by Amedeus Mastrangelo
Monday, Dec 27, 2021
Game Time: 4:05 pm ET, Sunday, January 2, 2022
Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Where to Watch: CBS
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Broncos +6, Chargers -6; Over/Under: 45.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Broncos +6, Chargers -6; Over/Under: 45.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Broncos +6, Chargers -6; Over/Under: 45.5 points
Season Record
Denver Broncos: 7-8 (4th place, AFC West)
Los Angeles Chargers: 8-7 (2nd place, AFC West)
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Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Denver Broncos: lost on the road on Dec. 26 against the Las Vegas Raiders 17-13.
Los Angeles Chargers: lost on the road on Dec. 26 against the Houston Texans 41-29.
Denver Broncos Analysis
The Broncos are coming into this game with a 7-8 record overall and they are 3-4 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 5th divisional matchup of the year and they are currently 1-3 in their division games this season. They have lost 3 of their last 4 games and are coming into this one on a 2 game losing streak after another loss in their last game. Their last win was against the Detroit Lions while their 3 losses in that span came against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Las Vegas Raiders in their last game. Drew Lock completed 15/22 passes for 153 yards in that one. Javonte Williams led the team in rushing with 12 yards and 1 touchdown on 7 carries. Jerry Jeudy led the receivers with 60 yards on 3 receptions while Courtland Sutton led the team in receptions with 4 for 33 yards. Jonas Griffith led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 7 assisted ones. Shelby Harris led the defense in sacks in that game with 1.5 while Bradley Chubb came up with the only interception for them in that one. They have scored 298 points in their 15 games this season averaging 19.9 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 260 points against them allowing 17.3 PPG. Their offense is averaging 329 YPG while their defense is allowing 320.9 YPG.
Los Angeles Chargers Analysis
The Chargers are coming into this game with an 8-7 record overall and they are 4-4 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 5th divisional matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 2-2 in their division games this season. Their last win was against the New York Giants but they have gone on a 2 game losing streak since then with losses coming against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans in their last game. Juston Herbert completed 27/35 passes for 336 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions in that one. Juston Jackson led the team in rushing with 64 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 carries. Jackson also led the receivers with 98 yards on 8 receptions while Josh Palmer caught the lone touchdown pass in that one. Kyzir White led the defense with 6 solo tackles and 5 assisted ones. Jerry Tillery recorded the only sack for them in that game while no one on the defense was able to come up with an interception in that one. They have scored 408 points in their 15 games this season averaging 27.2 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 411 points against them allowing 27.4 PPG. Their offense is averaging 390.2 YPG while their defense is allowing 363.8 YPG.
Broncos vs Chargers Prediction
The Broncos are coming into this game as a 6 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Broncos are coming off of a loss in their last game but Lock did not play a bad game in that one and their defense really kept them in that game with a chance to win. The Chargers have not played well recently with 2 straight losses and they are coming off of a bad loss where they allowed 41 points to the Texans. Lock should be able to score some points in this game with their offense and there is even a chance that Teddy Bridgewater is back for this game so that will only help their offense out even more. The Chargers also struggled to score against the Texans and the Broncos have a much better defense. The best bet to place in this game is on the Broncos to cover the spread here as they will at least keep this game close.
Broncos Chargers Prediction: Our NFL Pick for Sunday, January 2, 2022 (4:05 pm ET start time) is Chargers 20 Broncos 17.
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NFL Betting Trends
Denver Broncos: 18-29 O/U in all games. 13-19 O/U as an underdog. 8-15 O/U in road games. 2-7 O/U in a road game where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points. 12-22 O/U against conference opponents. 3-9 O/U when playing with 6 or less days rest. 5-11 O/U versus division opponents.
Los Angeles Chargers: 4-10 O/U as a home favorite of 7 points or less. 6-10 O/U after gaining 300 or more passing yards in last game. 20-37 O/U revenging a loss where opponent scored 28 or more points. 3-10 O/U revenging an upset loss against opponent as a road favorite. 1-6 O/U after allowing 175 or more rushing yards last game.
Key Injuries
Denver Broncos: T. Bridgewater (QB) day-to-day - Concussion. M. Ojemudia (CB) day-to-day - Hamstring injury. A. Mintze (LB) day-to-day - Hamstring injury.
Los Angeles Chargers: M. Williams (WR) Out indefinitely - Heel injury. A. Ekeler (RB) Out indefinitely - Illness. J. Guyton (WR) Out indefinitely - Illness.
Notable Quotes
"They did a good job up front on us. We could never seem to get our backs through the first wave of the defensive line and we had a hard time finding any room there. You get 158 yards of offense and eight first downs, it's hard to say anything good about the offense." - Vic Fangio on his team’s loss against the Raiders in their last game.
"This is the tough side of the NFL. It's been a fight this entire season for us. It's going to continue to be that way. We still have a lot in front of us." - Brandon Staley on his team’s loss against the Texans in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Denver Broncos
WR Sutton, Courtland
WR Patrick, Tim
TE Fant, Noah
TE Okwuegbunam, Albert
QB Lock, Drew
RB Williams, Javonte
Los Angeles Chargers
WR Guyton, Jalen
WR Allen, Keenan
WR Williams, Mike
TE COOK, JARED
QB Herbert, Justin
RB Ekeler, Austin
FB Nabers, Gabe
Statistical Leaders
Denver Broncos
Passing: T. Bridgewater (3052)
Rushing: J. Williams (827)
Receiving: C. Sutton (703)
Touchdowns: M. Gordon III (9)
Los Angeles Chargers
Passing: J. Herbert (4394)
Rushing: A. Ekeler (789)
Receiving: K. Allen (1042)
Touchdowns: A. Ekeler (17)
Coaches:
Denver Broncos: Vic Fangio (3rd season)
Los Angeles Chargers: Brandon Staley (1st season)
Amedeus Mastrangelo
About the Author:
Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.
