The San Diego Chargers travel to O.co Coliseum to face the Oakland Raiders in a classic AFC West rivalry game on Christmas Eve. The Raiders were eliminated from the playoffs following their loss to the Green Bay Packers this past Sunday, but head coach Jack Del Rio will look to finish the season strong with two straight divisional opponents. The Chargers have clearly struggled this season and, at 4-10, are looking to create some sort of momentum after beating the Miami Dolphins this past weekend.
Both teams could be playing in the same stadium in 2016, as both the Chargers and Raiders are going to apply for relocation following the 2015 season. The Raiders fan base is one of the loudest in the country, and the team will look to send out free safety Charles Woodson on a high note in his last home game of his NFL career. The Raiders free safety has already announced his retirement, and he could see some time at wide receiver and punt returner for the Raiders Thursday night.
Woodson is second on the team with 65 total tackles and has recoded five interceptions in his final NFL season. The Raiders have a ton of young talent on their defense as well, and defensive end Khalil Mack has developed into one of the most dominant pass rushers in his second NFL season. The first round pick in 2014 has recorded 15 sacks and forced two fumbles and will look to create havoc for Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.
Oakland's offense looks much improved with quarterback Derek Carr under center, and the second year quarterback has proven himself as a legitimate starter in his second year in the league. Carr has thrown for 3,589 yards with 30 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and will look to target star wide receiver Amari Cooper. The rookie wide out has exploded onto the NFL scene in his first year in the league with over a 1,000 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
The Chargers defense has struggled this season and is giving up an average of 357.6 yards per game ranking them 19th in the league. Head coach Mike McCoy will look to free safety Eric Weddle to lead the defense on Thursday, as he leads the team in tackles. Weddle has recorded 75 total tackles and will try to get the defense fired up against a rival opponent in the Raiders.
Rivers is in his 12th season in San Diego, and despite the team's poor performance, he is still having a solid season. The Chargers franchise quarterback has thrown for 4,287 yards with 26 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. San Diego has struggled with turnovers and is in the bottom of the league with minus eight turnovers on the season.
McCoy will look to feed the hot hand Thursday, as the Chargers use two versatile running backs in Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead. Gordon leads the team with 641 rushing yards but has yet to find the endzone in his rookie season. Woodhead is a dual threat out of the backfield for San Diego, as he is second on the team both in receiving and rushing. At 5-foot-8, 200-pounds, Woodhead can hide behind his offensive line but has the power to break through tackles.
It could be the last time the Chargers and Raiders meet in Oakland, and with it being Woodson's last home game, there are plenty reasons to tune in for this heated matchup. The game starts at 8:25 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Raiders' radio broadcast, click here, and for the Chargers' radio broadcast, go here.
