The Oakland Raiders had a big win Sunday on the road in San Diego, as they came back to beat the Chargers 19-16 to clinch their first postseason birth since the 2002-03 season and regained sole possession of first place in the AFC West.
The game was played at Qualcomm Stadium, but the seats were filled with people dressed in silver and black, as there were more Raiders fans than Chargers fans at the game.
It could have to do with the records of the two teams, or that Chargers owner Dean Spanos is likely moving the team to Los Angeles, but the Raiders enjoyed having that many fans at a road game.
In his postgame interview, head coach Jack Del Rio talked about what it meant to the team to see that many fans there:
“Raider nation showed up. It was pretty awesome to see. It had to be at least 60 to 70 percent. I don’t know what the numbers were, but a lot of black shirts out there. A lot of silver and black, a lot of pride, and a lot of happy people right now.”
“Our fans travel well. We’ve traveled well all year. Wherever we’ve been, we’ve had a very strong contingent and they’re very loud and very proud and we love it, and we are very appreciative of that.”
Quarterback Derek Carr talked about how much he enjoys playing in San Diego because of the Raiders fans presence:
“When we come to San Diego, our fans turn it into a home game. We always think we get nine home games a year. That’s not saying any disrespect. It is just how our fans come and support us. They do a great job of it. They’re loyal. They’ve been behind us and they’ve been through all of the hard times. They’ve been through the hard times longer than I have. I just feel really happy for them to be there and experience that today.”
Raider Nation will likely have a strong presence again this Saturday when the Raiders host the Indianapolis Colts in their last home game of the regular season. A win will put the Raiders one step closer to clinching the AFC West and a first round bye.
