The Raiders are opening the 2024 regular season on the road, but Sunday’s game in Los Angeles will be the friendliest road environment they will see all season.
Raider fans have a rich history of invading Charger home games, and this week isn’t expected to be any different.
“I have some great inside information from the black hole and some of the other tailgates and the black hole southern California. It’s going to be incredible. Antonio Pierce told me yesterday he wants a blackout,” JT the Brick said this week on his weekday radio show.
It might not be a blackout on Sunday, but according to one ticket marketplace, Raider fans are expected to occupy nearly two-thirds of SoFi Stadium.
Based on their sample of ticket sales, Vivid Seats is projecting 62 percent of the seats at SoFi Stadium to be occupied by Raider fans.
With Jim Harbaugh coaching his first NFL game since 2014, Sunday’s game will draw a significant national audience.
CBS is sending their top television broadcast crew to the game (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo) and it will be the featured game in nearly every California market as well as New York, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte and New Orleans.
Sunday’s game will be a matchup between head coaches who desperately want to change the cultures of their respective organizations.
The Chargers are expected to have a greater emphasis on defense going forward, and everyone knows Harbaugh wants to build a physical run-first style offense.
Ironically, that’s the same blueprint the Raiders are trying to embrace under Antonio Pierce.
x: @raidersbeat