The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers are two teams sputtering late in the season. They’ve each lost their last two games, and both teams are currently on the outside looking in. Denver is 7-8, and they’re the least likely bubble team to make the playoffs in the AFC. Los Angeles is 8-7, and they’re the first team out at this point. Here are the NFL odds, along with my pick and prediction for the Broncos vs. Chargers game in Week 17.
Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers pick, prediction | Week 17
- Spread: Chargers -5 (Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Moneyline:Â Broncos +180, Chargers -220
- Over/Under:Â 45
Teddy Bridgewater suffered a concussion against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15. He wasn’t able to suit up in a tough loss against the Las Vegas Raiders last week. Bridgewater is questionable to return this week, although it looks more likely than not at this point.
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He’s enjoyed an outstanding season, throwing for 3,052 yards with 18 touchdowns and 7 interceptions on 426 attempts. Bridgewater owns one of the highest passing touchdown rates to go along with one of the lowest interception rates of his career.
The Broncos quarterback played 60% or more of the snaps in 12 games this season. Denver owns a 7-5 record in those games. The Broncos are 0-3 when Bridgewater plays fewer than 60% of the snaps, as Drew Lock has struggled in limited snaps this season.
Broncos vs. Chargers betting trends
The Broncos and Chargers have both struggled against the spread (ATS) this year.
They each enter this game with a 7-8 ATS record through 15 games. Oddly enough, Los Angeles has struggled at home, while Denver has disappointed on the road in 2021.
These teams are opposites in terms of the game total. The Broncos own a 3-12 over/under record this season. They’ve hit the under in a league-high 80% of their games this season. Denver is finding the under by an average of 6.6 points per game.
The Chargers lean slightly toward the over with an 8-7 over/under record in 2021. Overall, they’ve found the over in 53.3% of their games, and they’re hitting it by an average of 4.9 points per game.
Broncos vs. Chargers prediction
This is an interesting game because of the playoff implications. Denver needs quite a bit of help –in addition to winning out — in order to find a Wild Card spot at this point. Los Angeles doesn’t need nearly as much assistance, although they’ll likely need to win out to grab a playoff spot.
The Chargers force teams to run against them, which is exactly what the Broncos want to do. I’m expecting Denver to use their one-two punch of Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams to find success.
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With that being said, the stakes are too high to bet against a player like Justin Herbert in this particular situation. I’m anticipating a close game, but I expect Los Angeles to eliminate Denver this weekend.
Broncos vs. Chargers Prediction: Chargers 24, Broncos 21
