Raiders Defeat Chargers 23-20 in Christmas Eve Matchup

Nobody knows how the picture will look in 2016, but with one game left one thing is certain, the exciting Raiders are back and are on the verge of becoming a winning team.

Raiders passer DEREK CARR (24 of 39 for 209 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 pick) distributed his passes to nine different offensive skill position players, and he needed all those players’ efforts to help the Raiders win this game. The Chargers got one touchdown through the air in this game-early in the second quarter-but after that the Raiders defense shut them down in that department. It also made safety Charles Woodson a victor in his final home game with the Raiders before retiring after his 18th National Football League season. San Diego had won three straight and six of seven against Oakland prior to that setback but is looking to post consecutive victories for the first time this season. Quarterback Philip Rivers’ pass on fourth-and-3 fell incomplete, sealing the Raiders’ win. By the way, that was Brown’s first touchdown run of the year and also his first touchdown run since December 29, 2013 when he was a member of the Indianapolis Colts.

With the Chargers holding a 17-12 lead with about five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Oakland’s Malcolm Smith stripped David Johnson after a short pass and Benson Mayowa scooped it up and returned it 41 yards to the Chargers’ 3-yard line. The Raiders went for two, and Carr converted with a pass to Roberts, extending Oakland’s lead to 20-17.

The linebackers didn’t allow Chargers running back Danny Woodhead to rack up yards after the catch.

Fans wait in line at the security gate before the Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers game at O.Co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015.

The Raiders ended up kicking the go-ahead field goal, then Woodson was back on the field on defense to stop the Chargers’ last attempt. On second down, Denico Autry blasted through to sack Rivers in the end zone for a safety to cut it to 17-12.

“I guess it had to end like that right?”

The Chargers tied it on Josh Lambo’s 47-yard field goal with 55 seconds to play. The Chargers were unable to gain a first down as the Raiders held on for the victory. However, after a video review, the pass was ruled incomplete because the ball hit the ground when Green landed in the end zone.

In the end, the Chargers were limited to 19 first downs and 343 yards of total offense (72 rushing yards and 271 passing yards). But after they failed to advance, a television replay appeal wiping out a touchdown catch, Lambo missed a 48-yard field goal try and San Diego lost a chance to boost the lead. Rivers went 4-for-4 for 35 yards on the drive.

Sebastian Janikowski booted a 50-yard field goal in the second quarter, his 52nd from 50-or-more-yards in his career. “It’s good for it to be this night, a night where it’s my last game in the Coliseum to have the dramatics but come out with the win”. Dontrelle Inman started in his place…. He was replaced in the lineup by Taylor Mays….