Oakland Raiders December Schedule Preview

Oct 25, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) and San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) talk after the Raiders beat the Chargers 37-29 at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Dec. 24: San Diego Chargers

While Oakland’s final game in December against the San Diego Chargers could easily have zero playoff implications if they fail to have success earlier in the month, it still is a division matchup and will be hard fought game regardless of their record.

With the Raiders winning by a significant margin in their first matchup in San Diego, a lot of the signs point to Oakland again having a great deal of success against them at home. Since their Week 7 contest, the Chargers have lost their star receiver Keenan Allen and their non-existent run game has taken an even further turn southward. Though Oakland has also regressed in many ways since they last played each other, they still have enough pieces in place to again run the score up on San Diego.

Even with Allen out, Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers is still capable of making plays with the ball in his hands, and in turn, Oakland should make it a priority to limit him in any way possible. Especially with San Diego’s incapable rushing attack, the Raiders’ defense should have an easy time containing Rivers and the Chargers’ one-dimensional offense.

Oakland, on the other hand, can make San Diego’s defense pay both through the air and on the ground. With Murray handling things in between the tackles and Carr keeping them honest over the top, San Diego likely won’t be able to keep the Raiders’ offense off the field.

Prediction: San Diego Chargers 13 Oakland Raiders 34