This Christmas Eve, the San Diego Chargers (4-10) will travel north up the Golden State to the Bay Area to face the Oakland Raiders (6-8). The Chargers are coming off a 30-14 victory at home against the Miami Dolphins, while the Raiders lost on Sunday at home, 30-20, to the Green Bay Packers.
The key to this game could be the play of the quarterbacks -- one an accomplished veteran, the other one of the more exciting young quarterbacks in the league. Philip Rivers, who will be under center for the Chargers, has broken several records this season, including surpassing Joe Montana on the NFL's all-time passing yards list and Vinny Testaverde on the NFL's list for most touchdown passes. Rivers has climbed into the top 15 of all-time in both categories. Tonight, he has a chance to become the first Charger to pass for 4,500 or more yards in three different seasons. On the other side, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has thrown for 30 touchdowns and needs just four more to tie the club record set by Daryle La Monica in 1969. Carr has thrown for two or more touchdowns in 11 of the team's past 13 games.
While other young guns including Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper and Latavius Murray have been keys to Oakland's resurgent season, the attention of this game will be focused on Raiders veteran safety Charles Woodson, who announced this week that he will retire following the season. Woodson, who was selected to this year's Pro Bowl -- the ninth time in his illustrious career -- needs just one more interception to move past Ken Riley for fifth-most all-time. Woodson may even line up at wide receiver, the first time since 2000, in his final Raiders home game.
Game Details
Game time: 8:25 p.m. ET
TV: NFL Network
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson
Radio: Westwood One: Wayne Larrivee, Tim Ryan. SIRIUS: 88 (WW1), 83 (SD), 82 (Oak). XM: 88 (WW1), 225 (SD), 82 (Oak).
Odds: Raiders -6
Chargers blog: Bolts from the Blue
Raiders blog: Silver and Black Pride