Chargers–Raiders rivalry

The Chargers–Raiders rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders.

Chargers–Raiders rivalry

Chargers and Raiders face off during the 2006 season.
Los Angeles Chargers Las Vegas Raiders
Location	Los Angeles, Las Vegas
First meeting	November 27, 1960 Chargers 52, Raiders 28
Latest meeting	September 8, 2024 Chargers 22, Raiders 10
Next meeting	January 5, 2025
Stadiums	Chargers: SoFi Stadium Raiders: Allegiant Stadium
Statistics
Meetings total	130
All-time series	Raiders: 69–59–2
Regular season series	Raiders: 68–59–2
Postseason results	Raiders: 1–0
Largest victory	Chargers: 44–0 (1961) Raiders: 63–21 (2023)
Longest win streak	Chargers: 13 (2003–2009) Raiders: 10 (1972–1977)
Current win streak	Chargers: 1 (2024–present)
Post-season history
1980 AFC Championship: Raiders won: 34–27

150km
100miles

Raiders

Chargers

  

Location of the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders.

The rivalry has transcended two leagues and a combined five relocations. Since debuting in the inaugural AFL season, in 1960, as the Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers in the AFL Western Conference, both teams joined the AFC West in 1970 under the AFL–NFL merger.

Like the 49ers–Rams rivalry in the NFC West, this rivalry represented the geographic and cultural differences between Northern and Southern California, with the Raiders representing Oakland from 1960–81, and again from 1995–2019, and the Chargers represented San Diego from 1961–2016, and Los Angeles in 1960, and since 2017. The Raiders' 13 seasons in Los Angeles, from 1982 to 1994, saw the teams only 130 miles apart. The in-state rivalry has been lost with the Raiders' move to Nevada, though Las Vegas is closer to Los Angeles by 350 miles than Oakland to San Diego.

The Raiders lead the overall series, 69–59–2. The two teams have met once in the playoffs, with the Raiders winning 34–27 in the 1980 AFC Conference Championship.

History

Locations of the Chargers and Raiders throughout the years.

1960–1969: AFL days

The Chargers and Raiders were both charter members of the American Football League when the league began playing in 1960. The Chargers moved to San Diego after their first year in Los Angeles, appearing in four of the first five AFL Championship games and winning one. Al Davis, who would later become the famous Raiders owner, started off as an assistant coach for the Chargers until becoming Oakland's head coach in 1963. Under Davis, the Raiders held a competitive edge over the Chargers from the late 1960s to the 1990s, appearing in four Super Bowls and winning three of them.

1970–2014

In 1978, the Raiders won over the Chargers in San Diego with a controversial fumblerooski play now known as the Holy Roller. The loss contributed to the Chargers missing the playoffs that year and sparked an NFL rule change. Two years later, both teams returned to the playoffs and faced off in the 1980 AFC championship game. An offensive shootout between Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett and Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts saw the Raiders prevail 34–27 en route to winning Super Bowl XV over the Philadelphia Eagles. This is the only playoff meeting between the teams.

The Raiders temporarily left Oakland for Los Angeles in 1982, playing there until the conclusion of the 1994 season. Despite only being there for 13 years, the Raiders developed a strong following in Los Angeles during their tenure in the city, which to this day has impeded the Chargers' ability to develop their own following in Los Angeles since returning to that city.

One of the ugliest games in the rivalry's history occurred in 1998. Chargers rookie quarterback Ryan Leaf completed just 7 of 18 pass attempts for 78 yards and 3 interceptions. The Raiders did not fare much better on offense, but Raiders backup quarterback Wade Wilson passed for a 68-yard touchdown, his only completion of the day. In the end, both teams had benched their starting quarterbacks as the Raiders narrowly won 7–6. The game set an NFL record for the most punts in a game.

Though the Raiders had largely dominated the series for much of the later 20th Century, the Chargers amassed a 13-game winning streak from 2003 to 2009, shortly after the Raiders' appearance in Super Bowl XXXVII and subsequent collapse. One of these losses saw Oakland squander a 15-point halftime lead to lose 28–18, leading up to the firing of head coach Lane Kiffin following that game. The Raiders would finally end the losing streak in 2010, defeating the Chargers 35–27 with two blocked punts, two second-half scoring drives led by quarterback Jason Campbell and a Philip Rivers fumble returned by Tyvon Branch for the Raiders' game-clinching touchdown.

In 2013, the first Raiders-Chargers game was delayed due to an Athletics postseason game the previous evening, kicking off at 8:35 PM Pacific Time, the latest kickoff time in NFL history. The Raiders won 27–17 with a strong performance by quarterback Terrelle Pryor, a fumble return touchdown by Charles Woodson, and five San Diego turnovers. San Diego won the second game that year, however, keeping its playoff hopes alive with a 26–13 win.

2015–2019: Bids to return to Los Angeles

Following the 2015 season, the Raiders and Chargers both proposed to move back to Los Angeles despite their storied rivalry, announcing a shared stadium proposal in Carson, California. However, the proposal was rejected by NFL owners in favor of the St. Louis Rams' proposal to move back to Los Angeles, with the Chargers first being offered a one-year window to accept the chance to share the Rams' stadium and the Raiders to receive the offer should the Chargers decline. On January 12, 2017, Chargers owner Dean Spanos announced his intention to join the Rams in Los Angeles and leave San Diego to play at SoFi Stadium, ultimately leading to Raiders owner Mark Davis accepting a deal to move his team to Las Vegas to play at Allegiant Stadium with the NCAA's UNLV Rebels football program.

2020–present: Post-relocation

Following both teams' relocations by the 2020 season, the Chargers' first home game in the series at the newly built SoFi Stadium featured a notable final play. Down 31–26, Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert threw a pass to Donald Parham that was initially ruled a touchdown but was later overturned after review as Raiders cornerback Isaiah Johnson was seen barely jarring the ball loose from Parham's hands as he fell out of bounds. The call resulted in the Raiders holding on to win. Both teams narrowly missed the playoffs that year.

After a 63–21 Raiders win in the series on Thursday Night Football in 2023, Staley and general manager Tom Telesco were fired by the Chargers on December 15, 2023. The Chargers-Raiders game set a Chargers franchise record for most points allowed in a single game, along with a Raiders franchise record for most points scored in a single game. The following offseason, Raiders owner Mark Davis hired Telesco to be the team's new general manager.

2021 Week 18 Raiders-Chargers game

The game between the two teams during the final week of the 2021 season would decide the final AFC wild card spots that year. Las Vegas took a commanding 29–14 lead in the fourth quarter, but Herbert led the Chargers back to tie the game at 29 apiece after Herbert successfully converted 4 fourth downs by the end of regulation, forcing overtime. After both teams scored field goals in the extra period, the Raiders were set to run out the clock and accept a tie, but after a Chargers timeout, Las Vegas managed to drive back to field goal range and win the game with a successful kick during the final seconds of overtime, clinching the #5 seed while eliminating the Chargers and allowing the Pittsburgh Steelers to clinch the #7 seed. Had the teams tied, they would have both made the postseason over Pittsburgh via their head-to-head wins over the Steelers earlier in the season.

After the game, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was asked by NBC sideline reporter Michele Tafoya if the timeout changed their mindset on the final drive, he replied "It definitely did, obviously." In a post game press conference, Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, when asked if the Raiders were playing to tie, said "We were talking about it. . . . We ran the ball there, and they didn’t call a timeout. So I think they were probably thinking the same thing. And then we had the big run. When we got the big run, it got us in advantageous field goal position. . . . We were certainly talking about it on the sideline. We wanted to see if they were gonna take a timeout or not on that run. They didn’t, so we thought they were thinking the same thing. And then we popped the run in there and gave us a chance to kick the field goal to win it. So, we were certainly talking about it.” Chargers head coach Brandon Staley, when asked about the timeout by the Los Angeles Times said "We felt like they were going to run the ball. So we wanted to ... make that substitution so that we could get a play where we would deepen the field goal." In Justin Herbert's post game press conference he said "I had never been rooting for a tie more in my life. That's the unfortunate part of being so close."

Season-by-season results

San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers vs. Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Vegas Raiders Season-by-Season Results
1960s (Chargers, 11–9) Season Season series at Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders Overall series Notes 1960 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 52–28 Chargers 41–17 Chargers 2–0 Inaugural season for both franchises and the AFL. Last season until the 2017 season the Chargers played as a Los Angeles-based team. Chargers lose 1960 AFL Championship. 1961 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 44–0 Chargers 41–10 Chargers 4–0 Chargers relocate to San Diego.,br>Chargers lose 1961 AFL Championship. 1962 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 31–21 Chargers 42–33 Chargers 6–0 1963 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 34–33 Raiders 41–27 Chargers 6–2 Chargers win 1963 AFL Championship. 1964 Tie 1–1 Chargers 31–17 Raiders 21–20 Chargers 7–3 Chargers lose 1964 AFL Championship. 1965 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 24–14 Chargers 17–6 Chargers 9–3 Chargers lose 1965 AFL Championship. 1966 Tie 1–1 Raiders 41–19 Chargers 29–20 Chargers 10–4 1967 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 41–21 Raiders 51–10 Chargers 10–6 Chargers open San Diego Stadium. Raiders win 1967 AFL Championship, lose Super Bowl II. 1968 Tie 1–1 Raiders 34–27 Chargers 23–14 Chargers 11–7 Raiders lose 1968 AFL Championship. 1969 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 24–12 Raiders 21–16 Chargers 11–9 Raiders lose 1969 AFL Championship.
1970s (Raiders, 15–3–2) Season Season series at San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders Overall series Notes 1970 Raiders 1–0–1 Tie 27–27 Raiders 20–17 Chargers 11–10–1 AFL-NFL merger. Both teams placed in the AFC West. 1971 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 34–0 Raiders 34–33 Raiders 12–11–1 1972 Raiders 1–0–1 Raiders 21–19 Tie 17–17 Raiders 13–11–2 1973 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 27–17 Raiders 31–3 Raiders 15–11–2 1974 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 14–10 Raiders 17–10 Raiders 17–11–2 1975 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 6–0 Raiders 25–0 Raiders 19–11–2 1976 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 27–17 Raiders 24–0 Raiders 21–11–2 Raiders win Super Bowl XI. 1977 Tie 1–1 Chargers 12–7 Raiders 24–0 Raiders 22–12–2 Raiders win 10 straight meetings and go 16–0–2 in 18-game stretch from 1968–77. 1978 Tie 1–1 Raiders 21–20 Chargers 27–23 Raiders 23–13–2 Raiders win game in San Diego on controversial Holy Roller play. 1979 Tie 1–1 Chargers 30–10 Raiders 45–22 Raiders 24–14–2
1980s (Raiders, 14–7) Season Season series at San Diego Chargers at Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders Overall series Notes 1980 Tie 1–1 Chargers 30–24(OT) Raiders 38–24 Raiders 25–15–2 Raiders win Super Bowl XV. 1980 Playoffs Raiders 1–0 Raiders 34–27 Raiders 26–15–2 First playoff meeting. Raiders go on to win Super Bowl XV. 1981 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 23–10 Chargers 55–21 Raiders 26–17–2 Kellen Winslow has five touchdown receptions in game in Oakland, tied for an NFL record. Chargers' first season sweep over the Raiders since 1965. Last season until the 1995 season the Raiders played as an Oakland-based team. 1982 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 27–17 Raiders 28–24 Raiders 28–17–2 Raiders relocate to Los Angeles. Both games played despite a players strike reducing the season to nine games. 1983 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 42–10 Raiders 30–14 Raiders 30–17–2 Raiders win Super Bowl XVIII. 1984 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 44–37 Raiders 33–30 Raiders 32–17–2 Raiders win seven straight meetings. 1985 Tie 1–1 Chargers 40–34(OT) Raiders 34–21 Raiders 33–18–2 1986 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 37–31(OT) Raiders 17–13 Raiders 35–18–2 1987 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 16–14 Chargers 23–17 Raiders 35–20–2 1988 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 13–3 Raiders 24–13 Raiders 37–20–2 1989 Tie 1–1 Chargers 14–12 Raiders 40–14 Raiders 38–21–2
1990s (Raiders, 11–9) Season Season series at San Diego Chargers at Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders Overall series Notes 1990 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 24–9 Raiders 17–12 Raiders 40–21–2 1991 Tie 1–1 Raiders 9–7 Chargers 21–13 Raiders 41–22–2 1992 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 27–3 Chargers 36–14 Raiders 41–24–2 1993 Tie 1–1 Raiders 12–7 Chargers 30–23 Raiders 42–25–2 1994 Tie 1–1 Raiders 24–17 Chargers 26–24 Raiders 43–26–2 Last season Raiders played as a Los Angeles-based team. Chargers lose Super Bowl XXIX. 1995 Tie 1–1 Chargers 17–7 Raiders 12–6 Raiders 44–27–2 Raiders relocate back to Oakland. 1996 Tie 1–1 Raiders 23–14 Chargers 40–34 Raiders 45–28–2 1997 Tie 1–1 Raiders 38–13 Chargers 25–10 Raiders 46–29–2 1998 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 17–10 Raiders 7–6 Raiders 48–29–2 1999 Tie 1–1 Chargers 23–20 Raiders 28–9 Raiders 49–30–2
2000s (Chargers, 14–6) Season Season series at San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders Overall series Notes 2000 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 15–13 Raiders 9–6 Raiders 51–30–2 2001 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 13–6 Raiders 34–24 Raiders 53–30–2 2002 Tie 1–1 Raiders 27–7 Chargers 27–21(OT) Raiders 54–31–2 Raiders lose Super Bowl XXXVII. 2003 Tie 1–1 Chargers 21–14 Raiders 34–31(OT) Raiders 55–32–2 2004 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 42–14 Chargers 23–17 Raiders 55–34–2 2005 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 34–10 Chargers 27–14 Raiders 55–36–2 2006 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 21–14 Chargers 27–0 Raiders 55–38–2 2007 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 28–14 Chargers 30–17 Raiders 55–40–2 2008 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 34–7 Chargers 28–18 Raiders 55–42–2 Raiders wore white jerseys at home for the first time in the team's history against the Chargers on September 28, 2008, in Oakland. 2009 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 24–16 Chargers 24–20 Raiders 55–44–2 Chargers win 13 straight meetings (2003–2009).
2010s (Tie, 10–10) Season Season series at San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers at Oakland Raiders Overall series Notes 2010 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 28–13 Raiders 35–27 Raiders 57–44–2 Raiders sweep division but miss the playoffs, an NFL first. 2011 Tie 1–1 Raiders 24–17 Chargers 38–26 Raiders 58–45–2 2012 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 24–21 Chargers 22–14 Raiders 58–47–2 2013 Tie 1–1 Chargers 26–13 Raiders 27–17 Raiders 59–48–2 2014 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 13–6 Chargers 31–28 Raiders 59–50–2 2015 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 37–29 Raiders 23–20(OT) Raiders 61–50–2 2016 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 19–16 Raiders 34–31 Raiders 63–50–2 Final season Chargers played as a San Diego-based team. 2017 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 30–10 Chargers 17–16 Raiders 63–52–2 Chargers relocate back to Los Angeles. 2018 Chargers 2–0 Chargers 26–10 Chargers 20–6 Raiders 63–54–2 2019 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 24–17 Raiders 26–24 Raiders 65–54–2 Last season Raiders played as an Oakland-based team and as a California-based team.
2020s (Chargers, 5–4) Season Season series at Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders Overall series Notes 2020 Tie 1–1 Raiders 31–26 Chargers 30–27(OT) Raiders 66–55–2 Raiders relocate to Las Vegas. Chargers open SoFi Stadium. Both games decided on the final play. 2021 Tie 1–1 Chargers 28–14 Raiders 35–32 (OT) Raiders 67–56–2 In Las Vegas, Raiders clinch the 5th seed and eliminate the Chargers from playoff contention with their win. 2022 Tie 1–1 Chargers 24–19 Raiders 27–20 Raiders 68–57–2 2023 Tie 1–1 Chargers 24–17 Raiders 63–21 Raiders 69–58–2 Raiders and Chargers set franchise scoring records in game played on 12/14/23 in Las Vegas: most points scored and most points allowed (63), respectively; one day later, Chargers head coach Brandon Staley was fired. 2024 Chargers 1–0 Chargers 22–10 Raiders 69–59–2
Summary of Results Season Season series at San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers at Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Vegas Raiders Notes AFL regular season Chargers 11–9 Tie 5–5 Chargers 6–4 NFL regular season Raiders 59–47–2 Raiders 28–26–1 Raiders 31–22–1 AFL and NFL regular season Raiders 68–59–2 Raiders 33–30–1 Raiders 35–28–1 NFL postseason Raiders 1–0 Raiders 1–0 no games AFC Championship: 1980 Regular and postseason Raiders 69–59–2 Raiders 34–31–1 Raiders 35–28–1 Raiders have a 32–24–1 record at San Diego. Raiders have a 24–22–1 record at Oakland. At Los Angeles, Raiders have a 8–5 record at home (Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) and Chargers currently have a 7–2 record at home (SoFi Stadium). Raiders currently have a 3–1 record at Las Vegas.

Series leaders

Statistics limited to Chargers–Raiders regular season games. Correct through the 2023 season.

	Chargers	Raiders	Ref
Passing yards	Philip Rivers – 7,103	Derek Carr – 4,056
Rushing yards	LaDainian Tomlinson – 2,017	Marcus Allen – 1,235
Receiving yards	Antonio Gates – 1,424	Tim Brown – 1,697
Touchdowns	LaDainian Tomlinson – 25	Marcus Allen – 20
Sacks	Shaun Phillips – 14	Greg Townsend – 13.5
Interceptions	Speedy Duncan – 7	Dave Grayson – 8

See also

• List of NFL rivalries
• AFC West

External links

• Los Angeles Chargers' official website
• U-T San Diego – Chargers/NFL
• Pro Football Hall of Fame – Los Angeles Chargers team history
• Los Angeles Chargers at Sports E-Cyclopedia.org
• Las Vegas Raiders' official website
• San Jose Mercury News – Raiders' coverage
• Las Vegas Raiders at Sports E-Cyclopedia.org
• Pro Football Hall of Fame – Las Vegas Raiders' team history