The season is barely over and already the Raiders are in the news for next year, with rumors going around that Oakland will play a 'home game' against the Texans at the massive Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, whose official capacity is 95,500. Vic Tafur was one of the first to try to get a handle on this story.
Get off plane & phone is blowing up with rumors of #Raiders playing Houston in Mexico. So I called league office. Not a done deal yet.
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) January 4, 2016
I think it's going to happen though ... Shh ... #Arriba
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) January 4, 2016
The Raiders, along with the Cowboys, Steelers and Dolphins are an extremely popular team in Mexico. It's without a doubt that a Raiders vs. Texans game would bring out a massive pro-Raiders crowd and be a huge spectacle for the league next season.
The only trouble is, if you think Denver plays at a high altitude, wait til you get a load of Mexico City. Azteca sits comfortably at 7,500 feet above sea level. Given that Azteca regularly hosts soccer games with a lot more running around than American football, it shouldn't be a huge concern but it is something the coaching staffs ought to take into consideration because American football players are simply not used to extreme elevations like that.
Hopefully the league gives Oakland a break in scheduling because of a potential Mexico game. It would be pretty difficult to play an East Coast game on a short week after a game like this. However, this game would be a great experience for fans of the team down there who don't get to see games often, and a break from seeing the Raiders play at the Rose Bowl or the LA Coliseum or Chavez Latrine or wherever they end up playing next season.
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