Gameday: Chargers vs Raiders

NFL.com: Chargers at Raiders | Your Take

One of the NFL’s most-heated rivalries will renew itself when the San Diego Chargers visit the Oakland Raiders to close out the 2007 regular season on Sunday, Dec. 30 at the McAfee Coliseum.

The Chargers have won eight in a row against the Raiders, dating back to the 2003 season. A win on Sunday would give the Chargers their first AFC West road sweep since 1994 when the Chargers beat the Raiders, Broncos, Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks away from home.

Playoff positioning is still up for grabs for the Chargers, who are in a battle with Pittsburgh to retain the third seed in the AFC. The Steelers and Chargers have identical records (10-5), but the Bolts hold the tiebreaker edge with a better record in AFC games. Ending the season in a tie with the Steelers would guarantee the Bolts the No. 3 seed. The Chargers would then host the AFC’s No. 6 seed next weekend in the AFC Wild Card Playoffs at Qualcomm Stadium. The date and time of the Wild Card Playoffs are still TBD.

Heading into the season’s final weekend, the current playoff seedings are as follows:

No. 1 – New England (home-field advantage)
No. 2 – Indianapolis
No. 3 – San Diego
No. 4 - Pittsburgh
No. 5 - Jacksonville
No. 6 – Tennessee or Cleveland*

*Tennessee is in the playoffs as the sixth seed with a win over Indianapolis on Sunday night. If the Titans lose to the Colts, Cleveland is automatically in the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.

On Sunday, the Steelers are in Baltimore at the same time the Chargers will be facing the Raiders (1:15 p.m. PST). Tennessee plays Indianapolis later that night (5:15 p.m. PST) on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

The Chargers are one of the NFL’s hottest teams. They’ve won five straight games and nine of their last 11. A victory over the Raiders would give the Chargers their second-straight season with 11-or-more wins and their ninth in team history.    

CHARGERS-RAIDERS SERIES HISTORY

The Chargers are in search of their ninth-consecutive series win when they face the Raiders on Sunday afternoon at the McAfee Coliseum. Their eight-game win streak over the “Silver and Black” is the Chargers’ longest win streak in the entire series, which dates back to 1960. The Chargers won six straight over the Raiders from 1960-62. Raiders owner Al Davis was a Chargers assistant coach during those three seasons. Oakland leads the all-time series 55-39 and there have been two ties. The Bolts have won three straight and four of the last five at McAfee Coliseum.

San Diego’s eight straight wins in the series matches the team’s longest win streak against any one series opponent. The Bolts also won eight in a row against the Seattle Seahawks (1977-81) and Houston Oilers (1963-67).

CHARGERS-RAIDERS CONNECTIONS

• Chargers Owner Alex Spanos resides in Stockton, Calif…President and CEO Dean Spanos was born in Stockton and graduated from the University of the Pacific...Executive Vice President Michael Spanos also graduated from Pacific and resides in Stockton with his family.
• Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner served as the Raiders’ head coach from 2004-05…Turner grew up in Martinez, CA in the Bay Area.
• Chargers Wide Receivers Coach James Lofton played for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1987-88.
• Raiders Owner Al Davis coached the Chargers defensive ends from 1960-62 and from 1957-59 he was the line coach at USC.
• Raiders Head Coach Lane Kiffin and Chargers QB Billy Volek were teammates at Fresno State…both played quarterback for the Bulldogs.
• Raiders defensive backs coach Darren Perry played for the Chargers in 2000…Player personnel director Rich Snead spent two seasons as a scout with the Chargers.
• Chargers tight ends coach Clancy Barone coached with Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and offensive line coach Tom Cable in Atlanta…Barone and Knapp also worked together at Sacramento State…Chargers defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell and Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan were on the same staff with the Arizona Cardinals in 1994…Raiders strength and conditioning coach Jeff Fish served as Chargers strength and conditioning coach Jeff Hurd’s assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1999-00… Raiders’ tight ends coach Kelly Skipper was Lorenzo Neal’s position coach at Fresno State…Skipper remained on staff at Fresno State through Volek’s tenure with the club.
• Raiders RB Dominic Rhodes and Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson are both from the Waco, Texas area and played together in a Texas All-Star game in 1997.
• Chargers LS David Binn is from San Mateo, CA and attended Cal-Berkeley…FB Lorenzo Neal is from Hanford, CA and attended Fresno State…DE Igor Olshansky is from San Francisco and attended St. Ignatius High School…WR Kassim Osgood is from Salinas, CA and began his collegiate career at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo…TE coach Clancy Barone is from San Andreas, CA and coached at Sacramento State.
• Raiders special teams coordinator Brian Schneider is a San Diego native…tight ends coach Kelly Skipper hails from Brawley, CA…offensive line coach Tom Cable was a graduate assistant at San Diego State in 1989…Raiders RB Justin Fargas is from Sherman Oaks, CA and attended Notre Dame HS and USC…CB Nnamdi Asomugha is from Los Angeles and attended Narbonne HS…LB Kirk Morrison was a two-time All-America at San Diego State.
• Chargers LB Marques Harris and Raiders QB Andrew Walter were classmates at Grand Junction High School in Grand Junction, Colorado and the two still remain close friends…Chargers SS Clinton Hart and Raiders DE Derrick Burgess were teammates with the Philadelphia Eagles…Chargers T Roman Oben and Raiders T Cornell Green played together with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers…Oben and Warren Sapp were also teammates with the Bucs.
• Chargers C Nick Hardwick and LB Shaun Phillips played at Purdue with Raiders S Stuart Schweigert…K Nate Kaeding and TE Scott Chandler played at Iowa with Raiders T Robert Gallery…Chargers LB Marques Harris and Raiders DE Tyler Brayton at Colorado…Chargers TE/WR Legedu Naanee and Raiders CB/KR Chris Carr at Boise State...Chargers S Eric Weddle and Raiders TE John Madsen at Utah…Chargers WR Buster Davis and Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell at LSU…Chargers DE Ryon Bingham and Raiders CB Fabian Washington at Nebraska.