The Oakland Raiders have four primary rivals: their divisional rivals (Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Diego Chargers) and their geographic rival, the San Francisco 49ers. They also have rivalries with other teams that arose from playoff battles in the past. The most notable of these teams are the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. The Seatle Seahawks is an old rivalry with Oakland as well, but the rivalry became less relevant with the Seahawks moving from the American Football Conference Western Division to the National Football Conference Western Division.

Divisional rivals

* The Denver Broncos and the Raiders have been divisional rivals since the two teams began play in the AFL in 1960. While the Raiders still hold a sizable advantage in the series (54-39-2), the Broncos have won seven of the last eight matchups (2003-2006). Current Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan coached the Raiders before being fired just four games into the 1989 season, which has only served to intensify this rivalry. Since Shanahan became head coach, Oakland is 6-18 against Denver. The Broncos won both games against the Raiders in 2006.

* The Kansas City Chiefs and the Raiders have had several memorable matches and have a bitter divisional rivalry. Oakland lost the 1969 AFL Championship against Kansas City, who appeared in the first Super Bowl. The Chiefs have won the last 8 matchups (2003-2006) against Oakland, and the Chiefs also lead the overall series 50-42-2.

* The San Diego Chargers' rivalry with Oakland dates to the 1963 season, when the up-and-coming Raiders defeated the heavily-favored Chargers twice, both come-from-behind fourth quarter victories. One of the most memorable games between these teams was the "Holy Roller" game in 1978, where the Raiders fumbled for a touchdown in a very controversial (and now illegal) play. The Chargers currently have a seven-game win streak against the Raiders, outscoring the Raiders 195 to 83 during the streak.

Geographic rival

* The San Francisco 49ers, located on the other side of San Francisco Bay, are the Raiders' geographic rivals. As a result, games between the two are referred to as a "Battle of the Bay." Since the two teams play in different conferences, regular-season matchups are infrequent. Fans and players of the winning team can claim "bragging rights" as the better team in the area. Oakland currently holds a 6-5 edge in the all-time series, although the 49ers won the last time the two teams played each other, on October 8, 2006 at Monster Park in San Francisco.

Historic rivals

* The rivalry between the Raiders and the New England Patriots dates to their time in the AFL, but was intensified during a 1978 preseason game, when Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley was permanently paralyzed after a vicious hit delivered by Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum. The two teams met in a divisional-round playoff game in 2002, which became known as "The Tuck." Late in the game, a fumble by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was overturned, and New England went on to win in overtime and eventually won the Super Bowl against the heavily favored St. Louis Rams. Since that game, the Raiders and Patriots have split the only two regular season contests between the two. The first contest being the following year during the 2002 season in Oakland, with the Raiders winning 28-21. The last being won by the Patriots when the two teams opened the 2005 season in Gillette Stadium, with the score 30-20 in the Patriots favor.

* The New York Jets began a strong rivalry with the Raiders in the AFL during the 1960s that continued through much of the 1970s, fueled in part by Raider Ike Lassiter breaking star quarterback Joe Namath's jaw during a 1967 game (though Ben Davidson wrongly got the blame), the famous Heidi Game during the 1968 season, and the Raiders' bitter loss to the Jets in the AFL Championship later that season. The rivalry waned in later years, but saw a minor resurgence due to some late-season and playoff meetings from 2000-2002. The Jets won the most recent matchup, 23-3, on December 31, 2006.

* The Pittsburgh Steelers' rivalry with the Raiders was extremely intense during the 1970s. The Steelers denied the Raiders a trip to the Super Bowl in three of four consecutive seasons in the early 1970s (the first loss was the "Immaculate Reception" game) until the Raiders finally beat the Steelers in the 1976 AFC Championship (and went on to win Super Bowl XI). During the game, Raiders strong safety George Atkinson delivered a hit on Pittsburgh wide receiver Lynn Swann that gave him a concussion. When the two teams met in the 1976 season opener, Atkinson hit Swann again and gave him another concussion. After the second incident, Steelers head coach Chuck Noll referred to Atkinson as part of the "criminal element" in the NFL. Atkinson subsequently filed a $2 million defamation lawsuit against Noll and the Steelers, which he lost. Most recently, Oakland recorded a 20-13 win over Pittsburgh on October 29, 2006.