Since 1990, 230 teams have played an NFL game after being shut out. Out of those 230 instances, none have ever resulted in a club responding to a shutout by putting up more than 40 points the next contest.
The Raiders just did that — in the first half.
There were a plethora of questions surrounding Las Vegas entering Week 15, particularly around the offense. The Raiders were coming off a dreadful offensive performance in Minnesota, as Antonio Pierce’s crew were blanked 3-0 by the Vikings. Pierce didn’t name Aidan O’Connell as the starting quarterback until a day before, and with no Josh Jacobs, it appeared the “Thursday Night Football” contest against the Chargers would be a low-scoring affair.
O’Connell and Co. had other plans. Before the Chargers could even cross midfield at any point, the Raiders had scored three touchdowns. By the time halftime came around, Brandon Staley and Los Angeles were staring down a 42-0 deficit.
Raiders score 42 points in the first half after going scoreless last week 👀
That’s the most points in a first half in NFL history after being shut out the previous game. pic.twitter.com/oSbr1XCtK6
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 15, 2023
Aidan O’Connell in the first half:
4 touchdowns
128.3 passer rating
42-0 Raiders lead pic.twitter.com/tQQ2ijANVu— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2023
Aidan O’Connell drops a dime and the @Raiders are up 21-0!#LACvsLV on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/ga7O4RMwdt pic.twitter.com/QBQN3Hu7ct— NFL (@NFL) December 15, 2023
6 TOUCHDOWNS IN THE FIRST HALF!!!#LACvsLV | 📺 @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/JvHhnNrPTj
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 15, 2023
It’s the most points in a first half after going scoreless the week prior, and it’s the largest lead at halftime in Raiders history. O’Connell, who took the starting job from Jimmy Garoppolo, was sensational in the first two quarters, throwing four touchdowns with a 128.3 passer rating.
MORE: Why Aidan O’Connell is starting over Jimmy Garoppolo
The 42-point lead is massive, but is it the largest in NFL history?
What is the most points in a single half by one team in NFL history?
While the Raiders’ destructive first half against the Chargers was plentiful, it does not take the top spot on the list.
Tom Brady is all over the NFL record books, and he’s also a part of this historic mark. On a snowy Foxborough night in 2009, Brady led the Patriots a 45-0 first half against the Titans, eventually resulting in 59-0 thumping. New England’s offense cut through Tennessee’s defense like a hot knife through butter, scoring five touchdowns in the second quarter en route to the dominant win.
Who else remember the aesthetically pleasing 59-0 Patriots snow game win over the Titans?
Good times, good times. pic.twitter.com/iqCZ8aimjE
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) March 30, 2020
Brady finished the contest tossing for 360 yards and six touchdowns while completing 85% of his passes. Randy Moss had eight catches for 129 yards and three touchdowns, with the trio of scores all coming in the first three quarters.
The Raiders’ 42-point margin has been replicated before. For over 60 years, the record belonged to the Cardinals, when the team was still located in Chicago. The Cardinals put up 42 points against the Giants in a contest in 1948, holding the first half mark until the Patriots broke it.
More recently, it was Baltimore that ended the first half up by 42. The Ravens wasted zero time starting off the 2019 regular season out, jumping out to a 42-0 lead over the Dolphins in Week 1. Lamar Jackson, in his second year with the team, passed for 210 yards and four touchdowns in the first half alone.
