The Denver Broncos (+7) are making a trip west to face their AFC West counterpart Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center. CBS is scheduled to broadcast the action and this late afternoon matchup kicks off at 4:05 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers
Denver is the road underdog in this AFC matchup and is currently receiving 7 points. The Broncos are also receiving +220 moneyline odds while the Chargers are -260. There should be some good live betting possibilities during the matchup, and Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 44 points.
The less-than-stellar Broncos are down 4.9 units so far in 2019 and 1-3 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an Over-Under record of 2-2.
The Chargers have lost 0.6 units this season. The team is 2-2 ATS and has an O/U record of 1-3.
The Broncos are 0-4 straight up (SU), including 0-1 SU against AFC West opponents. The Chargers are 2-2 SU overall and 0-0 SU against divisional foes.
The Broncos fell to Jacksonville 26-24 in a Week 4 nailbiter where Joe Flacco completed 22-of-38 passes for 303 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Phillip Lindsay (53 yards on nine rushes) led the ground attack while Courtland Sutton (six receptions, 62 yards, two TDs) and Emmanuel Sanders (five catches, 104 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
Los Angeles just put together a 30-10 win over Miami last week. The defense held its ground in the victory, keeping the Dolphins to just 180 passing yards and 72 rushing yards. Kenyan Drake had a productive outing in the loss, recording 44 rushing yards on nine attempts for Miami. For Los Angeles, Philip Rivers completed 24-of-30 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns. Austin Ekeler (60 rushing yards on 18 attempts, one TD) and Troymaine Pope (20 yards on 10 carries) spearheaded the running game while Keenan Allen (five receptions, 48 yards) and Dontrelle Inman (five catches, 76 yards) led the receiving attack in the win.
Looking at offensive play-calling, each team has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Denver has run the ball on 40.6 percent of its offensive possessions while Los Angeles has a rush percentage of 39.8. The Broncos have produced 100.5 rush yards/game (including 95 per game versus West opponents) and have two scores on the ground this year. The Bolts are averaging 103.5 rushing yards per game (0 in conference) and have three total rush TDs.
It appears that the Bolts might hold an edge when it comes to efficiency in the ground game, as their backfield has logged 4.3 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 4.2 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Broncos have ran for 4.0 yards per carry while allowing 5.1 YPC to opponents.
The Broncos offense has averaged 269 yards in the air overall (268 per game against conference opposition) and has five passing TDs so far. The Bolts have recorded 315.3 pass yards per outing (0 against AFC competition) and have seven total pass scores.
Defensively, Denver should have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 149.3 yards and pass for 206.8 yards per game. The Los Angeles defense has allowed 241.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 102.0 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Broncos have given up an ANY/A of 7.33 to opposing QBs, while the Bolts are allowing an ANY/A of 7.59.
Offensively, Flacco has put up 863 passing yards this year. He’s completed 78-of-119 attempts with five passing scores and two interceptions. Flacco’s got a 6.81 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.95 over the last two outings.
The Broncos have tried to maintain tempo by feeding their running backs early and often. Along with Courtland Sutton (222 yards, two TDs), Phillip Lindsay (132 rush yards, 60 receiving yards) and Royce Freeman (126 rush yards, 87 receiving yards) have brought significant production to the offensive game scripts for Denver.
Philip Rivers has connected on 70-of-100 passes for 936 yards, five TDs and two INTs for Los Angeles. His ANY/A stands at 8.59 for the season and 8.26 across his last two games.
The Bolts also like to utilize their backfield. In addition to Keenan Allen (269 receiving yards, one receiving TD), Austin Ekeler (184 rush yards, three rush TDs, 225 receiving yards, three receiving TDs) and Dontrelle Inman (109 receiving yards) have gotten plenty of touches lately.
Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers Free NFL Tip
SU Winner: Chargers, ATS Winner: Chargers, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- The Over/Under for Denver’s last game was set at 37.5. The over cashed in the team’s 26-24 loss to Jacksonville.
- As a team, Denver has averaged 3.9 yards per carry across its past three contests and 4.0 over its last two.
- Los Angeles has averaged 3.8 yards per carry over its last three games and only 3.0 over its last two.
- Los Angeles has lost three fumbles this season while Denver has lost two.
- In its last three games, Denver is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Los Angeles’ last outing was set at 44. The under cashed in the team’s 30-10 triumph over Miami.
- In its last three matches, Los Angeles is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
- Both teams have produced two pass plays of 40 or more yards. The Broncos have have made four pass plays of 30+ yards while the Chargers have accounted for five such plays.
- The Denver defense has allowed two pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Los Angeles has given up one such play.
- The Denver offense has created one rushing play of 20+ yards, while Los Angeles has created two such runs.
- The Broncos defense has allowed three rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Chargers have given up two such runs.
- The Los Angeles defense has notched nine sacks on the year while Denver has five.
