Denver Broncos (5-0) at San Diego Chargers (2-2)
It’s pretty much a must-win game on Monday night for the San Diego Chargers, as the reigning AFC West champion Bolts would fall three-and-a-half games behind the division-leading Broncos with a loss. San Diego has won the division each of the past three seasons.
San Diego is a 3.5-point favorite on WagerWeb.com.
Denver enters off a home win over New England, while the Chargers were off. Broncos QB Kyle Orton won AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for leading the Broncos to a 20-17 overtime win over the Pats.
He completed a career-high 35 of 48 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns to cap drives that covered 90 and 98 yards. It was the second week in a row the Broncos, who have allowed a league-low 43 points, rallied from a 10-point deficit.
“This is a huge week for us, obviously,” Orton said. “Any time you play a divisional opponent, it shouldn’t be hard for you to get up for a game. Any divisional opponent is going to be a tough game. I don’t think we will have any issue being emotionally ready to play this game.”
The Chargers can’t stop the run or run the ball themselves this year. San Diego is averaging only 53.8 rushing yards a game. At that pace they’ll become the first team since the 1963 Jets not to reach 1,000 yards in a full season. San Diego has become a passing team, and Philip Rivers is averaging 311.3 pass yards per game in 2009 — second only to Peyton Manning (329.0).
The Broncos have lost five of their last six games against San Diego. The only win was in Week 2 last season, when Denver benefited from referee Ed Hochuli’s blown call and won 39-38 at home.
How is this for a stat: The last time an unbeaten team with at least five victories was an underdog to a team with a non-winning record was in 2000, when the Vikings (7-0) played at Tampa Bay (3-4). The Bucs rolled 41-13 as a 3-point favorite.
The Chargers are 2-0 under Norv Turner after byes. They are 18-13 overall on Monday night and have won four straight. The Chargers have won five of their last six games following a bye week (since 2003) and overall are 10-9 following the scheduled week off. San Diego has beaten Denver three straight times at home by a combined score of 123-44.
NFL Betting at WagerWeb.com
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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