San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots
Sunday, 9/18/11, 4:15 PM EST, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: New England -6.5
Current Betting Line: New England -6.5
Opening Total: 51
Current Total: 53.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
San Diego picked up a 24-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings as nine-point home favorites in the opener and will now travel on the road to the toughest place in the NFL. The Chargers missed out on a major opportunity to beat the Patriots in Southern California a year ago, dropping a 23-20 contest as 2.5-point home favorites despite out-gaining them by 184 yards. Quarterback Philip Rivers is looking to gain revenge and improve upon his 1-4 mark versus New England. San Diego is 7-9 ATS on the road the past two-plus seasons and the ‘over’ is 9-5 in those contests.
The Chargers rely a great deal on the passing game and Rivers has delivered time and again, throwing for 335 yards and two touchdowns in the opener. San Diego will need to get its running game going, as the backfield tandem of Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert are certainly capable. It’s really a battle on the sidelines as well in this contest, as Chargers head coach Norv Turner matches up with New England’s Bill Belichick. The Chargers are 14-19-2 in the series and have lost four of their last five games against the Patriots.
New England ranked up a team-record 622 total yards in a 38-24 win over the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, led by the passing exploits of Tom Brady, who threw for a career-high 517 yards. The Patriots spent little time celebrating the win due to traveling and having a short week after the contest, as all focus has been squarely placed on the Chargers. “Really, whatever happened Monday night, it really doesn’t matter as it relates to San Diego,” commented offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. The passing game will be tested against a Chargers secondary that allowed just 39 passing yards to Donovan McNabb in Week 1. New England is 5-2 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points and the ‘over’ is 6-1 in those games.
The Patriots main focus this week is tightening up a secondary that allowed Miami quarterback Chad Henne to throw for over 400 yards. New England knows that this week’s opponent is a much more dangerous offensive unit, especially with wide receivers Malcolm Floyd and Vincent Jackson on the outside. On the other side of the ball, the offensive line will need to continue on without center Dan Koppen, who is expected to be out for an extended amount of time with an ankle injury.
Bettors will likely back the Chargers due to their 22-6-3 ATS mark as an underdog, while the favorite in this series is 2-6 in the last eight meetings.
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