NFL Bad Blood Battle – Chargers, Broncos
Talk about bad blood!
When the San Diego Chargers (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS, 1-0 O/U) and Denver Broncos (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS, 1-0 O/U) met last Christmas Eve for a late season matchup that meant little to the Chargers, little did anyone know that the heated confrontation between the two teams would spark some strong hostility (hatred?) that would linger the entire offseason.
Now, the bad blood that each team feels for their opponent will undoubtedly come to the surface in this season’s first contest between the clubs.
The on-field problems started when former Broncos safety John Lynch tossed Chargers’ running back LaDainian Tomlinson’s helmet 10 yards downfield after stopping the game’s best running back for a two-yard gain.
Later, with the game nearly over, Chargers’ quarterback Philip Rivers had some unflattering words for Broncos signal caller Jay Cutler after Denver failed to complete a fourth down desperation pass.
“They talked a lot and the talk got heated between the two teams,” Cutler said. “Personally I don’t think the teams like each other, which is fine. It’s just going to add to it next year. It’s going to be exciting.”
The Chargers took a surprising 26-24 home loss to the Carolina Panthers in their season opener last week as Panthers’ quarterback Jake Delhomme completed the game-winning touchdown pass as time expired.
To add injury to insult, the Chargers also lost linebacker Shawne Merriman for the entire season after the flee-footed linebacker decided to shut his season down in order to have reconstructive knee surgery.
“Shawne informed me he did not feel right and thought it best to shut it down,” Chargers general manager A.J. Smith said in a statement Tuesday. “The road to winning the AFC West just got more difficult, but not impossible. Nothing is impossible. Shawne is a great player and an inspirational leader. He will be missed.”
While the Chargers lost the Carolina, they didn’t play bad as Rivers went 17-for-27 for 217 yards and three touchdowns and Tomlinson ran for another 97 yards on 21 carries.
The Broncos, on the other hand, cruised to a 41-14 victory over another NFC rival, the Oakland Raiders as Cutler completed 16-of-24 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Denver added another 142 yards on the ground on 34 carries from their running back-by-committee group while sacking Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell two times.
Cutler hooked up with rookie wide receiver Eddie Royal nine time for 146 yards a one touchdown and will have No. 1 receiver Brandon Marshall back on the field in this matchup after the enigmatic wideout missed the season opener because of a one-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct code.
“This just opens up a lot of possibilities for us,” Cutler said. “We anticipated B-Marsh getting a lot of double coverage up top, and now you can’t, because Eddie is on the other side. I’ve had a good feel for Eddie, and I’ve been throwing it his way more and more.”
Chargers + Broncos Betting Trends
The Chargers are 4-0 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
The Chargers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games.
The Broncos are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
The Broncos are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
The Over is 4-0 in Chargers last 4 games in September.
The Over is 5-1 in Chargers last 6 games following a S.U. loss.
The Over is 5-0 in Broncos last 5 games after accumulating more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
The Over is 4-0 in Broncos last 4 games in September.
The Chargers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.
The Favorite is 5-2-3 ATS in their last 10 meetings.
NFL Odds
San Diego Chargers -1½ -110
Denver Broncos +1½ -110
Over 45½ -110
Under 45½ -110
Analysis: I’ve been expecting big things out of the Broncos for a couple of seasons now, and it finally looks like they are headed on the right path with Cutler getting his previously unknown diabetes problems under control.
This contest will tell a lot about the Broncos and where they are headed this season – and I say they somehow manage to pull out a narrow victory after getting swept by the Chargers in each of the last two seasons.
NFL Free Picks: Broncos 27 Chargers 24
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