Stephanie Gonzalez

SAN JOSE CALIF. – Fans from three teams, the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers are in a flurry of emotions after the Jan. 9 game between the Raiders and Chargers. This game was the last of the Sunday night football games and it carried the probability of the Steelers going into the playoffs. The Steelers game ended up with them winning against the Baltimore Ravens in a score of 16-13. This made the team and fans believe they were in the playoffs. One of the players even went on Instagram live after their game to dance and celebrate with some other players and coaches. Little did they know they wouldn’t be celebrating much longer.

The Raiders and Chargers both played a good game. By halftime the Raiders were up 17-14, which isn’t a lot but it gave them some positive hope. The end of the fourth quarter is near and both teams are tied at 29 points. Most games from the day already went into overtime and fans were speculating that the Sunday night games were “rigged” after seeing the last game was going to have to go in overtime. With fans on edge on who would win, the game continued with 10 minutes of overtime. The coin toss is called tails by the Chargers but lands heads so the Raiders choose to take the ball. During overtime the Chargers score a field goal giving them a total of 32 points but the Raiders come and score 6 points giving them the win. 

If the game ended in a tie, the Steelers would be dropped from their spot in the playoffs, but the Raiders were going for the win. The end result of the game led to the Raiders being in the wild card game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers in the wild card game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Chargers without a spot in the wild card games. This is due to their season record. The Steelers ended their season being 9-7-1 and the Chargers 9-8. Their one extra loss from the Jan. 9 game cost them their spot. 

Raiders fans are “excited but also nervous”, said a local fan, because the last time they were in the playoffs the first game their starting QB broke his ankle and they could not proceed in the playoffs. The last time the Raiders were in the playoffs was six years ago. His injury happened during the game against the Colts in 2015. Carr’s fibula was broken and Matt McGloin was the one to take his place as quarterback.

An Instagram post from the Las Vegas Raiders with the final score of the game.         Photo credit: Stephanie Gonzalez