A look at the Raider's 2012 schedule

Originally published on SBReport.net on April 25, 2012

The NFL announced on Tuesday that the Oakland Raiders will open up their 2012 season at O.Co Coliseum against AFC West rival San Diego Chargers on September 10.

Fullback Marcel Reece and the Raiders will hope to redeem themselves against the Raiders when they open up the season on ESPN's Monday Night FootballThe game will be part of ESPN’s double header to open up their Monday Night Football season.

This marks the second straight year that the Raiders open up on primetime football, opening last season at Denver against the Broncos on MNF with a 23-20 victory.

The Raiders last saw the Chargers in the final week of last season. Oakland needed a win to make the postseason for the first time since 2002, but failed to capitalize and fell to the Chargers 38-26.

Since the loss, Oakland has seen a dramatic change to its organization. Since the death of iconic owner Al Davis, the Raiders have brought in general manager Reggie McKenzie, who quickly replaced head coach Hue Jackson with former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who then brought in his own assistant coaches.

McKenzie has also made dramatic changes on the roster, including the releasing of starters and signings of replacements such as cornerbacks Shawntae Spencer and Ron Bartell.

The Raiders will hope to get off to a solid start to their 2012 campaign by adding another tally in their win column against the Chargers. The Raiders currently hold a 57-45-2 record against their AFC West rivals, the same team that former owner Al Davis started his professional football career for as an assistant coach.

The Raiders take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 25 in a game that will mark the return of Raiders starting quarterback Carson Palmer. Palmer chose to retire instead of playing for the Bengals before Hue Jackson and the Raiders traded for him following quarterback Jason Campbell breaking his collarbone.

Quarterback Carson Palmer takes on his old team when the Raiders head to Cincinnati in week 12 of the 2012 seasonPalmer will look to prove he was worth the high price that Oakland gave up, a first-round draft pick in this year’s draft, followed by a second-round draft pick in next year’s draft.

The Raiders will open up NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football once again, just as they did last season. This year, they will take on the Denver Broncos on Thursday, December 6, part of a three-game homestand from week 13 to week 15. This three-game homestand marks the first time since 2005 that the Raiders play three straight home games during the regular season.

Oakland will have their bye week in week five of the season, just before they head east to take on the Atlanta Falcons. The Raiders will head to the eastern time zone a record five times this season.

The Raiders final regular season game will once again be against the Chargers, as they finish up the season in San Diego on December 30.

Allen and the rest of the coaching staff hope to get the Raiders back to their first winning season since they made the playoffs in 2002.