I’m not expecting a whole lot out of Lock in this spot. In Week 16, he completed 15 of his 22 pass attempts for 153 yards. The fact that he threw the ball only 22 times suggests that the Broncos aren’t necessarily ready to hand him the keys to the offense.
Denver ended up losing the game to Las Vegas, 17-13, despite having a 3:0 edge in turnover margin.
When I saw this matchup on my card, I was all set to make a case for the under with it being a divisional game. However, after studying the rosters and seeing which players are available and who is ruled out, I realized that this handicap should solely focus on the injury report.
The motivation edge, which favors the Chargers, should also be factored in.
Historically, this is a great spot to back Los Angeles to get off to a fast start. In the first half, the Chargers are 7-2 against the spread (ATS) as a back-to-back favorite off a double digit loss.
The Chargers are also 14-4-2 ATS in the first half as a favorite against the Broncos:
Pick: Chargers 1H -3.5 | Bet to: -4