Viva… Las Raiders! One of the NFL’s most storied franchises, the Raiders, are leaving Oakland. Raider Nation, the Oakland Chapter, is losing it’s team for a second time if you can actually believe it. Unlike in 1982 when the Silver & Black stayed in California by heading to Los Angeles, 2017 has given us the birth of the Las Vegas Raiders. Why is this important to Cowboys Nation, you ask? I’m here to tell you!
The Dallas Cowboys will travel to Oakland to play the Raiders this upcoming season. Yes, even though the Raiders are now the Las Vegas Raiders they will still be the playing in Oakland for at least 2017 and 2018. Word is they may temporarily still be known as the Oakland Raiders, maybe they’ll be the Las Vegas Oakland Raiders, well whoever they are the Cowboys will be visiting their house in 2017.
When Will The Cowboys Travel To Las Vegas?
Since Las Vegas – in all of its due sin – will not be ready for the Raiders until about 2020 (which by the way I think we should call “The Year of Vision”) that means that the Cowboys won’t play a regular season game while visiting the Las Vegas Raiders until 2025. How do we know this? You’re just full of questions today, aren’t you?
Per the NFL’s rotating schedule, any given team plays each division from the opposite conference once every four years. This means that the Cowboys, who play the Raiders this season in 2017, will also play the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021. The scheduling format dictates that these games alternate in terms of the team hosting them, so four years from now we’ll see Dallas host Las Vegas, just like they did in 2013 on Thanksgiving Day.
The Cowboys will very likely get some action in at Las Vegas before 2025, though… hopefully of the football variety and none of the amenities Las Vegas seemingly offers. Whenever the Raiders’ new stadium is officially open for business, you can bet your bottom dollar that the Cowboys will be their first preseason opponent. This was the case just a year ago when the NFL was welcomed back to the Los Angeles market with the Rams hosting the Cowboys, and Lucky Whitehead returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
The Cowboys Will Visit Oakland For The Final Time In 2017
All of this adds a special touch of history to 2017’s Cowboys and Raiders matchup. Every NFL game is a treasure, after all there are only 256 per regular season, but it’s so rare that you can walk into one knowing that you’re going to witness history.
Should you choose to venture out to Oakland to watch Dak Prescott and Derek Carr square off, you will literally be watching the last time that the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders, two of the NFL’s most storied franchises, square off. Hot tamale.
The last time that the Cowboys visited Oakland in regular season action was October 2nd, 2005. It was a 13-19 loss in which the lone highlight was quarterback Drew Bledsoe hitting wide receiver Patrick Crayton for a 63-yard touchdown. Let’s make a better last memory in Oakland before we close the book on it, alright Cowboys?
It’s obvious the only reason the owners didn’t veto a team moving to Vegas (like they did Tony Romo’s fantasy football convention) is the money.
That’s the real impact on the Cowboys. The Vegas Raiders will make a heckuva lot more $$ than the Oakland Raiders, and through the socialism of the owners, that means every team in the NFL will share in that increased largess. That’s the real reason we’ll see NFL football in Vegas in the very near future.
Follow the money, always follow the money!