Tied with the best record in the AFC entering Week 17, the Los Angeles Chargers are likely to be a No. 5 seed when the playoffs begin. It’s not the most ideal situation, but that’s what the Bolts are facing after letting an opportunity slip past them in a loss to the Ravens last week. There’s a chance things can turn out differently. The Chargers need to beat the Denver Broncos on Sunday and hope the Chiefs lose again. It’s possible, but unlikely. All the Bolts can do is take care of business against Denver and hope for the best. They also want some payback after the Broncos handed them a loss earlier in the year.
Watch this Week 17 regular season matchup live on Sunday, December 30, 2018, at 4:25 p.m. ET from Broncos Stadium at Mile High.
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Los Angeles Chargers OFF
Denver Broncos OFF
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The Chargers might have suffered a letdown after their big win over the Chiefs the previous week. They entered Saturday’s contest on a roll and feeling good about themselves after tying KC atop the division and the AFC with a dramatic victory in Week 15. However, the Ravens served up a big piece of humble pie last week, stifling the Bolts’ offense and coming away with a 22-10 victory.
The Western Division title is still up for grabs, but the Bolts do not control their destiny. They need to beat Denver and hope the Raiders can upset KC in order to get the crown. If not, the Chargers will be playing wild card weekend on the road. And their opponent could be the Ravens. They can do their part with a better offensive showing than what they gave against Baltimore. Granted, the Ravens have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but for LA to be as inept as it was is unacceptable.
What made the Chargers play on Saturday even more frustrating was that they had Melvin Gordon and Keenan Allen back in the lineup. Gordon missed a few games with knee trouble and Allen exited the Chiefs contest in the first half. Having two playmakers back should have meant more big plays from the offense. Instead, it was Baltimore rattling off the seven longest plays of the night.
The Bolts potent group was held in check by the Ravens, but there were also some self-inflicted wounds. A 27-yard pass play early in the game was negated by an offensive pass interference call. Rivers didn’t have much time in the pocket, either. He was sacked four times and constantly harassed by Baltimore’s eager front seven. One thing about the Chargers, though, is that they have experienced coaches and players who will make the proper adjustments.
There were no problems for the Bolts’ offense when they faced the Broncos last month. They amassed 479 total yards with Rivers throwing for 401. But again, the Bolts shot themselves in the foot with 14 penalties and two Rivers picks. And Denver’s secondary isn’t nearly as strong as it was in the middle of the year, giving Rivers plenty of chances to win a prop bet by going over his passing yardage total at BookMaker.eu.
LA’s longest play from scrimmage last week was 17 yards, this coming from a team that thrives on chunk plays. Look for the Bolts to simplify the play book at the beginning of the game in order to get Rivers in a groove and then go for the knockout punch once the Broncos are on their heels. The Chargers have too many weapons to total less than 200 yards of offense like they did against Baltimore and I expect a better effort, especially with the division crown on the table.
Denver has two of the best edge rushers in Von Miller and Bradley Chubb and we saw the Chargers stay away from them the last meeting with short passes and Melvin Gordon running up the middle. Gordon looked rusty last week in his return to the lineup, but he played 67 percent of the offensive snaps, so his knee must be okay. And I expect him to have more of an impact on the ground. Playing him on the live betting lines is a smart play and it will pay off with a touchdown.
Chargers at Broncos Live Betting
Rookie Phillip Lindsay has been a find for the Broncos’ offense and he will get a bulk of the work in the backfield to slow down LA’s pass rush. The Bolts have a pair of talented sack artists in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram and Denver did what it had to in the last meeting. Case Keenum threw the ball 32 times for only 205 yards, avoiding a sack. That means plenty of Lindsay, and the Bolts will key on the shifty back slowing down Denver’s offense.
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