NFL

Los Angeles Chargers vs Baltimore Ravens

Los Angeles
Chargers
12 - 4
Baltimore
Ravens
10 - 6
January 06, 2019, 1:05 PM EST
 | M&T Bank Stadium

Game Preview

Los Angeles
Chargers
12 - 4
Baltimore
Ravens
10 - 6
January 06, 2019, 1:05 PM EST
 | M&T Bank Stadium
  • After narrowly escaping disaster in Week 17, the Baltimore Ravens find themselves in the playoffs.

    They’re set to take on the Los Angeles Chargers in what will be a rematch of their Week 16 game that ended with a score of 22-10 in favor of the Ravens.

    The Chargers enter the first round of the playoffs with the best regular-season record (12-4 SU) among all wild-card teams. Despite being tied with the Chiefs for the best record in the AFC, they sit at the fifth seed after losing out on the division title via tiebreaker.

    The Ravens opened as 2.5-point favorites and the total is set at 41.5.

    Shark Bites
    • The Chargers are 7-1 SU and ATS on the road this season.
    • The Chargers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games in the playoffs as road underdogs.
    • The Ravens are 1-5 ATS in their last six games at home.

    Chargers vs Ravens Game Center

    My Pick: Chargers to cover

    Even with the 22-10 Week 16 loss fresh in my memory, I’m still on the Chargers to cover in this wild-card matchup against the Ravens. Los Angeles has been much more consistent throughout the season, while the Ravens have been shaky at times and they just squeaked into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth.

    When these teams met two weeks ago, the game took place in Los Angeles. This time, they’ll meet in Baltimore. Believe it or not, this may prove to be advantageous for the Chargers. They’re an impressive 7-1 SU and ATS on the road this season. The one “away” game that they lost was still in Los Angeles when they took on the Rams.

    Despite having nearly identical numbers through the air at home and on the road, the Chargers are significantly better running the football when they are on the road. They only average 4.1 yards per carry at home, compared to 5.3 yards per carry in away games.

    Finally, LA is second in the league in net yards per play at 0.9, and first in the league in that statistic when playing on the road at 1.2.

    I have to admit, there is one trend that has me nervous taking the Chargers. Since 2002, teams from the Pacific and Mountain time zone have been outscored 202-56 in the first half of all 1 p.m. playoff contests. Stephen Campbell gave this trend a closer look here.

    Note: The first half spread is Ravens -1.5 at Sportsbook

    Rivers is the superior Quarterback

    Philip Rivers is one of the greatest quarterbacks to never play in the big game, but this year may change that. His 2018 regular season was one of the best of his career, tying his career-high QB rating (105.5) while coming just under career highs in completion percentage, TDs and yards per attempt. If it wasn’t for the monumental seasons by Patrick Mahomes and Drew Brees, Rivers would have his name in serious MVP considerations.

    While you can’t argue against the fact that rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson has led the Ravens to a 6-1 SU record in his seven starts, his statistics look less than impressive. He has an 84.5 QB rating, which is lower than the likes of Matt Stafford, Nick Mullens, Eli Manning, Ryan Tannehill and Derek Carr.

    The most concerning stat about Jackson is that he finished tied for the most fumbles in the NFL with 12, while only starting in seven games. That’s inexcusable. Those are the kind of statistics that will catch up to a player, and the added playoff pressure usually increases those types of mistakes.

    Since 2012, rookie quarterbacks are 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS in playoff games.

    My take on the total

    I don’t want to overthink the total on this one. I would take the OVER.

    Thirty-two points were scored when these teams met in Week 16, but that was with the Chargers offense only managing 10 points, the fewest they scored all season. I expect a much better outing by their offense this time around.

    The average combined score in Ravens games this season is 42.2 while the Chargers average combined score is 47.4. Both numbers are higher than the set total.

    Even if Lamar Jackson takes a step back in this game, he can still do damage running the football. The Chargers will win, but the Ravens will score enough points to help hit the OVER.

Odds

Sunday, January 6 Sun Jan 6


Opening
Current

Spread
Moneyline
O/U
Opening
+1
+102
+136
o42
-108
-1
-114
-150
u42
-103
Spread
Moneyline
O/U
Current
+3
-116
+128
o42.5
-113
-3
-104
-148
u42.5
-107

Edge Finder

23.39
Total Score
20.39
268.72
Passing Yards
180.50
88.39
Rushing Yards
159.72
30:48
Time on Field
31:14
67.94
Number of Plays
62.11
5.26
Yards Per Play
5.48
23.39
Total Score
20.39
3.94
First Quarter
3.67
11.28
Second Quarter
7.11
2.89
Third Quarter
4.83
5.11
Fourth Quarter
4.78
268.72
Passing Yards
180.50
41.89
Pass Attempts
28.72
28.33
Pass Completions
17.61
2.33
Sacks
2.22
12.61
Sack Yards
9.94
9.48
Yards Per Pass
10.25
88.39
Rushing Yards
159.72
23.72
Rush Attempts
31.17
3.73
Yards Per Rush
5.12
0.56
Interceptions
0.78
1.11
Fumbles
1.28
0.50
Fumbles Lost
0.50
1.06
Total Turnovers
1.28
4.89
Penalties
4.78
37.61
Penalty Yards
39.67
30:48
Time on Field
31:14
67.94
Number of Plays
62.11
5.26
Yards Per Play
5.48
4.33
Punts
3.33
43.46
Punt Average
46.01
61.28
Return Yards
59.39

Head To Head

LAC
Stat Type BAL
3-7
Record
7-3
4-6
ATS
6-4
5-5
O/U
5-5
20.10
Score
22.30
91.40
Rush Yds
107.60
34.90
Pass Attempts
31.10
64.47
Completion %
62.38
239.70
Passing Yds
198.50
331.1
Total Yds
306.1
1.60
Turnovers
1.30
LAC
Stat Type BAL
1-2
Record
2-1
2-1
ATS
1-2
2-1
O/U
2-1
23.33
Score
28.00
65.33
Rush Yds
118.67
39.67
Pass Attempts
30.00
71.43
Completion %
62.22
271.00
Passing Yds
240.00
336.33
Total Yds
358.67
1.67
Turnovers
0.33
Dec 22/18 (1 of 10)
LAC
Stat Type BAL
Home
Away
10
Score
22
-4
ATS
+4
42.5 o
O/U
42.5 u
51
Rush Yds
159
37
Pass Attempts
22
62.16
Completion %
54.55
147
Passing Yds
202
198
Total Yds
361
3
Turnovers
1
Nov 1/15 (2 of 10)
LAC
Stat Type BAL
Away
Home
26
Score
29
+4.5
ATS
-4.5
51 o
O/U
51 u
81
Rush Yds
72
37
Pass Attempts
37
75.68
Completion %
67.57
290
Passing Yds
293
371
Total Yds
365
0
Turnovers
0
Nov 30/14 (3 of 10)
LAC
Stat Type BAL
Away
Home
34
Score
33
+6.5
ATS
-6.5
45.5 o
O/U
45.5 u
64
Rush Yds
125
45
Pass Attempts
31
75.56
Completion %
61.29
376
Passing Yds
225
440
Total Yds
350
2
Turnovers
0
Nov 25/12 (4 of 10)
LAC
Stat Type BAL
Home
Away
13
Score
16
+1
ATS
-1
47 o
O/U
47 u
91
Rush Yds
127
36
Pass Attempts
51
63.89
Completion %
58.82
189
Passing Yds
316
280
Total Yds
443
0
Turnovers
0
Dec 18/11 (5 of 10)
LAC
Stat Type BAL
Home
Away
34
Score
14
+1
ATS
-1
45 o
O/U
45 u
145
Rush Yds
89
23
Pass Attempts
35
73.91
Completion %
68.57
270
Passing Yds
201
415
Total Yds
290
0
Turnovers
2
Sep 20/09 (6 of 10)
LAC
Stat Type BAL
Home
Away
26
Score
31
-1
ATS
+1
41 o
O/U
41 u
53
Rush Yds
130
45
Pass Attempts
27
55.56
Completion %
66.67
421
Passing Yds
181
474
Total Yds
311
2
Turnovers
1
Nov 25/07 (7 of 10)
LAC
Stat Type BAL
Home
Away
32
Score
14
-9.5
ATS
+9.5
38.5 o
O/U
38.5 u
83
Rush Yds
56
35
Pass Attempts
33
71.43
Completion %
63.64
249
Passing Yds
154
332
Total Yds
210
0
Turnovers
2
Oct 1/06 (8 of 10)
LAC
Stat Type BAL
Away
Home
13
Score
16
-1
ATS
+1
33.5 o
O/U
33.5 u
150
Rush Yds
56
23
Pass Attempts
30
56.52
Completion %
56.67
134
Passing Yds
150
284
Total Yds
206
1
Turnovers
3
Sep 21/03 (9 of 10)
LAC
Stat Type BAL
Home
Away
10
Score
24
-1
ATS
+1
38.5 o
O/U
38.5 u
132
Rush Yds
152
45
Pass Attempts
21
62.22
Completion %
57.14
257
Passing Yds
97
389
Total Yds
249
3
Turnovers
1
Dec 10/00 (10 of 10)
LAC
Stat Type BAL
Away
Home
3
Score
24
+15
ATS
-15
36 o
O/U
36 u
64
Rush Yds
110
23
Pass Attempts
24
39.13
Completion %
66.67
64
Passing Yds
166
128
Total Yds
276
5
Turnovers
3

Team Records

LAC
Record BAL
12-4
All
10-6
5-3
Home
6-2
7-1
Away
4-4
9-7
ATS
8-8
2-6
ATS Home
3-5
7-1
ATS Away
5-3
8-8
O/U
7-9
3-5
O/U Home
4-4
5-3
O/U Away
3-5
LAC
Record BAL
9-3
All
8-4
3-3
Home
5-1
6-0
Away
3-3
7-5
ATS
7-5
1-5
ATS Home
3-3
6-0
ATS Away
4-2
5-7
O/U
6-6
1-5
O/U Home
4-2
4-2
O/U Away
2-4
LAC
Record BAL
4-2
All
3-3
1-2
Home
2-1
3-0
Away
1-2
4-2
ATS
1-5
1-2
ATS Home
0-3
3-0
ATS Away
1-2
0-0
O/U
0-0
0-0
O/U Home
0-0
0-0
O/U Away
0-0
LAC
Record BAL
8-2
All
6-4
3-2
Home
4-2
5-0
Away
2-2
6-4
ATS
4-6
1-4
ATS Home
1-5
5-0
ATS Away
3-1
3-7
O/U
5-5
1-4
O/U Home
3-3
2-3
O/U Away
2-2

Gametime Weather

Weather
1:00pm Clear
11ºC / 51ºF
48% Humidity
0% Precipitation
3% Cloud Cover
Wind Impact Stadium Type Open
Field Image
Arrow Image 14
mph

Injuries

Name Position Inj Desc
Name Position Inj Desc

Last 10 Games

Date Opp Score SU Line/Total ATS OFF. RUSH OFF. PASS OFF. TOTAL DEF. RUSH DEF. PASS DEF. TOTAL TO
Dec 30, 2018DEN23-9W-7/43.5W/U116160276822883700
Dec 22, 2018BAL10-22L-4/42.5L/U511471981592023612
Dec 13, 2018KC29-28W+3.5/54.5W/O119288407602342942
Dec 9, 2018CIN26-21W-16.5/48.5L/U852032881441512950
Dec 2, 2018PIT33-30W+3/53.5W/O8528637165271336-1
Nov 25, 2018ARI45-10W-14/43W/O17823641462871490
Nov 18, 2018DEN22-23L-7/47L/U953844791082173252
Nov 11, 2018OAK20-6W-10/50.5W/U1132223351142033170
Nov 4, 2018SEA25-17W+1/48.5W/U160215375154202356-1
Oct 21, 2018TEN20-19W-6.5/46L/U47297344164226390-1
View Game Logs
Date Opp Score SU Line/Total ATS OFF. RUSH OFF. PASS OFF. TOTAL DEF. RUSH DEF. PASS DEF. TOTAL TO
Dec 30, 2018CLE26-24W-7/40.5L/O29616746350376426-2
Dec 22, 2018LAC22-10W+4/42.5W/U15920236151147198-2
Dec 16, 2018TB20-12W-8.5/44.5L/U242128370851562411
Dec 9, 2018KC24-27L+6.5/48.5W/O198123321943474410
Dec 2, 2018ATL26-16W+2.5/47W/U20715936634971310
Nov 25, 2018OAK34-17W-13/42W/O242174416671822491
Nov 18, 2018CIN24-21W-6.5/44L/O265138403482072551
Nov 4, 2018PIT16-23L-1.5/47L/U612072681132823950
Oct 28, 2018CAR21-36L-2.5/44.5L/O1012243251542323863
Oct 21, 2018NO23-24L-2.5/49.5L/U77274351134205339-1
View Game Logs