The San Diego Chargers have already shown sportsbook bettors that they can go into Denver and win a football game; they did that a month ago when they absolutely had to come away with a victory. Now they have to do it again, as they face the Broncos in the AFC Divisional round, with the winner playing the New England Patriots for the conference title and a ticket to the Super Bowl.
Last season the Broncos lost when they hosted the Baltimore Ravens in this round of the post-season, falling 38-35 in overtime, in a contest that had much drama but nonetheless represents an experience Denver would like to forget. They have split two games with San Diego this season – a 28-20 win they had at Qualcomm Stadium on November 10, and then a 27-20 defeat they suffered at home to the Chargers on December 12.
In the sportsbook betting odds that have been posted on this game by the folks at Get That Bet, the Broncos are the big favorites:
Sportsbook betting odds courtesy of Get That Bet
Denver Broncos -8.5
San Diego Chargers +8.5
Over 54.5 points -110
Under 54.5 points -110
The one thing NFL bettors need to take from that Charger win at Denver is that they had a very definite formula for victory, and are likely to follow that. What they did was control the football, which is something essential to keeping Peyton Manning on the sidelines. They had 177 rushing yards, including 127 from Ryan Mathews, while Denver could only manage 18 yards on the ground.
Head coach Mike McCoy has put together an offense that often plays “keep-away” from the opponent. They have not only averaged more plays per drive than any team in the NFL (6.85), they have also gained more yards (40.13) and all of this has resulted in more time of possession than anyone else as well, as they have held it for over 33 minutes per contest. That really isn’t a horrible formula for sportsbook bettors to consider, although it may not necessarily translate to the Chargers (+295 money line underdogs at Get That Bet) winning the game straight-up.
Philip Rivers does not want to have to throw the ball that much – indeed, he only had to make 16 attempts last week in the 27-10 win at Cincinnati in the wild card round – but if he has to throw it, he can be very efficient while doing so. Rivers, under the tutelage of McCoy (Denver’s offensive coordinator for the last four years) and Ken Whisenhunt, was almost 70% accurate, with 32 touchdowns. And NFL sportsbook bettors should keep in mind that of their seven defeats, the Chargers have lost only one game by more than eight points (that being a 27-17 loss to Oakland).
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