By any measure, Oakland’s Hue Jackson got what he wanted in his debut as an N.F.L. head coach on Monday night. The Raiders went to Denver and won against a division opponent. They dominated the Broncos physically, and Denver fans were left calling for the backup quarterback Tim Tebow.
Now comes the hard part.
When the Raiders play their next game at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Buffalo, they will be on the negative side of the biggest discrepancy in recovery and preparation time for a game between two opponents, not including bye weeks, in the N.F.L. this season. The Bills defeated the Chiefs in Kansas City in a game that ended at just after 4 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. The Raiders’ game with Denver ended at at 1:46 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday. Essentially, the Bills will have a 34-hour head start for their game against Oakland.
To make matters worse, the Raiders will be forced to travel across the country to Buffalo on Friday, three days after they arrived home from their victory in Denver.
Every team has to deal with scheduling inconveniences. To Jackson’s credit, he has refused to use the schedule as an excuse (video above). But the league has a responsibility to make it fair. The Jets will be at the center of another scheduling challenge later this season.
After the Jets play New England at home on Sunday night, on Nov. 13., their next game will be at Denver on national television on Thursday, Nov. 17. The Broncos will play a 1 p.m. game in Kansas City on Nov. 13.
We will monitor the results of games this season when there are significant discrepancies in recovery and preparation time between opponents. For now, keep an eye on Oakland’s performance at Buffalo this Sunday.
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