

Will the NFL see it the same way?

2. East Coast trips

Along with their AFC West road games, the Raiders will travel to New England, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Houston and Indianapolis. That’s a lot of air miles and time zone changes.

Their only road game in the Pacific time zone is against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Navigating those long road trips could get complicated depending on how they are spread out and the time of year. Playing on the East Coast is an entirely different challenge in October compared to December, especially for a team that plays its home games indoors.

Also, if the schedule plays out that way, how would the Raiders handle playing back-to-back games on the East Coast? When previously faced with that situation, they have sometimes reduced the back-and-forth travel by remaining in the region to practice. It makes sense that they would do the same this season.

3. Bye week

Players and coaches typically focus on two elements when analyzing the schedule: When are they playing outdoor games in cold-weather cities, and when is the bye week?

The Raiders’ bye week fell in Week 10 last season, the second week of November. That’s as close to ideal as possible because it was near the season’s midway point.

Not that it did them any good. They lost to the Bengals in their final game before the break, then fell to the Dolphins two weeks later. The Raiders are 13-23 after bye weeks since they began in 1990 and 1-4 in the past five seasons.

The presence of Carroll, combined with what appears to be an improved roster, could mean the bye week is more important this season than it has been in quite some time. If the Raiders are in postseason contention entering the back stretch of their season, a well-timed bye could provide a much-needed break.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at [email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.

Raiders opponents

Home: Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Jaguars, Titans, Cowboys, Giants, Browns, Bears

Away: Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Texans, Colts, Eagles, Commanders, Patriots