It is not too late for the Las Vegas Raiders to salvage their 2026 NFL season, even though it somehow feels like the sky is already falling. They went from 3-0 to 3-3 in a hurry, so some fans are discussing John Spytek's job security now, even though they were lathering him with praise just weeks ago.
The NFL is a results-based business, and in particular, a "what have you done for me lately?" kind of gig. And while patience should still be had with this young Silver and Black roster and coaching staff, that doesn't mean that Raider Nation is wrong to acknowledge that the team needs to turn it around.
Week 7's game against the Los Angeles Rams will present an opportunity for them to do so. But it will also provide Klint Kubiak's team a chance to take the lead in the all-time series against the Rams. Let's take a look at the history between these teams before their 17th all-time matchup on Sunday.
Raiders and Rams are tied 8-8 in all-time series
Despite the Raiders existing since 1960 and the Rams playing professional football since 1937 (which is before World War II, by the way), the two franchises have only faced off 16 times. And they didn't do so for the first time until 1972. Oakland got off to a tremendous start against Los Angeles.
Not only did the Raiders win the first matchup, but they also did so in dominant fashion by a score of 45-17. They would go on to win seven of the first nine matchups, including four of the five games that took place in Los Angeles when both teams called the city home.
But the turn of the century represented a massive shift in this series. Since 2002, the Rams have won six of the seven games played between the two franchises, including the last four heading into Sunday. The Raiders' last win was in 2010, when Oakland beat St. Louis 16-14.
To put a timestamp on that game, Louis Murphy scored the Raiders' lone touchdown, and Sebastian Janikowski knocked in three field goals. Sam Bradford was in his rookie year for Steve Spagnuolo's Rams squad, which couldn't beat Tom Cable's team.
Signature moment: Raiders win Battle of Los Angeles, 1982
The Raiders' first year in Los Angeles was the strike-shortened 1982 season. The Rams had already been in Southern California since 1946, but their 1979 move to Anaheim cleared the way for Al Davis to relocate his beloved Raiders to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where this game took place.
So, it was the Battle of Los Angeles, the first of five played before the two teams moved yet again.
And this game wasn't short on excitement, as the Raiders won a 37-31 shootout that came down to the wire. Even though the Rams entered the game 1-5 and Tom Flores' Silver and Black team came in at 5-1, the cross-city rivalry matchup was always going to be emotional, hard-fought, and close.
In the first quarter, the Rams jumped out to a 14-0 lead thanks to two Wendell Tyler touchdowns, one on the ground and another through the air. Jim Plunkett found Cliff Branch on an 18-yard touchdown pass to get back in the game, but the Rams carried a 21-7 lead into the half.
Enter Marcus Allen, who, just months later, would earn First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, as well as the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. He also finished second in the Offensive Player of the Year voting and was third in the MVP voting. Anyways... Allen obviously played well in this one.
He kicked off the scoring in the second half with a 1-yard touchdown run to make the tally 21-14 in favor of the Rams at the end of the third. And then the Raiders went absolutely crazy in the fourth quarter to pull this one off.
Chris Bahr made a field goal, then the Raiders recovered an onside kick! Allen tacked on his second touchdown shortly after. Suddenly, the Raiders were up 24-21. Plunkett then found Greg Pruitt for a score to push the lead to nine. It looked like Flores and Co. were going to run away with this one.
But the Rams had another push in them, as they scored a touchdown with just over four minutes left, forced a quick punt by the Raiders, and then made the go-ahead field goal with 1:38 left on the clock. It would take some heroics for the Silver and Black to come out with a victory.
Luckily, Pruitt had a big kick return to put the Raiders at midfield. Plunkett completed a handful of passes to get into field goal range, which would have been enough, but Allen had two big runs, the second of which he punched in from 11 yards out. Touchdown Raiders, 37-31.
This back-and-forth game, in a cross-town rivalry, no less, included 68 total points, 33 of which came in the fourth quarter (23 from the Raiders), an onside kick recovery and a hat trick from Allen in the midst of a historical campaign, which certainly makes this the signature moment of the series.
Last time around: Gardner Minshew and Matthew Stafford rock fight, Kyren Williams saves the day for Rams to take down Raiders
It was ugly the last time these two teams took the field together.
Gardner Minshew and Matthew Stafford had a major stink-off, as Minshew threw three interceptions and zero touchdowns, and Stafford threw a pick of his own and added no scores on the ground or through the air. The final score was a dismal 20-15 in a game with a lot of field goals for Las Vegas.
Daniel Carlson scored all 15 points for the Raiders, but two Kyren Williams touchdowns kept the Rams' offense humming. He finished with 76 yards on the ground to anchor Los Angeles, whose top wide receivers in that game were Tyler Johnson and Tutu Atwell.
The big difference-maker in this one was Minshew's fumble that Rams safety Kam Curl returned 33 yards for a touchdown. Aidan O'Connell actually started this game for the Raiders but got hurt on the second drive, so Las Vegas couldn't even bench Minshew amid his intense struggles.
Leading the charge on the ground for the Raiders was, unbelievably, Alexander Mattison, who had 23 rushes for 92 yards. Zamir White chipped in 13 yards on three carries. Rookie Brock Bowers did his thing with 10 catches for 93 yards, and Tre Tucker added three grabs for 36 yards.
Nate Hobbs had a 35-yard interception return in this game, and Maxx Crosby had a sack. Isaiah Pola-Mao and Tre'Von Moehrig led the team in tackles with seven and six, respectively. The team's starting OL was Kolton Miller, DJ Glaze, Jordan Meredith, Jackson Powers-Johnson and Andre James.
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