Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers: NFL Betting Odds, Picks and Predictions
The Broncos have had some trouble living up to elevated preseason expectations through the first two weeks, and they now have a tough divisional road matchup against an undefeated Chargers squad that swept their 2024 season series.
With a strong possibility of a highly competitive game, we break down odds and best bets.
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Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers Betting Odds
*Best lines at time of writing listed
Moneyline: Chargers -140 (ESPN Bet)/ Broncos +130 (DraftKings)
Point spread: Chargers -2.5 (ESPN Bet)/ Broncos +3 (BetMGM)
Totals: Over 45.5 points (BetRivers)/ Under 46.5 points (DraftKings)
The spread has been on the move this week, with bettors going in heavy on the Chargers following the respective Week 2 results for each team. Los Angeles was a 1.5-point favorite before Week 2 action, but that number has been bet up to 2.5 over the course of the last few days as Denver has somewhat disappointing to start the season.
The total has also had plenty of activity, and the intriguing aspect of that is that it's been on a significant upward trajectory. The Broncos defense looking human against the Colts certainly had something to do with that, as the number has gone from a 43.5-point pre-Week 2 figure to as much as 46.5 heading into the weekend.
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Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers Betting Picks
These two AFC West rivals entered the season with no shortage of steam behind them after the encouraging performances of each last season.
However, while Los Angeles has looked like a good bet to deliver on expectations after already surprisingly making the postseason in Jim Harbaugh's first season at the helm, Bo Nix and his Broncos teammates have arguably looked a bit too consumed with their own press through two games.
Denver had some trouble with a Titans team featuring a rookie quarterback – albeit a very talented one – making his first NFL start in Week 1 before putting away Cam Ward and the Titans by a 20-12 score at home. However, Nix committed three turnovers in the close victory. He then threw another interception and saw his defense shockingly let him down in a 29-28 loss at Indy in Week 2. Daniel Jones managed to break through versus the Broncos' vaunted secondary for 316 yards and both a passing and rushing touchdown.
Denver's defensive personnel and Sean Payton and his coaching staff are too talented/savvy to allow that poor performance to linger for long. The fact this game is against a division opponent they know well should also help in that regard. However, Nix still has an uphill battle on his side of the ball, as the Chargers defense has looked better than the Broncos D. They've surrendered the seventh-fewest total yards per game (282.5) and yards per play (4.6) through the first two games.
Nix played reasonably well against Los Angeles in his two encounters with the Bolts last season, but the Chargers have allowed just 83.0 rushing yards per game and 3.6 yards per carry to RBs in their first two games. Therefore, the possibility of Nix having to eventually take more on his shoulders as the game goes on is certainly there. A Chargers defense that's conceded just a 1:3 TD:INT to QBs while recording five sacks thus far could cause him some trouble, even without Khalil Mack (elbow).
Ultimately, this has a good chance at turning into a defense-centric game, and the fact the hosts will be at a slight rest disadvantage should also up the chances of such. Therefore, I'm envisioning a relatively lower-scoring affair where the Under hits while backing the Chargers to have enough to pull out a victory on their home field.
Broncos vs. Chargers Best Bets:
- Under 46.5 points (-115 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Chargers moneyline (-140 on ESPN Bet)
Broncos vs. Chargers Prediction
Chargers 24, Broncos 20
While Denver's defense rightfully gets plenty of press, as Week 2 demonstrated, they're not impenetrable. The timing of what the Colts were able to put on film against the Broncos could be a boon for the Bolts and to the detriment of Denver, and I like Los Angeles to capitalize on its home-field edge and last year's success to generate another hard-fought victory.
