The Denver Broncos are poised to earn the top seed in of the AFC Playoffs. The San Diego Chargers are fighting for their playoff lives.
The two AFC West rivals meet in Denver in one of the more intriguing Thursday night games in recent weeks.
The Broncos have bounced back from the dramatic overtime loss to the New England Patriots with two straight wins. They opened opened as 10.5-point home favorites over the Chargers, who have been up-and-down all season.
San Diego is coming off an impressive performance in a win over the N.Y. Giants and has played well in its recent trips to Mile High. The Chargers are 5-1-1 against the spread in their last seven games at Denver.
The Broncos have beaten the Chargers in the last four meetings, including all three with Peyton Manning under center.
Denver WR Wes Welker is not expected to play in Thursday’s game, but his status should be monitored leading up to kickoff.
They will face the 6-7 Chargers, who own a 7-5-1 ATS mark on the season. In totals betting, the Broncos are 11-2 favoring the UNDER so far this season while the Chargers are 6-7 favoring the OVER.
View San Diego Chargers vs Denver Broncos Odds and Stats.
On the Sportsbook line for this matchup, the Broncos sat as 10.5-point favorites at shops such as Sportsbook. The total, meanwhile, has been pegged by the oddsmakers at Sportsbook at 55.5.
The OddsShark Power Rankings have the Broncos at No. 1 and the Chargers at No. 10 heading into this contest. Handicapping models project a 38-28 result in favor of the Broncos.
Last time out for San Diego, they were a 37-14 Sportsbook as they battled the Giants at home. The Chargers covered in the match as a 4-point favorite, while 51 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors. Denver comes off a game where it received a 4-TD performance from Peyton Manning in defeating the Titans 51-28.
How They Match Up:
The game also pits Denver's No. 1-ranked offense, averaging 39.62 PPG, against a Chargers defense that ranks No. 11 this week at 22.38 PPG. The Broncos aerial game is averaging 341.23 yards per game, more than the Chargers secondary allows through the air, 266.69 YPG per game.
Defensively, the Chargers feature the league's No. 22-rated road run defense, allowing 125.57 yards per game. Denver, meanwhile, ranks No. 17 in rushing offense at home.
A few Chargers at Broncos trends to consider:
San Diego is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
San Diego is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of San Diego's last 9 games
San Diego is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Denver is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Denver is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Denver's last 14 games
Denver is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Next up:
San Diego home to Oakland, Sunday, December 22nd
Denver at Houston, Sunday, December 22nd
