How have the Raiders fared historically in season openers?
The Raiders begin their 2024 campaign Sunday against the Chargers, which makes this as good a time as any to look back at their season openers through the years.
Like much of the franchise’s history, Week 1 has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride for the team.
The Raiders are 31-33 all-time in season openers since their inception in 1960. Here is how those games have played out:
1960-1969 (6-4)
The Raiders dropped their first three season openers in the American Football League, including a 37-22 defeat to the Houston Oilers in the first game in franchise history.
Things got worse the following campaign. The Raiders lost 55-0 to the Oilers to kick things off in 1961.
The first time the team started things off with a win was in 1963 in Al Davis’ debut as coach and general manager. The Raiders lost in Week 1 again in 1964, but then won their season opener the following five years.
1970-1979 (4-6)
The Raiders’ five-game winning streak in Week 1 turned into a five-game losing streak from 1970-74 as they transitioned to the NFL.
The final loss in that run, to Buffalo, was a memorable one.
Art Thoms thought he had given the Raiders a dramatic win with a fumble return for a touchdown with 1:08 remaining. But the Bills answered with a touchdown from Ahmad Rashad to win 21-20.
The Raiders bounced back from the defeat to finish the season 12-2. They also won four of their next five season openers, which were all started by Hall of Fame quarterback Ken Stabler.
The Raiders’ 24-17 win over the Rams to begin the 1979 season was coach Tom Flores’ first win with the franchise.
1980-1989 (8-2)
The 80s were the Raiders’ best decade in terms of early-season success. They lost only two of their openers in that 10-year span, with both defeats coming to the Broncos.
The Raiders lost 8-7 in 1981 after recording just 165 yards on offense, then lost a 38-36 thriller in 1986 thanks to a John Elway-led comeback.
One memorable opener came in 1982 when the team defeated the defending Super Bowl champion 49ers 23-17 on the road. It marked the franchise’s first game as the Los Angeles Raiders.
1990-1999 (3-7)
The Raiders’ season-opening 14-9 win over the Broncos at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1990 was the 150th home win in franchise history.
The team proceeded to lose three of its next four season openers from there.
The one win in that stretch came in 1993 against the Vikings. The Raiders won 24-7 in their first game in a renovated L.A. Coliseum that dropped seating capacity to create a more intimate environment.
The team moved back to Oakland two years later and beat the Chargers 17-7 in its first game in 1995. The Raiders then lost four straight season openers, including a 19-14 defeat to Baltimore in 1996 in the first game in Ravens history.
2000-2009 (3-7)
The Raiders opened the new millennium with three straight wins in season openers, but followed up that run with seven consecutive losses.
The team had two memorable victories in that stretch. Quarterback Rich Gannon hit wide receiver Andre Rison for a 10-yard touchdown with 2:37 to play in a 9-7 win over the Chargers in 2000. The next year, Sebastian Janikowski made a 31-yard field goal in the closing seconds of a 27-24 win over the Chiefs.
The Raiders appeared in the NFL Kickoff Game, a Thursday night tradition that began in 2002, for the first time when they lost 30-20 to the Patriots in 2005.
They also appeared in prime time in 2006 during a 27-0 loss to the Chargers on “Monday Night Football.” The NFL didn’t hold the result against the Raiders. The team was welcomed back to “Monday Night Football” to kick off the 2008 and 2009 seasons and lost to the Broncos and the Chargers, respectively.
2010-2019 (4-6)
The Raiders’ losing streak in season openers extended to eight with a 38-13 loss to the Titans in 2010. The Raiders got back on track the following year by beating the Broncos 23-20.
History was made in 2014 when Derek Carr became the first rookie quarterback in franchise history to start a season opener. The Raiders lost 19-14 to the Jets, beginning a 10-game losing streak to kick off the season.
Carr picked up his first Week 1 win two years later in 2016. The Raiders scored 22 fourth-quarter points against the Saints, capped off by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Carr to wide receiver Seth Roberts with 47 seconds left. The team then elected to go for a two-point conversion and got it to earn a 35-34 win.
2020-2023 (3-1)
The franchise’s first game as the Las Vegas Raiders was a 34-30 road win at Carolina that saw Josh Jacobs run for a go-ahead, 6-yard touchdown with 4:08 remaining.
The team pulled off an even more dramatic victory the following season when they opened a campaign at Allegiant Stadium for the first time.
Kickers Justin Tucker and Daniel Carlson traded long field goals in the final 37 seconds of a matchup with the Ravens to force overtime. That set up a Carr to Zay Jones touchdown pass that gave the Raiders a 33-27 walkoff win.
The team then saw its rally fall short in a season-opening 24-19 road loss to the Chargers in 2022. The Raiders bounced back with a 17-16 win in Denver last season.
Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers caught the game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with 6:34 to play.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.