Oakland Raiders vs. Chargers Preview: Keys to the Game

Oct 25, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders free safety Charles Woodson (24) looks on during the first quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

5. Play With Emotion

This is going to be an emotional game for the Raiders: Charles Woodson, the beloved future hall of famer and undisputed team leader, is playing his last game in Oakland and his second to last game ever. The Raiders might be playing in front of the Oakland fans for the last time, or at the very least playing in O.co Coliseum for the last time. There may be tears, there may be laughter. The Raiders should embrace it all.

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The Raiders team is at its’ core a young team: the quarterback, star wideout, and feature back are all under the age of 25. The team’s leading pass rusher is also young, as is most of the starting secondary. Young players play better when they are loose and not over thinking, and that is exactly what happens when you let a team play with emotion.

The Raiders are a team coached by former players who understand the value of playing with emotion, and with all the various factors at play, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t see a group of men playing with their hair on fire. The Chargers, on the road on a short week coming off a great but meaningless win at the end of a long, wasted, season, should be flat, and the emotion of the Raiders should completely overwhelm them early on. Couple this with what is sure to be an impassioned home crowd, and the game could simply turn on the momentum of all the feels, and it’s hard to win a game on the wrong side of that.