SAN DIEGO -- The Chargers' 27-7 loss to the Raiders was easy to understand. This was going to be a physical war, but the Chargers can only win one style of game. They win close games in the fourth quarter. Once they fell behind 20-7 late in the third quarter, it's hard for them to come back.

Their average loss for five games has been 20 points. Win by three, lose by 20. That's the surprising Chargers.

"What happened today," Chargers linebacker Junior Seau said after the game, "was that we lost to a better team today."

	“	I was raised down here in San Diego, so I know. I've seen a lot more white and black than blue and gold." ”
		— Lincoln Kennedy, Raiders offensive tackle

The loss won't change the heart of the Chargers. They battle. At 8-5, they are still in the playoff hunt, knowing that two wins over the next three weeks might get them into the playoffs. The Chargers still remember that they beat the Raiders in Oakland, and there is a chance they might meet again.

"We fought twice in the street and they went home bloody one time and we did the other," defensive end Marcellus Wiley said. "Mommy and Daddy say go back out there and fight again. We will."

The disconcerting thing, though, might have been the crowd of 67,968. While there might have been more Chargers fans in the seat, Raiders fans tended to give the visiting team a "road" field advantage.

"I was raised down here in San Diego, so I know," Raiders right tackle Lincoln Kennedy said. "I've seen a lot more white and black than blue and gold."

Wiley estimated the crowd might have been 60-40 Raiders. Once the Raiders established a 27-7 fourth-quarter lead, Chargers fans left but the Raiders fans stayed.

"Those fans can jump on the field and play with us," Wiley said. "One tried (and was arrested). We can't blame the loss on the fans. We can't blame anything on the ticket policy. We've got to win and hope to get the fans to come back and see us again."

The Chargers tried to keep tickets to the game Sunday away from Raiders fan by trying to force those buying tickets in advance to purchase tickets for four games in order to get into this one event. Somehow, the Raiders fans got their tickets. And the early count was that there were 120 arrests.

This is a rivalry not only for the two teams, but for the fans.

Still, the game was physical. There were numerous personal fouls. Raiders guard Frank Middleton told Chargers defenders that this wasn't a game for Boy Scouts and anything goes. A few plays after Middleton made a hit that angered Chargers defenders, safety Rodney Harrison came and gave Middleton a shot that had him trying to get officials to throw a flag.

"He cheap-shotted us, but he's got to know what to expect," Wiley said.

"Some guys carry knives. Some carry bullets. Some carry words. He carries a lot of words. It's not a situation where you cry about it. A lot of those bullets are blanks."

The Raiders were clean but extra physical on their hits on Chargers halfback LaDainian Tomlinson, who was held to 57 yards. But at one point, Tomlinson got up after a hit and started to shout at Raiders defenders and even Raiders coach Bill Callahan.

"He's just being competitive," Callahan said. "I guess he was going back and forth. I was asking the officials for a taunting penalty."

Chargers quarterback Drew Brees took the loss hard because he threw three interceptions that cost the team 10 points.

"It was all me," said Brees, who completed 22 of 41 passes for 239 yards and had a 40.6 quarterback rating. "It was nothing they were doing. The first I was trying to anticipate the route and the defensive back (Terrance Shaw) dove on it. The second one I didn't think was a pick, but they called it that. The third one I just threw a little behind the receiver. They weren't bad decisions. They probably were just bad passes."

Raiders free safety Rod Woodson got the second interception when it bounced off the hand of cornerback Tory James. Television cameras followed James and Chargers receiver Reche Caldwell. Only one long shot had Woodson, who caught the ball near the ground. Replay couldn't overturn the interception call on the field because the angle was too far away.

"I did catch the ball," Woodson said. "I think Drew was a little rattled. Once you stop the run of any team, there aren't many quarterbacks who can just carry a team back."

While the Chargers are still in the playoff hunt, road trips to Buffalo and Kansas City will determine if their home finale against the Seahawks will get them into the playoffs.

"It's a crazy league with a lot of unexpected things happening this year," Wiley said. "Oakland has won five in a row. You can see the matrix is ever changing. You can't get caught up in thinking that a team like the Chiefs won again and might be in it. That's a board game. You can't worry about it."

What the Chargers have to worry about is staying physical.

"This game was like running into your garage without the car," Wiley said.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.