Comparing histories, the Chargers don't hold a candle to the Raiders, whether the teams have been in Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland or Las Vegas. If we're being brutally honest, the Bolts will never have the pull in Los Angeles that the Silver and Black do; they're their home city's third-favorite NFL team.
But if one hones the scope a bit to recent years, the Chargers have badly beaten up on the Raiders since their move to Las Vegas. So much so that the all-time record in this series isn't as lopsided in the Raiders' favor as many, including Los Angeles fans, thought it would be.
Sunday will mark the 134th meeting between the two franchises, as Klint Kubiak's team takes on the Jim Harbaugh-led squad. Here are some fun bits of history to know about this matchup as these two old AFL foes and current AFC West rivals write another chapter in Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season.
Raiders lead Chargers 69-62-2 in all-time series
The Oakland Raiders got destroyed in their first-ever game against the Los Angeles Chargers, and they lost their first six matchups against the franchise. Once the Chargers got settled in San Diego, things became a bit more even until the 1967 season, with the arrival of Daryle Lamonica.
Over the next 21 games between the two organizations, the Raiders came out on top in 18 of them, and they only lost a single contest, with two ties occurring. This included a 10-game winning streak from 1972 to 1977, and an 18-game streak in which Oakland did not lose, from 1968 to 1977.
It was back-and-forth over the next few years, as Dan Fouts quarterbacked the Chargers. But the 1982 season marked another turning of the tide for the Silver and Black, as Marcus Allen became a league-wide problem in the newly minted Los Angeles Raiders' backfield.
Los Angeles won the next seven games over San Diego, and 14 of the next 18. Then, things were even once again until a stretch in which the Raiders won 10 out of 14 games against San Diego during the last great years for Oakland, from 1997 to 2003.
Drew Brees and Philip Rivers changed the Chargers' fortunes, as they beat the Raiders a combined 13-straight times from 2003 to 2009, and escaped with a victory in 19 out of 23 games from 2003 to 2014. Oakland then won four in a row during the Derek Carr glory years in 2015 and 2015.
Then, it was back-and-forth over the next few seasons, until the Chargers ripped off four straight wins over the Raiders. That leads us into this game, where 0-1 Los Angeles will take on 1-0 Las Vegas at SoFi Stadium.
Signature Moment: Raiders beat Chargers in 1980 AFC Championship Game, go on to win Super Bowl XV
These two teams have had no shortage of epic showdowns over their 66 years of competing biannually, and it was difficult not to pick the Raiders' overtime win over the Chargers at the end of the 2021 NFL season to simultaneously get into the playoffs and bar their rivals from the postseason.
Ending the Chargers' season and going on to dominate in the Super Bowl in the next game, though, has to take the cake. San Diego was the No. 1 seed in the AFC that year, and Don Coryell's team had split with Tom Flores' squad. They were on a collision course, and this was the grudge match.
Jim Plunkett scored three first-quarter touchdowns, one on the ground and two through the air (one to Raymond Chester, the other to Kenny King), and the Raiders led 21-7. A Mark Van Eeghen score pushed the advantage to 28-7, but the Chargers scored 17 unanswered points.
Thankfully, Chris Bahr made two field goals late in the game to extend the lead back to 10, and San Diego could only muster a field goal in the final quarter and a half of play. The Raiders escaped, 34-27, and went on to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 in the Super Bowl.
For the Raiders, of course, Cliff Branch had a good game, catching 3 passes for 78 yards, and Lester Hayes had an interception. Oakland forced four fumbles in the contest, with Ted Hendricks forcing and recovering one, and John Matuszak forcing another. What a team, and what a game.
Last Time Around: Kimani Vidal runs all over Raiders in embarrassing loss
Again, the recent Raiders haven't exactly done their Silver and Black ancestors proud. That was very clear in Week 13 of last season, as the Pete Carroll and Geno Smith-led team fell flat against a very banged-up Chargers squad, led, of course, by third-string running back Kimani Vidal.
Vidal was filling in for Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris, and he made a mockery of Patrick Graham's defense, running for 125 yards and a touchdown, while also catching an 11-yard pass. He was a key fixture in Los Angeles' 31-14 victory over Las Vegas.
For the Raiders, Smith led the way offensively with 165 yards through the air and two touchdowns, one of which came in garbage time. He also threw a signature interception, his fourth of the season against the Chargers, was sacked five times and fumbled once.
Ashton Jeanty had a rough day at the office, rushing 15 times for just 31 yards, although he caught six passes for 30 yards. Brock Bowers lit it up, catching four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown, including a highlight-reel grab in the front corner of the end zone.
Defensively, Jeremy Chinn had an absurd 17 tackles for the Raiders, and Devin White chipped in another 11. Up front, Maxx Crosby notched 2.0 sacks and four tackles for loss, as well as nine tackles of his own, including six solo. Kyu Blu Kelly also recorded an interception. A sign of the times.
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