Slow starts are nothing new for San Diego (-7 on the nfl betting odds) under Turner, as the team has started 2-3 each of the last three years only to win the division. The bigger concern for the Chargers is how they lost to the Chiefs, trailing 21-7 at halftime before nearly tying the game at the end of the fourth quarter. They gave up a lot of big plays to Kansas City on special teams, most notably a franchise-record 94-yard touchdown on a punt return by rookie Dexter McCluster.
San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers was extremely frustrated playing in the rain against the Chiefs and did not really get into a rhythm until the second half. Rivers struggled a bit with trying to find the right receiver without Vincent Jackson out there as his safety valve. Jackson remains a holdout due to a contract dispute, which enabled Legedu Naanee to shine as he caught five passes for 110 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown to bring the Bolts within 21-14.
The Chargers had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but Rivers could not connect with his receivers in the end zone on their last possession. While Monday’s game drew nearly 12 millions viewers across the country for the San Diego-Kansas City game, Sunday’s home game for the Chargers is expected to be blacked out at Qualcomm Stadium for the first time since 2004.
That scenario is nothing new for the Jaguars, who saw seven of their eight home games last season blacked out. However, they are coming off an inspired effort last week in front of a sell-out crowd, thanks in part to the brief appearance of Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow. A Jacksonville native and star at Florida, Tebow carried the ball twice for two yards against a very motivated defense that was obviously looking to make the home crowd work to their advantage.
The Jaguars will look to contain San Diego rookie running back Ryan Mathews after he rushed for 75 yards on 19 carries in his debut. Mathews also had a costly fumble and faces a Jacksonville defense that limited Denver to 89 rushing yards on 25 carries.
The Chargers are 1-2 straight-up and against the spread in three all-time meetings with the Jaguars with the OVER going 2-0-1. The UNDER has cashed in eight of Jacksonville’s last 11 road games while the OVER is 9-2 in San Diego’s last 11 games in September. We currently haven’t released a premium NFL pick on this game as we feel it is lined properly and there are better games to choose from on the week 2 card. We have spotted some games that have value including a rare 20 unit play which should be money in the bank. Get these winners on our NFL betting picks page of the website today and profit on week 2 football.
