Raiders’ return to Coliseum goes south

in force, filling the 95-year-old arena with black jerseys and loud cheers.

Al Davis had moved the Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles in 1982, and their home crowds at the Coliseum quickly developed a reputation for rowdiness and occasional violence. But the Raiders also won the hearts of a generation of Los Angeles football fans with their swagger and success, including a Super Bowl title in their second season in town. The Rams spent the 1980s in Anaheim, further opening the way for the Raiders to become Generation X’s favorite team in LA.

On Saturday, there was more excitement in the stands than on the field for long stretches of a preseason game that was even more meaningless than the usual August affair.

Both teams rested nearly all of their presumptive starters and used no significant parts of their playbook, thanks in part to a weird NFL scheduling decision that forced these teams to play an exhibition 23 days before they meet in their regular-season opener in Oakland.

Although both coaches revealed as little about their teams as possible, Sean McVay still got his first chance to face Jon Gruden, who employed McVay as a 22-year-old assistant wide receivers coach on his final staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008.

The Rams’ backups dominated the Raiders’ reserves in the first half, taking a 13-0 lead while holding Oakland to 58 yards and one first down. Oakland trailed 16-0 before mounting a rally, but the Raiders failed on their second 2-point conversion attempt of the day following Griff Whalen’s 10-yard TD catch with 9:52 to play.

Sam Ficken hit his second field goal for the Rams with 5:46 left, and Marcus Martin stopped the Raiders’ ensuing drive with a third-down sack of Manuel.

Rams backup Sean Mannion rebounded from a rocky preseason debut last week in Baltimore, going 10 of 16 for 84 yards while completing passes to eight receivers. Third-stringer Brandon Allen wasn’t as sharp, going 6 for 11 and throwing a terrible interception in the fourth quarter to put Oakland in position for its second TD.

The Raiders’ offense didn’t record its second first down of the day until late in the third quarter, but Warren capped the 75-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run.

E.J. Manuel went 10 for 16 for 89 yards and a touchdown.