The Chargers take on the Raiders tonight on Monday Night Football, and while the Chiefs have ruled the AFC West for the past decade, the fiercest rivalry in Chargers history has always been with the Raiders. Itโs a rivalry built on bitterness, bruises, and unforgettable moments. Now, with Jim Harbaugh leading the Bolts and Pete Carroll suddenly in charge of the Raiders, the matchup carries more intrigue than it has in years.
Coaching Backstory: Harbaugh vs. Carroll, A Rivalry Reborn
Pouring gasoline on this fiery rivalry is the hiring of Pete Carroll by the Raiders. Carroll shares one of the most intense coaching rivalries the sport has ever seen with Jim Harbaugh โ a feud that began in the college ranks, raged in the NFC West, and has now relocated after almost a decade to the AFC West.
It started in 2007, when Harbaughโs Stanford stunned Carrollโs USC in one of the greatest upsets in college football history. Two years later, Stanford ran up the score late in a blowout win, and Carroll marched across the field demanding, โWhatโs your deal?โ
That hostility carried into the NFL when Harbaugh took over the 49ers in 2011, rekindling the fire against Carrollโs Seahawks. Their battles were legendary, capped by the 2013 NFC Championship Game โ Richard Shermanโs tipped pass, the โIโm the best corner in the game!โ rant, and Carroll heading to a Super Bowl title while Harbaugh came up short.
For an amazing look at the history of this colorful rivalry, here is a great 8-minute video covering the highlights of the feuds between these two:
Now, a decade later, Carroll and Harbaugh are back in the same division. And every Chargers-Raiders game suddenly feels like must-watch TV.
The Playersโ War: Raider Week Through Chargers Eyes
One of the greatest eras of Chargers football was defined by the intensity of their rivalry with the Raiders. For the players, Raider Week wasnโt just another date on the schedule โ it was personal. They carried that fire onto the field, and their passion spilled over into the fanbase, making every clash feel like a street fight for pride as much as standings.
Hereโs how some of the Chargersโ all-time greats described what it meant to line up against the Silver and Black:
LaDainian Tomlinson has said that Marty Schottenheimer became a completely different coach in the week leading up to the Raiders. Raider Week wasnโt business as usual; it was personal. Practices ran hotter, meetings were sharper, and the message was clear: beat the Raiders. Tomlinson carried that weight onto the field, piling up over 2,000 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns against Oakland in his career.
On the other side of the ball, Shawne Merriman embodied the defensive edge of the rivalry. โLights Outโ thrived on the hostility, admitting he despised the Raiders but respected the ferocity of their fan base. The boos raining down in the Black Hole didnโt rattle him โ they fueled him. Merriman knew Raider Week was about proving you were tougher than the guy across from you.
And then there was Philip Rivers, who brought his own brand of intensity. With that trademark smirk and relentless jawing, Rivers loved to needle the Raiders in ways only he could. In one unforgettable moment, with the game already decided, he used a hard count to bait Oakland into yet another penalty โ handing them the single-game penalty record.
Together, those players โ Tomlinson pounding the rock, Merriman bringing the pain, Rivers twisting the knife โ defined what Chargers-Raiders meant during their era. The rivalry wasnโt just about standings or playoff implications. It was about pride, identity, and inflicting just enough humiliation to make sure the other side never forgot.
A Rivalry Restored
The truth is, the rivalry hasnโt carried quite the same weight during the Chiefsโ decade of dominance. Raiders-Chargers has been heated, sure, but it hasnโt defined the division race. Until now.
Drop Carroll and Harbaugh back into the cauldron, and suddenly weโve got fuel on an old fire. Both coaches preach physical, punishing football. Both are legends with massive egos. Both have scar tissue from years of battles. And now, twice a year, they meet on the biggest stage in a rivalry already defined by unforgettable moments.
Itโs not just Chargers vs. Raiders anymore. Itโs Harbaugh vs. Carroll, Round Three. And that makes tonightโs game, and every one to follow, instant classic potential.
โก Your Turn: Do you think Harbaugh-Carroll in the AFC West will reach the same legendary status as their college and NFC West battles? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
Chargers sign Clellin Ferrell. Fourth overall pick by the Raiders in 2019. Has not played up to his draft position, but has not totally sucked. Given the circumstance, I like the pickup
Saw this in an Yahoo article. I think I mostly agree with this:
The Chargers need better offensive game-plans. They need better fundamentals (like not assigning your worst-blocking TE to block your opponents best player). They need more creativity. They need to stop doing shit that has not and will not ever work (like slow-developing jet sweeps to Davis).
100% agree with this. Even though we won in LV, it was only off 2 really solid TD drives. The offense never found a rhythm. Greg Roman needs to have more โeasy buttonโ plays where itโs schemed for 5-6 yards and can get a drive started. To many times we get a turnover or a defensive stop or receive a punt inside of our 20 and we go 3 and out taking like 30 secs off the clock. The first drive off the opening pick was a perfect example. THATS WHY YOU NEED FUCKING SCREEN PLAYS!!!!! God I just had to scream it. Itโs maddening. You draft a RB that can catch and sign another one in FA. Why donโt you scheme for one of their strengths? Roman deserved his flowers after week 1, but remember he had 3 months to scheme for that game. I hope Iโm proved wrong, but because we have Herbert, we are asking Roman to morph into a different philosophy of coordinator, and deep down I still donโt have faith that he will ever be able to mesh properly with a player of Herbertโs caliber.
Relatively good news on Mack.
https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/chargers_star_khalil_macks_outlook_is_better_than_expected/s1_14819_42753931?utm_source=mb&utm_medium=email&mb_edition=20250918&mb_loc=left_h
I re-watched the game and even looked at a bit of the all-22:
I’m not the best film guy, so I would appreciate any input on what others saw.
I need to watch Pipkins more to see if he’s playing with more strength, or if he’s just more suited for T than G and we saw a shitshow last year. I’ll take your word for it for now though Kev! ๐
Ryan and I went over the stunt issue on PKP last week as well. We think there is chance that Alt also makes it easier for Zion to see what’s happening on his left side, since he doesn’t step back with his slide step as aggressively as Slater did, and has greater reach. As great as Slater is, maybe those elements really cement him as a RT and actually improves the whole line as a unit?
I agree with the running game comments fully. I hate getting cute on 4th and 1 especially.
The rest is spot on, nothing to add excepts nods of agreement.
Mack out “for a few weeks.” Better than I feared.
I still think Hortiz needs to look to improve the position.
I have no clue how long Mack will be out for. Speculation on the internet is that he will be able to play this season with a brace but likely has torn ligaments in his elbow. The depth at the Edge position is very thin and was my biggest pet peeve of the offseason. I wasn’t impressed at all with the Dupree/Murphy combo once Mack was out. Both of them just try to get outside of the LT and once that didn’t work they were completely neutralized.
Regardless of what happens the rest of this year, I think you can almost guarantee that the Chargers’ 1st round pick next year will be an Edge player unless they swing a big trade during the season.
I halfway expected to see him back out with a cast. I know he hates to miss these Raiders games.
I think, if possible, I’d prefer to get an edge in FA, draft one a bit later, and concentrate on TE/center with our first. I’ve admittedly done zero work on the 2026 draft class so this is said blind to the options.
Unless the Ravens let Linderbaum walk. I would move mountains to sign that dude!
There’s no way that happens but obviously yes, that would be signing priority number 1!
Given how much it costs for the Edge position (just look at Bonitto’s contract and he’s not even a top 10 guy in the league), it would be roster building malfeasance to take a center or TE over an Edge with the first round pick.
Center (even more than TE) obviously needs to get attention but not with a 1st round pick.
Edge is firmly need #1 IMO. DT and Center are right behind. TE is distant with the way this offense is running.
I think it’s roster malfeasance to keep putting your franchise QB behind a substandard center.
No argument there but in managing the salary cap, and paying a lot of money to your QB, you simply have to get 1st round talent at the other expensive positions. Center is one of the cheapest positions in the NFL and they should be able to find a good player in the 2nd – 4th round.
It’s early but next year’s center crop is looking more like the 2024 year compared to last year that was barren.
I totally follow the logic and concept, but my counter-point to the idea of feeling like you have to draft a premiere position in the first round is the difference between the front and back half is stark.
I made this chart in 2024 with the relative free agent class (and wrote an article on it), contrasted against the rookie class. It lined up FA’s in “tiers” which set the different APY brackets for each position, and carried them down to where the various prospects were picked. For example, QB1 in free agency was Kirk Cousins, APY $45M. I personally only saw the top 3 QB’s as bonafide franchise guys, so after pick 3 I dropped to the Ryan Tannehill tier… more of a bridge tier with starting upside at least through the rookie contract, which is what I saw Nix, Penix, etc as (apparently I was way off there), so the APY was $12.5. Beyond pick 12 was the Sam Darnold tier. Lining up the pick slots with the substitute FA APY gave you a savings estimate.
Of course – when you hit on sleepers, especially at premiere positions, this calculus is totally different. But as you get beyond pick-20, you’re counting on a lot of teams overlooking a stud EDGE, WR, etc… because everyone is vying for those positions.
What the chart shows in a one-year, anecdotal look is that there is a strong argument to be made for drafting a position like G, C, TE, or even RB if there is top positional talent there, which there often is at the backend of the first.
Basically – I’d rather go against conventional norms and “reach” a little bit to grab a Zach Frazier or Jackson Powers Johnson than draft a Chop Robinson or Darius Robinson because I’m dead-set on surplus value at premiere positions. IMO – it sets you up to truly reach and not blend BPA which should actually provide the surplus value you’re looking for.
And with the number of QBs going down to injury, maybe it’s time those “non-premium” positions were assessed a bit differently.
Yes, I realize some of these injuries come on designed roll-outs and QB runs. Plenty also come from hits in the pocket and a good amount of those (and getting flushed outta the pocket) comes from interior pass rush.
So yeah….I think a stud center and TE improve this team massively.
The reality is you have to assess the positions based on where the league is and until you have IOL getting contracts like Nik Bonitto (who isn’t even a top 10 edge), then you have to operate in the confines of what the league is doing. The biggest advantage a team can have from a cap perspective is a good QB on a rookie contract. The second biggest advantage is a stud Edge on a rookie contract (followed closely by LT, which the Chargers already have!).
I will also add that as good as the defense has looked so far, they will go nowhere in the playoffs against top QBs if Mack is hurt. I firmly believe you cannot win a SB without at least one impact pass rusher (and that’s why they’re paid so much). You can win a superbowl with a so-so center though. Again, I want to take a center as high as the second round, but I just wouldn’t in the first unless that player is head and shoulders above the players in the next cluster down.
I think Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert contrasted against Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson really drives your point home, Buck.
It seems to me like more injuries are actually coming from within the pocket, because it’s so easily to get rolled up on and tangled when you’re not moving forward with momentum.
You actually just made my point for me. JPJ as an example has been solid but often hurt and certainly not a stud and he was taken at 44 overall. Zach Frazier has been solid and was pick 51. You have a much higher probability of landing an impact center in the 2nd or 3rd round than an impact Edge rusher. The vast majority of impact edge rushers are taken in the top 30 picks whereas the hit rate on IOL is much higher than Edge in the mid rounds.
Its if you’re gonna reach in the late 20s – 30s, then the reach should be at a position that pays for the more premium talent.
Look if the Chargers are picking in the late 20s or 32 :), then ya maybe there’s no Edge left that’s worth taking there, but in a vacuum it still makes no sense to take a center in the 1st round unless his scouting report is like a Tyler Lindebaum impact player.
I don’t think either of the Robinsons really support your point, though. I agree that JPJ and Frazier were pushed into the mid-2nd… but we won’t be picking in the mid-2nd, so they wouldn’t be there anyways. The reason I wrote (and shared) the article is because I think it’s a mistake to pass on players like JPJ and Frazier at the back-end of the first.
The general idea is you’re probably better off taking the most talented Guard or Center off the board than the 5th or 6th DE. Chop was the 4th DE taken. It’s less of a dart throw or lotto ticket when you’re getting the pick of the litter.
From the write up, talking about recent centers pick at the back end of the first.
If there is a STUD EDGE available in the mid 20’s, I wouldn’t be disappointed if they take him! But if a stud center or guard that translates to being a fixture on our IOL for years to come, I think it’d be a huge mistake to pass him up for a dart throw, which is what I expect from the EDGE group in the 20’s.
FWIW – JPJ being hurt often is what made him fall to 44. He was injured during the draft process and never really “right.”
I get a lot of flack for this take, but I liked Frazier (and JPJ) enough to have wanted to trade 2025’s 1st for a high 2024 2nd as they were falling. They were always 1st round talents to me.
I wanted Frazier bad and am still pissed off that Pittsburgh got him.
Hopefully the pain goes away when we finally have a stud center ๏ปฟ๐๏ปฟ Watched the All-22 and Bozeman is just so uninspiring.
Hire him to be the new version of the Eagle’s “Big Dom.” Our favorite memory of Boze is when he destroyed a dude for messing with Herbert. Can we just hire him to be a bodyguard/enforcer? ๐
I’d rather just draft the Cam Jurgens’ or Zach Frazier’s of the world at 50-ish than take one in the first round unless its a talent like Linderbaum who was head and shoulders above any recent centers from a scouting perspective.
Obviously Frazier and JPJ were not 1st round talents (and still are not playing like it) given every team passed on them and many of them twice. Some of that is likely positional value too. Again, you can’t ignore the contracts and positional value importance. You can go buy the best center in FA for nearly half the price of the best Edge.
Buck, Iโm as big a draft nerd as there is and I have barely looked into the prospects yet. I like to get to around Halloween so we can see how the college season is playing out.
FWIW, I wanted Egbuka or an Edge in Rd1 last year. This team would be so much better off now if that was the route they took. Hampton has barely made an impact and is looking to be settling into RB2 behind Harris.
Careful Erick.
Ryan Watkins will not tolerate this Hampton slander! :-p
I think Hampton has looked fine so far other than that late game fumble. I wasn’t expecting a whole lot more this early in the season.
In terms of the other options, Egbuka was already gone by the time the Chargers picked and the only “Edge” left that might’ve been worth taking was Pierce who has looked ok. I’m not sure we would’ve seen any real difference at this point. Time will tell though.
This seems like quite a rush to judgment.
Egbuka is good, but the Chargers don’t need him right now. I would have been fine with Edge, but the Edges worthy of that pick on the Chargers board were gone.
Meanwhile, if they didn’t have Hampton, Vidal would be getting 50% of the RB snaps. I don’t like that notion at all.
I agree with
Blue Beers on this. Hampton has looked fine, and I expect he will get better over the course of the season as he gets more experience and gets more comfortable with the offense the speed and physicality of the NFL.
And importantly gets more carries! It’s probably hard to work into any kind of rhythm running the ball as sporadically as he’s been asked to so far. Imagine if Hampton got 5 carries in a row. I think we’d like what we saw.
I think we have a new lunch pail guy. ๐๐ผ๐ช๐พโก๏ธ
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6633514/2025/09/16/chargers-raiders-mnf-defence-daiyan-henley/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=12566676&source=dailyemail
Well well well….2-0, 2 division wins. I felt like Roman’s playcalling regressed a bit last night, but the Raiders D played a good game too. Happy for the win, of course.
Now let’s sweep the Donkey shit outta our stable. I wanna see a Sean Payton melt down.
Oh yeah….was there a post-game handshake? I barely made it thru the game.
Quick little dap up, nothing big
For as great as Roman was week 1, he left a lot to be desired last night. While Herbert made the offense work, I felt like hey never got into a rhythm matching the passing and running game. This also looked to familiar to last year watching the offense fizzle in the second half. Let’s not forget that Roman had 3 months to come up with the Brazil game plan, looked quite different with only 10 days to prepare. It is worth watching what the offense looks like on a short week.
Herbie did miss a couple of reads/throws that I think he normally makes and that likely affected the perception a bit. Throws that could’ve led to scores. Thank god that one terrible throw on 3rd down that should’ve been picked got dropped. I started thinking about “Chargering” there for a second.
I thought the gameplan was fine overall.
Also, Despite the running game’s limited success on the box score, I’ve been impressed with Hampton (other than that fumble). He always seems to get a couple of extra yards that aren’t there and his pass pro is solid!
2-0. Not pretty, but effective. On to Denver!!
Take 3 knees. Donโt even snap it.
When the fuck is Roman going to not block Crosby with a TE
This offense really needs help with the running game. One first down that drive really ices it.
Donte. Doing business.
Fuck yeah!!!! Letโs bleed it out
Michael Bandy special
Are you fucking kidding me with that play call? Fucking Roman. Asshole.
Big hold there. Letโs get at least a FG drive of our own
What do we have to do to keep Minter here until we have our parade? The man is crushing it so far this season.
Minters D is so tight, but they really need to focus on getting off the field on 3rd down. These drives take a lot out of the D fir a full game.
I definitely think this team needs to get on the phone with the Bengals. Time to make a move to bring Hendrickson in.
HOLY CRAP STILLS. All over the place!
Ok D. Letโs get a stop here.
Donโt hate the FG there. Wouldโve preferred the TD (duh), but here we go. A big stop and get the ball back.
I would kick it here. Keep adding points.
Should have thrown it away there
Mintor defense still not surrendering TDs in the first half. Amazing defensive first half
Jefferson! He should be starting!