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The San Diego Chargers will lose to the Oakland Raiders

If the San Diego Chargers lose to the Oakland Raiders on Christmas Eve, these three reasons will be why it happened.

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Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

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Home Field Advantage

If we learned anything from last Sunday, it should be that a fired up home crowd (especially one worried that they may be seeing their team locally for the very last time) can fire up a home team. The same way the San Diego Chargers fans pushed the team to a big win over the Miami Dolphins, the dedicated Oakland Raiders fans will be trying to do the exact same thing against the Chargers.

Young Legs

While, overall, the Chargers have a younger roster than the Oakland Raiders, the main players that will play big roles in today's game don't follow that same logic.

Antonio Gates, Malcom Floyd, Donald Brown, Philip Rivers, and even Eric Weddle aren't meant to play a football game just four days after playing a football game. Add in the emotional drain that Sunday's game took on each and every one of them, and it wouldn't be surprising if they're playing with dead legs today, while trying to slow down kids like Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, and Khalil Mack.

Better Team?

Don't overlook the obvious. The last time these two teams met was earlier this season in San Diego, and by the end of the 3rd Quarter the Raiders had a 31 point lead. They let their foot off the gas, and the Chargers almost got back into it, but everyone know who was winning that game halfway through the 2nd Quarter.

This season, the Raiders have definitely been better than the Chargers. They're 6-8 with wins over the Broncos and Jets. They also kept it close with the Packers and Chiefs. They're eager to finish this season at 8-8 with a winning record against the AFC West, while the Chargers are playing for.....who knows?

Take the more talented and more motivated team to win this one.