The San Diego Chargers (3-8) battle the Denver Broncos (9-2) this week in a game that will feature the NFL’s second-leading passer, Philip Rivers (3,511 yards, 23 TDs). Kickoff is at 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Dec 6 and will air on CBS.
This week’s clash marks the first meeting for these AFC West rivals this season. The Broncos have been victorious in the last three over the Chargers, going back to the 2013 season. Jahleel Addae led the Chargers defensive effort in the last meeting, recording seven tackles. Aqib Talib led the defensive effort for Denver, recording seven tackles and one interception.
Denver is a three-point favorite in this game against the Chargers. The Over/Under (O/U) line is currently at 43 points for this matchup.
Sitting at 3-8 Straight Up (SU) and 4-7 Against The Spread (ATS), the Chargers will look to improve heading into Week 13. In their five most recent matchups, the Chargers went 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS. No team throws the ball more than the Chargers. They lead the league with 42.7 passing attempts per game. The Chargers are one of the best in the league at scoring in the fourth quarter of home games, averaging 10.3 points. Concentration could be a key factor in this week’s game. The Chargers hope to profit on Denver’s mental lapses, which contribute to 89.5 penalty yards per road game.
Across the field, the Broncos head into Week 13 with records of 6-4-1 ATS and 9-2 SU. Over their last five games, the Broncos have a SU record of 3-2 and a 2-3 record ATS. Offensively, they may score often against the Chargers, who are one of the worst home scoring defenses in the league at 28.5 points per game. There’s a good chance that Denver will rely on its passing attack against a defense that allows 268.3 passing yards per home game, ranking 26th in the league. Preparing for Denver’s top-five scoring defense could be challenging for the Chargers. So far this year, Denver’s defense on the road has allowed opponents to score an average of 18.5 points. The Denver defense has given opposing running backs trouble this season. Opponents average 88.5 rushing yards per game against this frightening unit. The Broncos have been outplaying their opponents’ offensive lines this year. Denver’s defense leads the league with an average of 3.3 sacks per game. San Diego will want to keep its intensity through the fourth quarter against the Broncos, who average 9.6 points in the final 15 minutes of regulation. Denver can return the ball well on the road. The team averages 104.7 return yards per away game, the fifth-most in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – Den, ATS Winner – Den, O/U – Under
Notes
San Diego is 6-16 ATS in its last 22 games.
San Diego is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of San Diego’s last 12 games at home.
San Diego is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home.
San Diego is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Diego’s last 5 games when playing Denver.
San Diego is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Denver.
San Diego is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Denver.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Diego’s last 5 games when playing at home against Denver.
Denver is 7-0 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. San Diego is 2-2 SU when leading at the end of the third quarter.
San Diego is only 1-6) SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 2-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Since the start of last season, Denver is 8-1 SU against AFC West opponents, while San Diego is just 2-6 SU against division foes.
Denver is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 17th-ranked rushing attack will face the 26th-ranked run defense of San Diego, while its second-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 30th-ranked run game of the Chargers.
