Oakland Raiders: vs. Los Angeles Rams
With Jon Gruden back in the fold as head coach, and the buzz that brings, some sort of case could probably be made for any of 16 games to be deemed the biggest on the Raiders’ 2018 schedule. But I’m going to lean toward a game against a head coach who started his coaching career under Gruden back in the day.
Sean McVay spent the 2008 season as assistant wide receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, under Gruden. That started him on a trajectory which would culminate in becoming the youngest head coach in modern NFL history (31 years old), and winning PFWA Coach of the Year last year in his first season with the Rams. Gruden was also a young first-time head coach, at 34 years old when Al Davis hired him for his first stint with the Raiders.
Gruden may see his mirror image in McVay, and outside comparisons have been drawn. But his competitiveness will also drive him to beat a former protegé, who happens to have a team that has won this offseason on paper. Raider Nation still extends to Los Angeles too, so the Rams would surely like to go north and win a game in a tough environment against a team with an upset on its mind.