Oakland Raiders 2008 Schedule

The 2008 NFL schedule has been released, and football fans everywhere can start salivating already for the upcoming season. The Oakland Raiders finished dead last in the AFC West last season at 4-12, and are once again looking for something positive to steer them in a winning direction for the first time since 2002.

Let's take a look at the schedule and focus on some important games.

Week 1 - vs. Denver Broncos (Monday Night Football)
The Raiders return to MNF for the first time in a couple of seasons. The appeared twice in 2006 and were mercilessly stomped into the ground 27-0 against the Chargers and 16-0 against the Seahawks. That would make the Raiders the only team in MNF history to get shut out twice in the same season. It was a new low.

This year, the Raiders will be the second game of the opening doubleheader. The Denver Broncos struggled themselves last year at 7-9, and the heat is on Mike Shanahan to turn the franchise back into a Super Bowl contender. JaMarcus Russell should be the starting quarterback for Oakland, making this season his first full one as the starter.

In addition, the Raiders will be debuting their newest high draft pick, as well as cornerback DeAngelo Hall, safety Gabril Wilson, and wide receivers Jevon Walker and Drew Carter.

Week 4 - vs. San Diego Chargers
The first game for the Raiders against a playoff team will come at home against the Chargers. That means the return of LaDainian Tomlinson, who has simply run circles around the Raiders his whole career. Last year, he scored 5 touchdowns in 2 games, including scoring all 28 points against the Raiders at home. The Raiders did not have any answers for him, and will have to focus their defensive gameplan on him once again.

Week 9 - vs. Atlanta Falcons
DeAngelo Hall will go against his old mates for the first time. This game could have been much more intriguing for a couple of reasons: 1) It was played in Atlanta. 2) Head coach Bobby Petrino did not quit the Falcons to go back to college and Arkansas. However, it will still be interesting to see Hall go up against the team he spent 4 tumultuous years with.

Week 14 - at San Diego Chargers (Thursday Night Football)
The only other primetime game for the Raiders will be on NFL Network's Thursday Night Football in San Diego. Once again, this game could come down to how well the Raiders contain LT. The last 2 years, LT has ran for 6 TD's and thrown for 1 more in the 2 games at San Diego. His dominance combined with the Raiders' poor play in primetime could mean another huge night for him.

Week 15 - vs. New England Patriots
While the Patriots appearance alone is a big deal, the true story will be Randy Moss' return to Oakland. No matter what the records are at this point, expect a boisterous crowd to greet Moss' arrival. The Tom Brady-JaMarcus Russell matchup will be a good veteran-young guy contest.

Week 17 - at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The final game of the regular season will be a reunion with old coach John Gruden in Tampa Bay. We all remember Super Bowl XXXVII, when the Bucs destroyed the Raiders, 48-28. However, the 2 teams met in 2004 in Oakland, with the Raiders winning, 30-20. The Bucs will be looking to win the NFC South once again, so this game could have big meaning attached to it.

*Schedule and stats courtesy of ESPN.com*