1995 NFL SCHEDULES : Raiders to Open Against Chargers

The Raiders have sometimes complained about their schedule, but, for the second consecutive season, they don’t have much reason to be unhappy after seeing the 1995 NFL schedule released Wednesday.

After shivering through a series of cold-weather games in 1993, they should have weather down the stretch as good in 1995 as they did in ’94.

Last season, the Raiders didn’t leave the West Coast after Nov. 6. This season, they won’t leave the West Coast after a Nov. 12 game against the New York Giants at the Meadowlands.

The Raiders play four of their final six at home, interrupted only by trips to San Diego, where the weather is usually mild, and Seattle, where the Raiders will play indoors at the Kingdome.

And, for the second year in a row, they will finish the regular season at home on Christmas Eve against a team they figure to be battling for a postseason berth. Last year, it was the Kansas City Chiefs, who beat the Raiders to knock them out of the playoffs. This year, it will be the Denver Broncos, led by former Raider coach Mike Shanahan.

The Raiders will open the season at home on Labor Day weekend, Sunday, Sept. 3, against the San Diego Chargers, the defending AFC champions.

The Raiders will play two Monday night games, both on the road. They will play at Denver on Oct. 16, and at San Diego on Nov. 27 after the long Thanksgiving weekend.

Because of concerns about the Coliseum environment, the Raiders haven’t played host to a Monday night game in a decade, the last one coming against the Chargers in October, 1985. That will change only if a new stadium is erected in Los Angeles.

The Raiders will play four NFC East teams, playing host to the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles and traveling to Washington and New York.

And the Raiders will play three of the six division winners from last season, playing host to the Pittsburgh Steelers in addition to their games against San Diego and Dallas.

Now that the Raiders know who they’ll play next season, the only question is where.

Team officials hope to complete negotiations by next month on a state-of-the-art, 65,000-seat stadium on property owned by Hollywood Park. But even if that undertaking becomes a certainty, it won’t be ready until the 1997 season.

Meanwhile, the Raiders are expected to return to the Coliseum if an accord can be reached on a new rental agreement.

If not, the most logical site for the Raiders over the next two seasons would be Anaheim Stadium. But Raider owner Al Davis does not want to desert his fan base, if at all possible, and head south for two years.

So the Raiders figure to wind up where they were last year. But valuable time has been lost. The one thing the Raiders desperately wanted to avoid was a repeat of last year, when uncertainty over their playing site caused by earthquake damage to the Coliseum, restricted their ability to sell tickets in the off-season.

While the Hollywood Park stadium situation appears positive, the Raiders are still waiting for word from the NFL on future Super Bowls and guaranteed revenue for that proposed stadium. Such guarantees are not expected until a league meeting in late May.

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RAIDER SCHEDULE

The Raiders’ 1995 schedule. All times Pacific.

Date Opponent Time Sept. 3 San Diego 1 p.m. Sept. 10 at Washington 10 a.m. Sept. 17 at Kansas City 10 a.m. Sept. 24 Philadelphia 1 p.m. Oct. 1 at New York Jets 5 p.m. Oct. 8 Seattle 1 p.m. Oct. 16 at Denver 6 p.m. Oct. 22 Indianapolis 1 p.m. Oct. 29 Open date Nov. 5 at Cincinnati 1 p.m. Nov. 12 at New York Giants 10 a.m. Nov. 19 Dallas 1 p.m. Nov. 27 at San Diego 6 p.m. Dec. 3 Kansas City 1 p.m. Dec. 10 Pittsburgh 1 p.m. Dec. 17 at Seattle 5 p.m. Dec. 24 Denver 1 p.m.