Gameday: Chargers vs Raiders

Postgame Notes

• Vincent Jackson set a new career high with 148 yards receiving on five catches tonight.
• Darren Sproles scored two touchdowns in a game for the third time in his career tonight, but the first time he’s had two touchdown catches. Sproles had two return touchdowns against Indianapolis on Nov. 11, 2007 and scored two rushing touchdowns against Detroit on Dec. 16, 2007.
• Stephen Cooper set a career-high with two interceptions tonight, both in the second quarter. The last Chargers linebacker to record two interceptions in the same game was Donnie Edwards against Tampa Bay on Dec. 12, 2004.
• Shaun Phillips set a new career-high with 2.5 sacks tonight.
• The Chargers scored on their first four possessions and beat the Raiders for the 11th straight time tonight.
• In the second quarter, the Chargers had their longest touchdown drive of the season, covering 15 plays, 96 yards and 8:29 time of possession.
• Mike Scifres has a solid night punting the football and the Chargers’ coverage team is outstanding. Of Scifres’ five punts, the Raiders return three for a total of three yards and Scifres averages 45.4 net yards.
• San Diego’s offensive line blocks for a season-high 158 yards rushing tonight and doesn’t allow a sack in 22 pass plays.
• LaDainian Tomlinson’s 25 carries are his second-most in a game this season and the Chargers improve to 5-2 this season and 49-24 during his career in games when he logs 20 or more carries.
• The Chargers defense allows its second-fewest rushing yards of the season tonight (54) and lowest total net yards of the season (163).
• The Raiders’ cumulative 27.6 passer rating tonight is the lowest allowed by the Chargers defense this season. Oakland’s QBs combine to go 17 of 30 for 129 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
• The Chargers reported only one injury tonight, linebacker Anthony Waters (hamstring).

The Matchup

The San Diego Chargers will seek to put an end to a three-game losing streak and keep their ever-so-slight playoff hopes alive when they host their long-time arch-rivals, the Oakland Raiders, in a rare Thursday night contest at Qualcomm Stadium. The game will be broadcast nationally on the NFL Network with Bob Papa and Cris Collinsworth calling the action. Kickoff is set for 5:15 pm PST.

Power Blue Party

The Chargers will take the field on Thursday night in the Power Blue alternate uniforms that they’ve won six-straight games while wearing, including an Oct. 12 win over the New England Patriots. Those six wins include a 28-14 victory over the Raiders last Oct. 14, 2007.

Thursday Night Football

This is just the sixth Thursday Night Game in team history and the first in more than 11 years. The Chargers’ last Thursday nighter was played Oct. 16, 1997 in Kansas City. Coincidentally, three of the Chargers’ first five Thursday night games were played against the Raiders, the last two of which were played in San Diego in 1983 and 1986.

The Series

The Chargers have won their last 10 games in a row against the Raiders. You have to go back to 2003 to find Oakland’s last win in the series. The Chargers ran the streak to 10 games with a 28-18 win over the Raiders at the Oakland Coliseum in Week 4. Despite the losing streak, Oakland still leads the all-time series, 55-41-2. The Chargers have won the last 10 by an average of 14.9 points per game.

Tomlinson Looks to get untracked vs. Raiders

LaDainian Tomlinson will go after his third 100-yard game of the season and his second against the Raiders on Thursday night. In 15 career games against the Raiders, Tomlinson has rushed for 1,815 yards, more than any other player in NFL history has rushed for through 15 games against a single opponent. He’s also scored 21 career touchdowns (rushing and receiving) against the Raiders, again the most in the NFL by a player against any one opponent thru 15 games. Tomlinson’s career resume vs. Oakland includes nine 100-yard rushing games and 18 rushing touchdowns, including a 106-yard, two-touchdown effort when the teams met in September. Tomlinson set his career-high of 243 yards rushing against Oakland at Qualcomm Stadium back during the 2003 season. He’ll be anxious to take the field on Thursday night after Atlanta held him to a season-low 24 yards rushing this past Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium.

December Dynamos

The Chargers couldn’t have picked a better time to try to snap their three-game losing streak. The Chargers have won 10 in a row against Oakland and 10 in a row in the month of December. San Diego’s last loss in December was a 23-7 season-ending loss to the Denver Broncos in 2005.

Notable Connections

Chargers owner Alex Spanos lives in Stockton, California, approximately 70 miles from Oakland. President-CEO Dean Spanos grew up in Stockton and graduated from the University of the Pacific. Head Coach Norv Turner is from Martinez, Calif., approximately 20 miles from Oakland. He was the Raiders head coach from 2004-05 and spent the ’06 season across the Bay as the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Tight ends coach Clancy Barone is from San Andreas, Calif. Running backs coach Ollie Wilson spent eight seasons (1983-90) coaching RBs at Cal-Berkeley.

Long snapper David Binn is from San Mateo, Calif. and a graduate of Cal-Berkeley. Wide receiver Malcom Floyd is from Sacramento. Center Jeremy Newberry is from Antioch, Calif. He attended Cal-Berkeley as well and spent the first nine season of his NFL career with the 49ers and 2007 with the Raiders. As a Niner, Newberry was a two-time Pro Bowl selection. Defensive end Igor Olshansky is from San Francisco, where he attended St. Ignatius HS. Wide receiver Kassim Osgood is from Salinas, Calif.

Raiders Owner Al Davis coached the Bolts offensive ends from 1960-62. Wide receivers coach James Lofton held the same position in San Diego from 2002-07. Defensive backs coach Darren Perry spent time on the Chargers’ roster in 1999. Raiders linebacker Kirk Morrison and wide receiver Chaz Schilens both played at San Diego State. Wide receiver Todd Watkins is from La Mesa, Calif.

Chargers-Raiders in 3D

On Thursday night, 3ality Digital and the NFL will use the latest 3D technology for a first-of-its-kind live broadcast of the Chargers-Raiders game. The game will be shot in full-digital 3D format and broadcast to invited guests in theaters in Hollywood, Boston and New York City. The 3D broadcast, which incorporates near pixel-perfect quality, is designed to give viewers a feel as though they are on the field with the actual players. This is not the first time an NFL game will be broadcast in 3D. In 2004, the Super Bowl game between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers was also shown to a select audience in 3D.