BetAnySports’ NFL Pick of the Week- Week 8: San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos – Thursday, Oct. 23
San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos – Thursday, Oct. 23
Current BAS’ Line: Broncos are 8 1/2 point favorites and the total is sitting at 51 1/2
Thursday Night Football features a battle for first place in the AFC West between the 5-2 San Diego Chargers and the 5-1 Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. BetAnySports has opened the surging Broncos as 7.5-point home favorites, but it has yet to set the betting odds for the total line.
The Chargers were rolling along with a five-game winning streak before it fell to another tough division opponent this past Sunday in a last-minute 23-20 loss to Kansas City as three-point home favorites. The total in this game stayed UNDER the 45.5-point closing line and it has now stayed UNDER in three of their last five games. The 20 points against Kansas City was the team’s lowest output since an 18-17 loss to Arizona on opening day. Overall, the offense is ranked ninth in the NFL in scoring with 26.3 points a game.
The biggest surprise with San Diego this season has been the play of its defense. It did allow 28 points to Oakland in a tight Week 6 win, but overall this unit is ranked third in the league in points allowed (16.3). It is also ranked fifth in total yards allowed (316.4) and third against the pass.
The Broncos are coming off an impressive 42-17 romp over San Francisco as 6.5-point home favorites in a game where Peyton Manning set a new NFL record for career passing touchdowns by tossing four in that rout. Denver has now outscored its opponents a combined 114-54 in its last three games. The offense is ranked fifth in total yards per game (394.0) and the passing attack is accounting for close to 300 of those yards. It is also ranked first in scoring with 31.5 points a game.
Much like the Chargers, Denver’s defense can take responsibility for a good chunk of this team’s success so far. This unit is allowing an average of just 20.2 points and in is sixth in total yards allowed (316.8) and third against run.
BetAnySports’ past betting trends in this matchup tend to favor San Diego on the road. While the Chargers have lost five of the last six meetings straight-up, they have been able to cover against the spread in five of its last six road games against the Broncos. I am going with that play again as San Diego uses that extra half point to the fullest in a seven point loss on the road to its division rivals.
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