San Diego Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts Preview
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, Indiana
When: Sunday, September 25, 4:25 PM ET
Line: San Diego Chargers (+1.5) at Indianapolis Colts (-1.5); total 51.5 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Writer’s Pick: San Diego Chargers (+1.5)
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Betting on the San Diego Chargers (+1.5)
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers keeps losing key receivers – last week it was Keenan Allen and this week it was Danny Woodhead, who was also lost for the season with a torn ACL – but he just continues to find new ones. Travis Benjamin had 115 receiving yards and caught two of Rivers’ four touchdowns against Jacksonville, while Tyrell Williams is quickly establishing himself as a reliable new No. 2.
The Chargers’ finally-healthy offensive line has performed well, and Melvin Gordon has benefited because of its improvement. After scoring his first two career rushing touchdowns last week, Gordon had his first 100-yard rushing game against the Jags.
Gordon, who figures to be the main beneficiary of Woodhead’s absence, and the Chargers line will definitely like their chances of continuing their fine start against a Colts front that’s been unable to stop the run.
As the Lions showed in Week 1, the Colts secondary is also a major question mark with the absence of Vontae Davis, as well as their other top two corners. Benjamin and Williams should be able to capitalize on the Colts’ subpar backup corners en route to another highly-productive game.
Betting on the Indianapolis Colts (-1.5)
Andrew Luck and the Colts were always going to have a bit of a letdown from Week 1 to Week 2, as they went from the Lions defense to the Broncos’ all-conquering D. That proved to be exactly the case, with the Colts gaining just 3.8 yards per play in a 34-20 loss to the Broncos in Denver. Turnovers proved costly in that loss, as the Broncos D returned both Luck turnovers for touchdowns.
The Colts’ own defense continues to have problems. Currently decimated by injuries, they’ve given up at least 4.3 yards per carry in each of their last two games, and they allowed 266 passing yards to Broncos game manager Trevor Siemian. While they wait for key defensive players like Davis and Henry Anderson to return, they’ll need Luck and the offense to carry them.
But Luck – finally healthy this season after an injury-riddled 2015 campaign – has already shown what he can do at home against an average-to-below-average defense. He torched the Lions in Week 1 for 385 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-35 loss. After getting bombarded by the Broncos’ fierce pass rush, look for Luck to have a much easier time against a Chargers defense which is still unable to put consistent pressure on the quarterback.
Writer’s Prediction
Rivers and the Chargers (+1.5) have another big game on offense against the Colts as they eke out a 31-28 road win.
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