Las Vegas Raiders 2020 NFL schedule: 5 must-win games

If the Raiders want to get over .500 and make the playoffs this year, they’ll need to win about half of their games out of divisional play. One game that could be challenging but needs to be a win for the Raiders is a road date with the New York Jets at MetLife. This game should be personal for the Raiders, who were embarrassed last year vs. Gang Green. Their season fell apart after this loss.

New York also finished 7-9 a season ago, but the Jets came on strong in the second half of the season. Getting starting quarterback Sam Darnold back from mononucleosis was huge. Once the offense started to come together, it paired nicely with New York’s underrated defense. Though the Jets were far from a great team, they could push for a playoff spot this year too if they improve.

As with the road game vs. the Cleveland Browns, the Jets are a team who will realistically be vying for one of those three available Wild Card spots in the AFC. New York is probably not winning the AFC East, as the Buffalo Bills are good and the New England Patriots have a great defense. But to see Gang Green fight for a No. 6 or No. 7 seed is totally within the realm of possibility this fall.

A head-to-head tiebreaker over the Jets would be huge for the Silver and Black. Beating the Patriots in Foxborough seems like a tall task for the Raiders. Frankly, handing the Bills an L in Las Vegas won’t be easy either. If those two games vs. the AFC East feel like losses, then it is imperative for the Raiders to find a way to avenge last year’s loss to the Jets.