Chargers
vs.
Patriots
Week 8
NFL Pick
10/29/17
After losing their first Four Games on the season the Chargers have won three in a row. However, none of those three wins came facing a team that is currently .500 and while they are coming off a shutout win this Sunday they face Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense that is the top-ranked unit in the NFL in terms of yards per Game. L.A. ranks 2nd to last in the league in rushing yards per Game, but the Bolts can air it out with Phillip Rivers and their D ranks 8th in the league in points allowed per Game.
At 5dimes sportsbook the Patriots are the 7-point favorites with a total of 48.5.
The Patriots have won three in a row and while they are the defending champs and they beat the Falcons badly in their last Game in a match up of last season’s Super Bowl. They have not been blowing out teams like in season’s past, but their D has played better than in their first few Games and they are where they are used to being, which is atop the AFC East.
The Pats have covered the spread in five of their last seven Games facing the Chargers.
The Chargers are coming off a very impressive 21-0 win over the Denver Broncos in their last Game where they handed Denver their first shutout loss in 25 years. L.A. only had nine more total yards than the Broncos in the Game, but they forced three turnovers and did not commit any and stuffed the run. Phillip Rivers passed for 183 yards with 2 TD and 0 INT and new emerging #1 WR Hunter Henry led the way with 73 receiving yards. Rivers only has one pick in his last Four Games and has not thrown one in his last two.
The Chargers did not have a good ground Game only totaling 80 yards in the win over Denver and Melvin Gordon, who had put together two straight solid Games, only rushed for 38 yards averaging 2.8 yards per carry. L.A will be up against a New England defense that has only given up an average of 12.7 ppg in their last three Games.
The Pats are coming off a 23-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons in their last Game where they only had 60 more overall yards and did not come up with a turnover, but made big stops and did not allow a Scoreuntil the 4th quarter. Tom Brady leads the NFL in passing yards and in the Atlanta win passed for 249 yards with 2 TD and 0 INT and he has a pretty legit WR corps as well as star TE Rob Gronkowski. In the win over the Falcons the Pats rushed for 162 yards and Deion Lewis led the way with 76 rushing yards.
Obviously, facing Brady the pass D will be key for the Bolts and they rank a respectable 10th in the league in that category.
The Chargers are 12-4-1 ATS in their last 17 road Games, 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 Games overall, and in their last 4 Games facing teams from the AFC East the total has gone Under every time.
The Patriots are 6-1 ATS vs. a team with a losing record, 14-6-2 ATS in their last 22 home Games, and in their last 11 Games overall they have an Over record of 8-3.
Jason’s Pick: The Chargers have been solid as of late, but heading East to face Brady and the Pats they are in for a long day. New England will light them up and while many are calling this a Game that will be close I am not one of them as the Pats will easily win this Game and cover the spread.