Gambling Matchup Week 2 – San Diego Chargers vs New England Pats
The Patriots have and continue to rely heavily on franchise quarterback Tom Brady, and once again the seasoned gun delivered what is likely to be the of if not the best performances from an NFL quarterback this season on Monday night, throwing for the fifth most single game yardage of all time in New England’s victory of Miami.
Chargers vs. Patriots
Venue/Stadium: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA
Time/Date: 4:15 PM ET, September 18, 2011
NFL Odds From: Bookmaker.com —>
Moneyline: OFF
Spread (ATS): New England -7
Over/Under: 53.5
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On Sunday the Patriots will square off against a familiar foe when the San Diego Chargers come to Foxboro fresh off a Week 1 victory.
San Diego busted out of the gate eerily similar to last season’s start, allowing the Vikings Percy Harvin to return the opening kick-off for a 103-yard touchdown that left the Chargers trailing 17-7 at the half.
But just when it looked like the Bolts would get off to their typical slow start, QB Philip Rives rallied his flock in the second half, throwing a 19-yard touchdown pass to fullback Mike Tolbert with just over five minutes left to play to lift the Chargers to a 24-17 win.
Rivers finished the game tossing the rock for 335 yards and two touchdowns while connecting with favorite target Antonio Gates, who looked to be at full strength with 8 catches for 74 yards.
Tolbert was also a huge part of the San Diego offense, finishing the game with three touchdowns and 93 total yards. Second-year man Ryan Mathews got into the action, chalking up 45 rushing yards and 45 receiving yards.
However, as impressive as the offense was, the story line of the game was the San Diego defense who was able to limit Minnesota to just 159 rushing yards, while all but completely shutting down the passing game as they held Donavon McNabb to just 28 passing yards.
They are going to need that same type of performance against Brady, but it’s going to be no easy task. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
As for the Pats, they met with little resistance from Miami, as Brady, after throwing his first interception in nearly 11 months, returned to the field to throw a team-record 517 yards and four touchdowns, including a 99-yarder to Wes Welker as New England started the season with a victory for the eighth consecutive time en route to a 38-24 win over the Dolphins in South Florida.
Opposite the Chargers, the Patriots defensive performance was not inspiring, and could be cause for concern, especially the pass defense that allowed Miami’s Chad Henne to put up 416 yards in the air.
However, they did get to Henne on the pass rush, dropping him behind the line of scrimmage four times.
They will need to have a better outing against Rivers, who could torch the Pats secondary if they fall flat footed.
NFL Week 2 Trends:
Over is 11-3 in SD last 14 games in September.
Under is 5-2-1 in SD last 8 games overall.
SD are 2-5-1 ATS in their last 8 road games.
Over is 13-3 in NE last 16 vs. AFC.
Over is 17-4 in NE last 21 games overall.
Over is 19-6-1 in NE last 26 games on fieldturf.
Underdog is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 meetings.
Matt’s Prediction: San Diego 31, New England 28 –
These two teams played an epic game in 2010 with nothing but a missed field goal allowing the Patriots to escape with the win. The Chargers defense is much better than it showed against Minnesota, while the Pat’s secondary was just a tad short of terrible at containing Hanne.
If that’s an indication of how this game could go, I am going with the Bolts to upset New England in this one.
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