fox-news/person/henry-ruggs

Las Vegas Raiders 2020 schedule: Opponents, dates, times & more

Jim Gray on NFL releasing 2020 schedule

The National Football League is releasing the 2020 season schedule amid the coronavirus pandemic; Fox News sports contributor Jim Gray tells ‘America’s Newsroom’ what we can expect.

The Las Vegas Raiders are going to be in unfamiliar territory come the 2020 season, but the familiar faces are the ones fans are hoping push the team back to the playoffs.

While rumors swirled about Derek Carr’s future with the Raiders, he remains the team’s quarterback going into the season and will have some new targets to throw to. Las Vegas selected Henry Ruggs III and Lynn Bowden Jr. during the draft and are likely to make them key parts of the offense.

Las Vegas’ defense will rely against on Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferrell to do some damage upfront. The Raiders are playing in one of the tightest divisions in the NFL and it’s going to come down to their defense, mostly their secondary led by Johnathan Abram and Damarious Randall to be clutch.

The Raiders play opponents from the AFC East, AFC South, NFC South and AFC North during the 2020 regular season.

Here are their regular-season matchups.

Home Opponents: Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.

Away Opponents: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.

Combined Opponents 2019 Record: 127-129

Here is the Raiders’ regular-season schedule

Here is the Raiders’ preseason schedule.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE NFL COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Raiders’ GM: Decision to draft WR Henry Ruggs III influenced by Chiefs

The Las Vegas Raiders took former Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs III with the No. 12 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, a decision that was influenced by the Kansas City Chiefs, the team’s general manager said this week.

Ruggs, the first wide receiver off the board and taken over the likes of fellow rookies Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb, was a part of the Raiders’ plan to emulate the Chiefs and what they’ve been able to build around their franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

CHIEFS USE FIFTH-YEAR OPTION ON SUPER BOWL MVP PATRICK MAHOMES: REPORTS

In a video posted to the Raiders’ YouTube channel, general manager Mike Mayock said the team took Ruggs as the first receiver off the board to build the offense’s speed and compete with the Chiefs.

“When you look at Kansas City, and you look at what they have on offense, we needed to get faster,” Mayock said.

During the 2019-20 NFL season, the Chiefs got contributions from wide receivers with world-class speed, including Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins and Mecole Hardman. With those weapons at the position, Mahomes led the potent offense up and down the field all season long, including twice against the Raiders, when they had an average margin of victory of 24 points.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

So for Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden, it was a no-brainer to take the speedster from Alabama. Ruggs, who ran a 4.27 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, will step into a starting role in the offense from day one, and be a viable option for quarterback Derek Carr.

Henry Ruggs III: 5 things to know about the 2020 NFL Draft prospect

Henry Ruggs III is a wide receiver who is looking to make the jump from college to the pros.

The NFL hopeful spent three years at Alabama and is regarded as one of the best wide receiver prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft. Coming out of Robert E. Lee High School in Alabama, Ruggs III was a five-star prospect by 247Sports and the No. 2 overall player in the state of Alabama.

ESPN listed Ruggs III as the No. 166 prospect in the ESPN 300 and the No. 23 wide receiver.

Here are five other things to know about Ruggs III.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE NFL DRAFT COVERAGE

1) HOW DOES HE STACK UP?

Ruggs III is listed at 5-foot-11, 188 pounds. At the Scouting Combine, he had 30 1/2-inch arms and 10 1/8-inch hands. He ran an incredible 4.27 40-yard dash and had a 42.0 vertical jump.

2) DYNAMIC DUO AT ALABAMA

Many NFL experts project Ruggs III to be a top 20 pick in the upcoming draft. Ruggs III and former Alabama teammate and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy are both expected to be among the top wideouts off the board.

Ruggs III had 40 receptions for 746 yards, a 15.1 yard per catch average, and seven touchdowns, and Jeudy came down with 77 receptions for 1,163 and 10 scores for the Crimson Tide in 2019.

3) ALL-TIME CRIMSON TIDE

Ruggs III finished his time with Alabama ranked third on the Crimson Tide’s career touchdown receptions list with 24 scores.

He averaged 17.5 yards per catch in three seasons, which is good for sixth on Alabama’s career list (minimum 50 catches).

4) BIG-GAME PERFORMANCES

During his junior season, Ruggs III put forth three great receiving outputs. His coming-out party was on Sept. 14 against South Carolina, where he came down with six receptions for 122 yards and one touchdown.

Two weeks later against Southern Mississippi, Ruggs III pulled in four catches for 148 yards and two scores, and finally, against rival Auburn, Ruggs had six receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

5) WHERE DO THE EXPERTS BELIEVE HE’LL GO?

NFL Draft experts believe Ruggs III will be one of the top wide receivers off the board.

Many believe he will fall somewhere in between the New York Jets at No. 11 overall, and the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 21. Other teams that could be interested in Ruggs include the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 12, San Francisco 49ers at No. 13, and the Denver Broncos at No. 15.

There is no doubt that Ruggs III will be a first-round draft selection.