Denver Broncos vs Los Angeles Chargers Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our week 16 Broncos vs Chargers pick and preview and see who we think will win and cover in Inglewood.

The Chargers are favored at -161 on the money line as they host the Broncos at 8:15 ET on Thursday, December 19th. The Chargers are -3 point favorites in this week 16 AFC West matchup, which is being televised by AMZN. The game is being played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, with the over/under line set at 42.5 points.

Broncos vs. Chargers Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NFL
Teams: Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers
Where: Inglewood at SoFi Stadium
Date: Thursday, December 19th
Betting Odds LAC -3, DEN +135 | LAC -161 O/U 42.5

Broncos Preview:

The Broncos have now won four straight games, including a 31-13 victory over the Colts in week 15. This puts Denver at 9-5 on the season, which gives them a 93.1% chance of making the playoffs. However, they are currently 21st in our power rankings, and their division record of 2-2 means they have no chance of winning the AFC West.

Denver is 11-3 against the spread this season, including 5 straight ATS wins. They covered the 4.5-point spread against the Colts and also covered in week 13, when they were favored by 6.5 points over the Browns. The over has hit in each of the Broncos’ last three games, including week 15, when the teams combined for 44 points against a line of 43.5.

Broncos Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 16, the Broncos rank 24th in our offensive power rankings. They are 9th in the NFL in points per game, averaging 24, but sit 21st in total yards per game with 311.1. Denver ranks 10th in passing attempts, but only 23rd in passing yards per game, at 202.7. They are 16th in rushing attempts and 19th in rushing yards per game, averaging 108.4. On 3rd down, the Broncos are 16th in the league, converting 37.7% of their attempts, and they rank 19th in red zone conversion percentage.

In week 15, Denver scored 21 points in the 4th quarter to pull away from the Colts. Bo Nix threw for 130 yards, completing 20 of 33 passes with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Courtland Sutton led the team with 32 receiving yards on 3 catches, including a touchdown. Nix also led the team in rushing, with 23 yards on 8 carries.

Broncos Team Defense

Denver's defense was dominant in their 31-13 win over the Colts, holding Indianapolis to just 161 passing yards and forcing a completion percentage of 44.7%. The Broncos also came away with two interceptions and allowed the Colts to convert on only 26.7% of their third down attempts.

Despite struggling against the run, giving up 149 yards on 32 attempts (4.7 per attempt), the Broncos didn't allow a single touchdown and limited the Colts to just 13 points. They also had two sacks and outperformed the Colts in both QB hits and tackles for loss.

Chargers Preview:

The Chargers have dropped two straight games, including a 40-17 home loss to the Buccaneers in week 15. Los Angeles was favored by 3 points but couldn’t get the win, bringing their record to 8-6. They now sit 7th in the AFC and 16th in our power rankings, but they still have an 87.7% chance of making the playoffs.

Against the spread, the Chargers are 9-4-1, with an average scoring margin of +3.4 points per game. They are 8-2 as favorites and 1-2-1 as underdogs. Their O/U record is 5-9, with their games averaging 38.6 points compared to an average line of 42.6.

Chargers Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 16, the Chargers rank 15th in our offensive power rankings. They are 17th in the NFL in scoring, averaging 21 points per game, and sit 25th in passing yards with 196.4 per game. They also rank 25th in total yards per game (302.1) and 27th in passing attempts. On the ground, they average 105.8 rushing yards per game, ranking 21st in the league.

In week 15, the Chargers struggled on 3rd down, failing to convert any of their 6 attempts. They did score on 2 of 3 red zone trips, but were shut out in the 2nd half after scoring 17 points in the first half. Justin Herbert threw for 195 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception, while Ladd McConkey led the team with 5 catches for 58 yards.

Chargers Team Defense

In their 40-17 loss to the Buccaneers, the Chargers' defense gave up 506 yards and allowed 223 rushing yards on 39 attempts. Tampa Bay's offense was efficient through the air, with four passing touchdowns and averaging 10.5 yards per attempt. The Chargers managed just one sack and allowed the Buccaneers to convert on 60% of their third down attempts.

Los Angeles did force one interception and won the tackles for loss battle by a margin of +2, but they were unable to slow down Tampa Bay's offense, which completed 81.5% of their passes.

Broncos vs Chargers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Across their last five road contests, Denver has been good against the spread posting a mark of 4-1. Their overall mark in these games was 3-2, while averaging 19 points per game.
Los Angeles has played well in their previous three home games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 20 points per game while allowing 14. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-0.
Going back to their previous ten games as the underdog, Denver has an ATS mark of 5-5 while going 3-7 straight up.
The Chargers have played well in their last five games as the betting favorite, going 4-1 straight up and 4-1 against the spread.