Chargers vs Broncos NFL Handicapping
The Denver Broncos will do battle with the San Diego Chargers on Thursday Night Football at Mile High. Denver has a fair lead over Kansas City in the AFC West and can all but clinch their division with a win on Thursday night, while San Diego can kiss their slim playoff hopes goodbye with a loss in Denver.
Thursday Night Football
San Diego Chargers (6-7) at Denver Broncos (11-2)
Date: Thursday, December 12, 2013
Time: 8:25 PM ET
Venue: Sports Authority Field
City: Mile High, Denver, Colorado
O/U Odds: 55.5
Spread: Denver -10
Money Line: Denver -500, San Diego +405
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The Broncos have gone 7-0 at home this season and look to close out a perfect home slate in this one. Their last win came there in a 51-28 drubbing of Tennessee.
The Bronco’s top-ranked passing offense had a field day against a good Titan secondary.
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Quarterback Peyton Manning completed 39 of 59 passes for 397 yards and four touchdowns without a turnover in the game. His big four pass-catching targets each brought in a score, as Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Wes Welker, and Julius Thomas each hauled in a touchdown pass, while running backs Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball combined for 155 rushing yards and each found the endzone.
In total, the team churned out 551 yards of offense. Welker suffered a concussion in the game, his second of the season, and his status is up in the air for Thursday as he goes through the league’s concussion protocol.
The team’s defense struggled, particularly early on, which led to the benching of both Wesley Woodyard and Duke Ihenacho, leaving the unit in flux with a short turnaround on Thursday night. After their early struggles the unit did settle down and only allowed 254 yards of offense on the day.
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San Diego won for the second time in three weeks in Week 14, beating the New York Giants 37-14.
Quarterback Philip Rivers was rock solid for the team, completing 21 of 28 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
His top target was again Keenan Allen, who hauled in all three of his targets for 59 yards and two scores. Running back Ryan Mathews did the bulk of the heavy lifting on the ground, carrying the ball 29 times for 103 yards and a score.
The team’s defense bent but didn’t break, shutting the Giants out in the first half of the game and forcing three turnovers total in the contest, including two interceptions of Eli Manning.
The unit was helped by great ball control by the offense, and spent just 23:04 on the field in the game.
The shootout that was expected in the first meeting never did materialize, although the 48 points scored are nothing to sneeze at. While some passing offenses have struggled with the short turnaround to Thursday night, both of these units should do just fine against beatable pass defenses.
The over is 6-1 in the last seven meetings between these teams played in Denver.
The NFL Network play: Over 55.5
