The rivalry has existed in two leagues and through a combined five moves. The teams debuted in the inauguralAFL season, in 1960, as the Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers in the AFL Western Conference; a decade later, both teams joined theAFC West under theAFL–NFL merger.
Like the49ers–Rams rivalry in theNFC West, this rivalry represented the geographic and cultural differences betweenNorthern andSouthern California, with the Raiders representingOakland from 1960–81, and again from 1995–2019, and the Chargers representedSan Diego from 1961–2016, andLos 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 toNevada, thoughLas Vegas is closer to Los Angeles by 350 miles than Oakland to San Diego.
The Raiders lead the overall series, 69–61–2. The Raiders won the teams' loneplayoff meeting.[1]
Both the Chargers and Raiders were charter members of theAmerican Football League when the league began playing in 1960. The Chargers moved toSan Diego after their first year inLos 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.[2]
1970–2014
In 1978, the Raiders won over the Chargers in San Diego with a controversialfumblerooski play later dubbed theHoly Roller. The loss helped the Chargers miss the playoffs that year and sparked an NFL rule change.[3] Two years later, both teams returned to the playoffs, where they faced off in the1980 AFC championship game. An offensive shootout between Raiders quarterbackJim Plunkett and Chargers quarterbackDan Fouts saw the Raiders prevail 34–27; they later wonSuper Bowl XV over thePhiladelphia Eagles.[4] This remains the teams' only playoff meeting
From 1982 to 1994, the Raiders played in Los Angeles, where they developed astrong following, which to this day has impeded the Chargers' ability to develop their own following in the city.[5][6]
One of the ugliest games in the rivalry's history occurred in 1998. Chargers rookie quarterbackRyan 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 quarterbackWade 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.[7][8]
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 inSuper Bowl XXXVII and subsequent collapse. One of these losses saw Oakland squander a 15-point halftime lead to lose 28–18, head coachLane Kiffin was subsequently fired.[9][10] The Raiders ended the losing streak in 2010, defeating the Chargers 35–27 with two blocked punts, two second-half scoring drives led by quarterbackJason Campbell and aPhilip Rivers fumble returned byTyvon Branch for the Raiders' game-clinching touchdown.[11][10]
The first Raiders-Chargers game in 2013 set a record: the latest kickoff time in NFL history. AnOakland Athletics game the previous evening pushed the football games' kickoff to 8:35 p.m. Pacific Time. The Raiders won 27–17 with a strong performance by quarterbackTerrelle Pryor, a fumble return touchdown byCharles Woodson, and five San Diego turnovers.[12][13] San Diego won the season's second matchup, 26–13, keeping its playoff hopes alive.[14]
2015–2019: Bids to return to Los Angeles
After the 2015 season, the Raiders and Chargers proposed to move back to Los Angeles and indeed to the same home venue, announcing ashared stadium proposal inCarson, California.[15] The proposal was rejected by NFL owners in favor of theSt. Louis Rams' proposal to move back to Los Angeles; the Chargers were 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 ownerDean Spanos announced his intention to join the Rams in Los Angeles and leave San Diego to play atSoFi Stadium,[16][17] ultimately leading to Raiders ownerMark Davis accepting a deal to move his team toLas Vegas to play atAllegiant Stadium with theNCAA'sUNLV Rebels football program.[18][19]
2020–present: Post-move
After both teams' moves by the 2020 season, the Chargers' first home game in the series at the newSoFi Stadium featured a notable final play. Down 31–26, Chargers rookie quarterbackJustin Herbert threw a pass toDonald Parham that was initially ruled a touchdown but was overturned after review as Raiders cornerbackIsaiah Johnson was seen barely jarring the ball loose from Parham's hands as he fell out of bounds. The Raiders held on to win.[20] Both teams narrowly missed the playoffs that year.
After a 63–21 Raiders win in the series onThursday Night Football in 2023,[21] head coachBrandon Staley and general managerTom Telesco were fired by the Chargers on December 15, 2023.[22] 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.[23] The following offseason, Raiders ownerMark 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 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 drove back to field goal range and won the game with a kick in the final seconds of overtime, clinching the #5 seed while eliminating the Chargers and allowing thePittsburgh Steelers to clinch the #7 seed.[24] Had the teams tied, they would have both made the postseason over Pittsburgh, which both teams had defeated earlier in the season.
After the game, Raiders quarterbackDerek Carr was asked byNBC sideline reporterMichele Tafoya whether the timeout changed their mindset on the final drive, he replied, "It definitely did, obviously."[24] In a post-game press conference, Raiders interim head coachRich 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.”[25][26] When asked about the timeout by theLos Angeles Times, coachBrandon Staley 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."[27] 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."[28]
Season-by-season results
San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers vs. Oakland/Los Angeles/Las Vegas Raiders Season-by-Season Results[1]
Inaugural season for both franchises and theAmerican Football League (AFL). Chargers and Raiders were placed in the AFL Western Division, resulting in two meetings annually. Last season until the2017 season the Chargers played as aLos Angeles-based team. Chargers lose1960 AFL Championship.
Chargers relocate toSan Diego. In San Diego, Chargers record their largest victory against the Raiders with a 44–point differential and set a franchise record for their largest victory overall (broken in1963). Chargers lose1961 AFL Championship.
In Oakland, Raiders overcame a 27–10 fourth quarter deficit. Raiders' win in San Diego is the Chargers' only home loss in the1963 season. Chargers win1963 AFL Championship.
First overtime result in the series. Both teams finished with 11–5 records, but the Chargers clinched the AFC West based on better net points in division games.
In Oakland, Chargers scored their most points in a game against the Raiders, and Chargers' TEKellen Winslow caught five touchdown receptions, tying an NFL record. Chargers' first season series sweep against the Raiders since the1965 season. Last season until the1995 season the Raiders played as anOakland-based team.
Raiders relocate toLos Angeles. Both games are played despite the1982 NFL players strike reducing the season to nine games. In Los Angeles, Raiders overcame a 24–0 deficit. The 24-point comeback set a new Raiders franchise record for largest comeback, while the 24-point blown lead set a new Chargers franchise record for largest blown lead (broken in2022).
In Las Vegas, Raiders recorded their largest victory against the Chargers with a 42–point differential, scored their most points in a game against the Chargers, and set a franchise record for their most points scored in a game. Meanwhile, the Chargers set a franchise record for the most points allowed in a game. After the game, the Chargers fired their head coachBrandon Staley and general managerTom Telesco.
At Chargers' home games: Raiders have a 32–24–1 record inSan Diego while the Chargers currently have a 7–2 record inLos Angeles. At Raiders' home games: Raiders have a 24–22–1 record inOakland, an 8–5 record inLos Angeles, and currently have a 3–3 record inLas Vegas.
Series leaders
Statistics limited to Chargers–Raiders regular season games. Correct through the2023 season.
