If you were planning to skip the the Chargers-Raiders game on Thursday night to watch your favorite sitcom you probably fell out of your chair when you saw the Raiders, a team that scored ZERO points five days ago, dropped a 42-piece in the first half. Here’s the 12 craziest nuggets from this game:
1. Black hole: The Raiders outscored the Chargers 42-0 in the first half. The only larger halftime lead in NFL history was in 2009 when the Patriots were up 45-0 on the Titans in an eventual 59-0 win.
2. Thunderstruck: The Raiders’ 63 points were the most in a game in franchise history and the most allowed in Chargers franchise history. It was the most by a team in the game after getting shut out since the Eagles scored 64 vs. the Cincinnati Reds in 1934.
It was the third-most points scored in a game in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) behind 72 scored by Washington against the Giants in 1966 and 70 by the Dolphins in Week 3 this season against the Broncos. Meaning prior to this season nobody had scored 63 points in a game in 57 years. It’s happened twice this year. Both to AFC West teams
3. Crazy eights: Eight different Raiders scored a touchdown, the most by any team in a game since the Rams in 1950. Three different Raiders scored their first career touchdown: Zamir White, Tre Tucker and John Jenkins.
4. Las Vegas’ turnaround: The Raiders are averaging 31.5 points per game in their last two games after they were shut out by the Vikings last week. That would not be enough to lead the NFL this year.
5. Fantasy playoffs: The Raiders defense may have won a few Fantasy playoff matchups. But, they were only started in 19% of CBS leagues. Aidan O’Connell was started in 6%.
6. Rookie record: Aidan O’Connell’s had the most first-half touchdown passes (four) by a Raider since Daryle Lamonica in 1969. He matched the most first-half passing touchdowns by a rookie in the last 30 years (Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota did that in 2015).
7. Dual threat: Jakobi Meyers became the second player in Raiders history with a Pass TD and Rec TD in the same game along with Marcus Allen in 1983 vs. the Seahawks.
8. Piercing the heart: The 42-point win is the largest by an interim head coach since the merger. Antonio Pierce when asked by Kaylee Hartung what he told his Raiders team about the second half: “Press the gas pedal even harder.”
9. Justin Herbert for MVP? Easton Stick’s 42-point loss was the largest by a QB in his first career start since Spergon Wynn (who was famously drafted ahead of Tom Brady in 2000) vs. the Jaguars in 2000.
10. Big man TD! This game had everything, including John Jenkins rumbling in for a fumble return touchdown, the heaviest player (327 pounds) with a touchdown since Vita Vea in 2019.
11. Scorigami: 63-21 is the 1,083rd unique final score in NFL history.
12. Defense optional: The Chargers went from 17th (21.7 PPG) to 27th (24.6 PPG) in the league in scoring defense from before and after Thursday’s game.
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Author: Douglas Clawson
December 15, 2023 | 2:00 am
