Chargers Patriots Odds

Written by Jack Jones

The New England Patriots and San Diego Chargers have been considered as two of the top teams in the AFC over the last several years. New England has their Super Bowl rings, and San Diego will likely have to go through the Patriots if they want to get one. These rivals meet up in Foxboro at Gillette Stadium Sunday with the kick off set for 4:15 EST.

Taking a look at the Week 2 NFL odds, I find the Patriots listed as a 7-point home favorite with a total set of 53.5 points.

New England

The Patriots racked up a team-record 622 total yards in their 38-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Monday night. It was the biggest yardage output of any NFL team since 2002, when the Pittsburgh Steelers amassed 645 total yards against the Atlanta Falcons. Tom Brady threw for a career-high 517 yards in the victory, which was the fifth-highest total of all-time. He also threw four touchdown passes, including an NFL record-tying 99-yard strike to Wes Welker. He led all Patriots receivers with eight receptions for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

Four New England receivers finished with six or more catches as Brady spread the ball around just like he always does. Tight end Aaron Hernandez had seven catches for 103 yards and a score, while fellow TE Rob Gronkowski finished with six receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown. Deion Branch did most of his damage on one drive, but finished with seven grabs for 93 yards. Chad Ochocinco only had one catch for 14 yards in his Patriots debut. Danny Woodhead and BenJarvis Green-Ellis combined for 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. New England does have some work to do on defense after giving up 488 total yards to the Dolphins last week, including 390 passing yards.

San Diego

The Chargers could not have gotten off to a worst start in their Week 1 opener against the Minnesota Vikings. They allowed Percy Harvin to return the opening kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown, and kicker Nate Kaeding injured his left knee on the same play. Kaeding will now be out for the remainder of the year, and his season is over basically before it even started. Punter Mike Scrifes had to handle the place-kicking duties, the first time he’s done that since college. Scrifes would make all three point after attempts, and he also kicked a crucial 40-yard field goal to tie the game at 17 with just 10:05 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Chargers took the lead for good when Mike Tolbert scored on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers with 5:01 left in the game. Tolbert would score all three touchdowns for the Chargers. He finished with 12 carries for 35 yards and a touchdown, and nine receptions for 58 yards and two scores. Ryan Mathews also had a big day, rushing for 45 yards and catching three balls for 73 yards. Antonio Gates led all San Diego receivers with eight grabs for 74 yards. Philip Rivers had just another day at the office, completing 33 of 48 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns. San Diego outgained Minnesota 407-187 for the game behind a dominant defensive effort.

Betting Trends

New England has won four of the last five meetings in this series, including a 23-20 win at San Diego last season. Brady went just 19 of 32 with a touchdown, and New England managed to win despite a season-low 179 total yards. Brady would go on to throw 30 touchdown passes to just one interception over his final 12 games. He hasn’t been at his best against San Diego, though, throwing 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while posting a 5-2 record in his career against the Chargers.

The underdog is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings, and the Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in this series. The Chargers are 22-6-3 ATS in their last 31 games as an underdog. The Patriots are 13-4 ATS in their last 17 games as a home favorite of 3.5-10.0.

Follow the advice of expert handicapper Jack Jones this weekend in pro football and take your bankroll to the next level.

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