This season, the Las Vegas Raiders will play five primetime contests, the second-most in the NFL. Fans will have numerous opportunities to view the Silver and Black on the national stage.
At their spring meeting, NFL owners approved a proposal that will enable Thursday Night Football games to be moved to a different time during the season, but only during a specific span of weeks. The resolution reportedly passed with a vote of 24-8, with the Raiders voting against it.
Late in the season, the Raiders may be flexed out of Thursday Night Football.
John Mara, the owner of the New York Giants, expressed his displeasure with the approval of variable scheduling, citing the lack of consideration for ticket-buying fans.
The final few weeks of the regular season, from week 13 to week 17, are now eligible for Thursday Night Football variable schedule. In week 15, the Raiders are scheduled to play the Chargers at Allegiant Stadium.
This means that the Raiders could be flexed out of their Thursday Night Football game, with the game presumably being moved to Sunday. The proposition was approved because the league intends to showcase a matchup of high caliber on primetime every week.
The Raiders are accustomed to having their contests moved away from primetime. Since the league implemented flexible scheduling, they have been removed from primetime three times. In 2018, their week 14 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was rescheduled. Their matchup with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week seven of the 2020 season was flexed out of Sunday Night Football.
In week 15 of the previous season, the Raiders’ game against the New England Patriots was flexed out of Sunday Night Football. Their season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs was also moved from Sunday to Saturday.
While no games are scheduled to be flexed in the near future and teams must be given 28 days’ notice before a game is flexed, the Raiders are now aware that they may not have a primetime game against a division rival if the league decides to transfer another game into that time slot.