Follow Us
Week 17 of the NFL season is fast approaching. The Denver Broncos will travel to take on the Los Angeles Chargers in an exciting match up. It’s time to continue our NFL odds series and make a Broncos-Chargers prediction and pick.
These two teams have had very similar seasons. The Denver Broncos are 7-8, but have lost their last two games. While the Los Angeles Chargers are 8-7, they have also lost their last two games. This is an important game and it should be a good one.
Here are the odds for the Broncos-Chargers matchup courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Broncos-Chargers Odds:
Denver Broncos: +7.5 (-110)
Los Angeles Chargers: -7.5 (-110)
Over 45 (-110)
Under 45 (-110)
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fubo TV (click for free trial)*
Why The Broncos Could Win
The Denver Broncos have been having a solid season. Through their first 15 games they have managed to win 7. They had a winning record two weeks ago, but that is no longer the case. The Broncos most recent loss came against the Las Vegas Raiders by 4. Denver battled hard but ultimately came up short. This team will face off against another tough opponent in Week 17. The Broncos come into this game as underdogs, but they will definitely be able to compete. Denver is a very solid, competitive team and Sunday’s game is extremely important. Expect the Broncos to do everything they can to rise to the occasion on Sunday.
The leader and quarterback of this Broncos team was Teddy Bridgewater. However, he has since been injured and replaced by third year quarterback Drew Lock. Lock has had an underwhelming career thus far, but will look to step things up on Sunday. In their loss to the Raiders, Lock threw for only 153 yards and no touchdowns. He has been a pet of only four games this season and has only managed to throw for 380 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. This season’s sample size isn’t large enough to make any claims about Lock, but he will need to turn things up if the Broncos want to win.
On the other side of the ball the Broncos defense ranks 6th in the league in total yards allowed. Denver allows just over 320 yards of offense to opposing teams per game. This is the main reason that the Broncos have managed to stay competitive. While their offense can be underwhelming, their defense continues to keep this team in games. The offense won’t be asked to do much, but they will need to find the end zone. The Chargers have a solid offense, but the Broncos defense should be able to rise to the occasion. Expect the Denver defense to play a huge role in this game.
Why The Chargers Could Win
The Los Angeles Chargers have had a good season. Through their first 15 games they have squeaked out a winning record with 8 wins and 7 losses. However, like the Broncos, the Chargers have lost their last two games. LA’s most recent loss came at the hands of the Houston Texans by 12. The Chargers will look to bounce back from this in a hugely important Week 17 match up. If LA can get the win on Sunday then they might be able to make a run this season. There is a lot riding on this game, so expect the Chargers to come out ready to dominate.
Leading the way for Los Angeles is quarterback Justin Herbert. Herbert is only in his second year in the league, but he has had a very solid season. In their loss to Houston, Herbert threw for nearly 340 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. On the season the sophomore quarterback has thrown for nearly 4,400 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Herbert’s consistency has been key to the Chargers success. If her can continue to play as he has all season then the Chargers could definitely take down Denver.
On the defensive side of things, the Chargers defense ranks 22nd in total yards allowed. LA allows nearly 364 yards of offense to opposing teams. Their biggest defensive struggle is in containing the run game. The Chargers allow over 140 rushing yards to opposing rushers. This defensive lapse is detrimental to this team and could prove to be a difference maker against Denver. While LA does a solid job of defending against the pass, this Broncos team will likely lean very heavily on their rushers. If the Chargers can come through and stop the run then they will run away with this game.
Final Broncos-Chargers Prediction & Pick
This game could go either way. The Broncos could easily struggle to get things going offensively and give the Chargers room to pull ahead. However, the Chargers could also struggle against a tough Denver defense and allow the Broncos to control the game through their rushing. While the Broncos may have lost their last two games, neither of those came by a margin greater than 5. Denver should be able to compete and maybe even win this game.
FINAL BRONCOS-CHARGERS PICK: Denver Broncos +7.5 (-110)