As the 2026 NFL schedule has been released, the Las Vegas Raiders now turn their attention to the elite competition they'll be tasked with facing this year.

Granted, the NFL is a unpredictable league. At the drop of a hat due to injuries and other factors, different players will be asked to step up each week. However, at this moment with everyone at full health, it's worth taking a look at some hypothetical matchups for the Silver and Black.

Week 1 • Miami Dolphins

De'Von Achane

Miami's most explosive playmaker should come into this season opener motivated after reportedly signing a multi-year contract extension earlier this week.

It was a wise move by the Dolphins, with the running back coming off his first Pro Bowl season in which he totaled 1,350 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. On seven of those touchdowns, he reached 20 miles per hour, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He's also a huge asset in the passing game. He's accumulated 13 receiving touchdowns in three NFL seasons, the second-most of any running back since he was drafted.

Week 2 and 14 • Los Angeles Chargers

Khalil Mack

Even at 35 years old, Mack remains one of the most dominant pass rushers in the league with a Canton worthy resume.

Despite missing five games due to injury in 2025, he still led the Chargers in forced fumbles (four). Going into his 13th NFL season, he's complied a career 113.0 sacks with three different teams. In his four seasons in Los Angeles, he's totaled 12 sacks and 11 tackles for loss against the Silver and Black

Week 3 • New Orleans Saints

Tyler Shough

Shough seems to be early gem in his draft class, displaying enough promise in his rookie season to potentially be the Saints' next franchise quarterback.

The 2025 second-round pick took over from Spencer Rattler as starting QB in Week 9. With Shough at the helm, New Orleans won four of their last five games. In that five-game span, he completed nearly 70% of his passes with a 99.1 passer rating. He also notched eight total touchdowns (five passing, three rushing).

With Head Coach Kellen Moore scheming up the offense and the Saints drafting wide receiver Jordyn Tyson with their first-round pick, all signs point to the franchise equipping Shough with pieces for success.

Week 4 and 18 • Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes

The Chiefs are coming off rough season in which quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a major knee injury in Week 15 and they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

There's speculation that Mahomes will participate in OTAs and be ready to go by Week 1. And if that's the case, the Raiders will need to buckle up for their early-season matchup.

Mahomes is the more obvious player to watch for the Silver and Black in 2026, as the two-time league MVP has a 107.7 passer rating with 4,427 yards and 38 total touchdowns in 15 games against the Raiders. However, it will be interesting to see how he rebounds from his injury and his statistically worst season since becoming the Chiefs' full-time starter in 2018.

Week 5 • New England Patriots

Drake Maye

The Raiders got the best of Maye in the season opener last September, in turn propelling the Patriots quarterback to one of the best sophomore campaigns in the NFL.

After losing the Week 1 matchup at Gillette Stadium, Maye and the Patriots marched on to a 14-3 regular season record and a Super Bowl LX appearance. Maye led the league in completion percentage (72%), passer rating (113.5) and yards gained per pass attempt (8.9). He finished as the runner-up for the NFL Most Valuable Player to Rams' Matthew Stafford.

Week 6 • Buffalo Bills

James Cook

James Cook is coming off the best season of his career, winning the rushing title with 1,621 yards on the ground. He also finished sixth in the league in rushing touchdowns (12) and second in explosive runs (39), per NFL Next Gen Stats.

While quarterback Josh Allen is a huge focal point of the Bills offense, his success in the passing game has been aided by the threat Cook brings in the ground game. It's also worth mentioning that Cook isn't too shabby of a pass catcher either, as he caught 33 receptions and two receiving touchdowns in 2025.

Week 7 • Los Angeles Rams

Puka Nacua

There can be an argument made that Puka Nacua is the best receiver in football right now.

Nacua has been electric since the Rams took him in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. That season, he set the NFL record for the most receiving yards by a rookie with 1,486 yards. He took his game to new heights in 2025, leading the league in receptions (129), yards per game (107.2) and first-downs receiving (80).

Week 8 • New York Jets

Geno Smith

After a less than desirable season in Las Vegas, Geno Smith will have a revenge game circled on the calendar. The Raiders traded the quarterback to the Jets this offseason after a 3-14 season in which he was the most sacked quarterback in the league and lead the NFL in interceptions thrown.

To give Smith the benefit of the doubt, the Raiders were trampled by injuries and coaching changes throughout the season. And before the Raiders traded for Smith, he enjoyed a career renaissance with the Seattle Seahawks, throwing 76 touchdowns in five seasons.

Week 9 • San Francisco 49ers

Christian McCaffrey

McCaffrey has been regarded as the most versatile running back in the league for awhile now, nearly reaching his second career season with 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in 2025.

While he's notched five seasons over 1,000 rushing yards, his route running and footwork almost make the ultimate dual-threat running back. The First-Team All-Pro led all running backs in receptions (102), receiving yards (924) and receiving touchdowns (seven) in 2025.

He totaled 193 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in his last encounter with the Raiders in 2022.

Week 10 • Seattle Seahawks

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year has wasted no time putting himself in the WR1 conversation in the league.

He's crossed the 1,000 receiving yard mark in two of his three career seasons and led the league in that category in 2025. Raiders Head Coach Klint Kubiak, as the Seahawks OC, unlocked Smith-Njigba as a complete receiver, placing him at the X, Y, and Z spots along with some snaps out of the backfield. This resulted in a career-high 10 touchdowns for Smith-Njigba.

Week 11 and 15 • Denver Broncos

Nik Bonitto

Once deemed one of the more underrated pass rushers in the league, Bonitto had the type of season that couldn't be ignored in 2025.

There were times where he looked completely unblockable on the field, totaling 14 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 28 quarterback hits. His 24% pass rush win rate was the second-highest of any edge rusher in the league, per ESPN Analytics.

Bonitto's been a headache as an divisional opponent for the Raiders, racking up 6.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss in his eight games played against the Silver and Black. He had a season worthy of winning Defensive Player of the Year, if it wasn't for the man the Raiders will face the next week.

Week 12 • Cleveland Browns

Myles Garrett

Myles Garrett is inevitable. No matter how teams try and gameplan against him, it usually doesn't work.

The Browns edge rusher had one of the greatest seasons in NFL history for a defender, setting a new league record for most quarterback sacks (23) in a single season. He also led the league in tackles for loss (33) en route to his fifth First-Team All-Pro selection and second Defensive Player of the Year Award.

As for gameplanning Garrett, the Raiders must find a way to be more effective than last season. In the Browns' Week 12 win over the Raiders, the edge rusher had three sacks, four tackles for loss and six quarterback hits.

Week 16 • Tennessee Titans

Cam Ward

The 2025 No. 1 overall pick has the opportunity for a second-year leap with the Titans.

Despite dealing with rookie growing pains on an equally young roster, Ward began to find his footing in the back half of the season. From Week 10 and beyond, he compiled 1,409 passing yards with a 90.0 passer rating and a 10:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also chipped in two rushing touchdowns, with mobility being a sneaky trait in his repertoire.

Like the Saints and Shough, the Titans are building around their second-year quarterback by bringing in former Giants head coach Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator and drafting wide receiver Carnell Tate with their No. 4 overall pick.

Week 17 • Arizona Cardinals

Trey McBride

On a short list of elite, young tight ends, Cardinals' Trey McBride stands tall alongside Brock Bowers.

He hit the triple crown among tight ends in 2025, leading the position group in receptions (126), receiving yards (1,239) and receiving touchdowns (11, tied with Dallas Goedert). It's equally impressive that McBride accomplished this while playing with multiple quarterbacks, as the team moved on from Kyler Murray to Jacoby Brissett midseason. And even with Arizona using a third-round pick on quarterback Carson Beck, the tight end will be one of their top weapons regardless of who's the signal caller in this late season matchup.