This is a great time of year to be thankful for what we have, where we have been, and what the future holds. Although the Chargers have lost their way a bit in recent years, the month of December still holds such incredible promise! This advent calendar is an attempt to hearken back to these days of December joy. Each day will bring a new advent from the Bolts’ history that makes it wonderful to be a Chargers fan.

Dec. 16: A History of Chargers Vs. Raiders

The Raiders joined the AFC with the Chargers in 1960. They have had a storied career in the AFC and the NFL, winning Super Bowls and hitching their wagon to ground-and-pound power, penalties, and frenzied fans.

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Some notable dates in this feud are...

• Sept. 10, 1978: Raiders 21, Chargers 20—When a game result ends up as the motivation for re-writing the NFL rulebook, you know it was a memorable game. The Holy Roller hanged the league forever, as, after the 1978 season, no longer would an offensive team be allowed to advance a fumble of its own making.
• Nov. 1, 2009: Chargers 24, Raiders 16 - The Raiders played the Chargers at home on a Monday Night game. The Chargers had already barely edged over the Raiders for the first game of the season, and Oakland was ready to bounce back. The Raider defense played phenomenally until Darren Sproles broke out of the backfield and ran in for the winning TD. This marked the 13th game in a row that the Chargers had crushed the Raiders.

Oakland Raiders lead series 63-54-2. They have met just one time in the post-season (1981, a Chargers loss in the playoffs). They are a team that most fans across the league thought was on the way up after years of mediocrity. They aren’t ready to fall back into the chasm yet, so keep your eyes on this team. With a boatload of 1st round picks in 2019 and 2020, the Raiders are geared to improve very, very quickly. The Chargers (will) have a worthy opponent in the Raiders.

The Raiders are currently homeless in 2019, and there is sure to be some more fireworks as they look for a temporary dwelling AND a brand new stadium in Las Vegas soon after. Word on the street is that they haven’t crossed both LA and San Diego off of their possibility list, so this rivalry could get very entertaining next year if they consider those options!

Points Scored: Oakland Raiders 2597, Los Angeles Chargers 2582. Advantage: Raiders.

There’s every reason to believe that the Chargers will overtake the point lead by this point next year.

-Jason “Score Bored” Michaels