Oakland Raiders to play on Monday Night to open season, & Thanksgiving at Dallas
For the fourth time in five seasons, the Oakland Raiders will open the regular season in prime time.
The Silver & Black will host the three-time defending AFC West champions San Diego Chargers on Monday September 14th, on ESPN, as part of their traditional double header to kickoff Monday Night Football’s schedule. All four teams playing on that night began play in 1960, as the NFL will commemorate the 50th anniversary season of the American Football League.
Oakland, which has a 36-24-1 record on Monday Night Football, lead the all-time series versus the Chargers 54-42-2. In 2005, the Silver & Black opened the NFL season on a Thursday night versus the New England Patriots, in 2006 they hosted the Chargers on Monday night and in 2008, they faced the Denver Broncos in another prime time contest to kickoff the season.
The Raiders will also play on Thanksgiving at Dallas. That marks the first time since 1970 that the Silver & Black play on the traditional American holiday.
The announcement of the Kickoff Weekend and Thanksgiving games was made Monday by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at the NFL Annual Meeting in Dana Point, Calif.
The rest of the 2009 regular-season schedule will be completed and announced in April.
NOTES
- The Raiders have lost 10-straight nationally televised games by a combined score of 279-122.
- Oakland has lost six straight Monday night games by a margin of 173-31.
- Oakland’s other road games are at Denver, Kansas City, San Diego, the New York Giants, Pittsburgh, Houston and Cleveland. They will host: the New York Jets, Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Denver and Kansas City.
Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist
