The San Diego Chargers (2-5) travel to take on the Baltimore Ravens (1-5) looking to break their three-game losing streak. The NFL’s leading passer, Philip Rivers (2,452 yards, 15 TDs), and third-leading receiver, Keenan Allen (690 yards, 3 TDs), will be the players to watch in this game. It will air Sunday, Nov 1 at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.
In its last game, Baltimore fell to the 49ers 25-20. Steve Smith Sr. had a huge game in the loss, pulling in seven receptions for 137 yards and one TD. Joe Flacco also had a great game with 343 yards and two TDs through the air. San Diego also fell short, losing to the Raiders 37-29. Danny Woodhead had a great game for the Chargers, putting up 101 total yards and two scores. He had 26 yards on the ground and 75 yards receiving. Philip Rivers had a great game as well, adding 336 yards and three TDs through the air.
The odds between the Ravens and the Chargers are even this week, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available.
Sitting at 1-6 Straight Up (SU) and 1-5-1 Against The Spread (ATS), the Ravens will look to improve heading into Week 8. In their five most recent matchups, the Ravens went 1-4 SU and 1-3-1 ATS. Baltimore hopes to take advantage of a Chargers defense that allows 5.3 yards per rush, which ranks last in the NFL. Crossing over to the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens look to have a distinct advantage in certain spots. Baltimore’s defense could have an advantage on the Chargers and their struggling run game this season. San Diego averages 87 rushing yards per game, ranking 29th in the NFL. The Ravens should attack San Diego’s quarterback. The Chargers are ranked 27th in sacks allowed on the road with 3.7 per away game. The Ravens hope to continue the trend of repeated strikes against San Diego’s defense during the first quarter, when it allow 6.3 points per game. Baltimore’s special teams unit has done damage to opponents, topping the NFL with an average of 117 return yards per home game.
Across the field, the Chargers head into Week 8 with records of 2-5 for both ATS and SU. Over their last five games, the Chargers have a SU and ATS record of 1-4. Moving the ball through the air is essential for the Chargers, whose 343.7 passing yards per game ranks first in the league. Moving on to the San Diego defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Ravens. San Diego’s top-five passing defense, allowing 57.0% of passes to be completed on the road, has a good chance of shutting down its competitor’s passing game this week. Baltimore will want to keep its intensity through the fourth quarter against the Chargers, who average 10.7 points in the final 15 minutes of regulation. It’ll be difficult to keep San Diego’s offense off the field this week. The team’s average time of possession is 33:37, ranking third in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bal, ATS Winner – Bal
Notes
Baltimore is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games.
Baltimore is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore’s last 6 games.
Baltimore is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games at home.
Baltimore is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore’s last 5 games when playing San Diego.
Both teams are 0-1 SU when leading after two quarters this season.
San Diego is winless (0-3 SU) this season when allowing at least 3.0 sacks in a game. The Baltimore defense has averaged 3.0 sacks per game this year.
When it comes to passing this year, San Diego is rated higher on both sides of the ball. Its first-ranked passing attack will face the 28th-ranked pass defense of Baltimore, while its ninth-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 12th-ranked passing game of the Ravens.
San Diego has allowed 27.3 points per contest on the road, which ranks it only 25th in the league. Baltimore has scored 27.0 points per game at home (ranked 10th overall).
