BetUS $500 Match Bonus
Sign up for a new account with BetUS and deposit $500 or more to get a $500 match bonus!

$20 Free Play at Sportsbook.com
Your first bet is free when you open a new account at sportsbook.com!

New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers Football Picks & NFL Odds

Written by Jimmy Boyd on October 10, 2008

Neither the New England Patriots or the San Diego Chargers have resembled the teams which participated in last season’s AFC title game. The Patriots, which didn’t lose a regular season game in 2007, would fall to 3-2 with a loss, and the Chargers are in danger of falling to 2-4. Odds makers believe the Chargers will get back to the .500 mark this week, installing them as 4.5-point home favorites with the total set at 44.

The Chargers have stumbled to a 2-3 record with last week’s loss to the Miami Dolphins and it is no secret that their playoff hopes are already in jeopardy. An injury to outside linebacker Shawne Merriman has really hurt the defense and the offense has not been itself either with L.T. dealing with turf toe.

Tomlinson has not missed a game, but the superstar running back has not been playing up to his normal MVP level. He is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry and was limited to only 35 yards last week by a Dolphins team which only won one game all of last season.

What happens when you take one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers out of the game? The pass defense ranks dead last in the NFL. That’s what has happened to the Bolts without Merriman.

Get a 50% Signup Bonus at BetUS!

Tomlinson’s nagging injury has put added pressure on QB Phillip Rivers, but the big gun slinger has not buckled, throwing for 11 touchdowns and 1183 yards against just four interceptions. Rivers will have to find another weapon this week as wideout Chris Chambers and his five touchdown receptions will be sidelined with a sprained ankle. While tight end Antonio Gates has also been hobbled with injuries, this would be a great game for him to step up.

Running the football effectively could lead the Chargers to a win this week as New England has been soft against the run this season. The Pats allowed Miami to rack up 216 rushing yards against them a few weeks back. Tomlinson has 331 yards and four touchdowns on the season, but we aren’t sure if we’ll see the guy who rushed for 106 yards against the Raiders in week 4 or the guy we saw last week. That’s where backup Darren Sproles comes in, who’s averaging five yards per carry.

The Patriots feel no sympathy foe the injury problems the Chargers are dealing with as they lost All-Pro QB Tom Brady to a season-ending injury. The Pats haven’t folded without Brady however, and have a chance to get to 4-1 with a win this week.

There has been a noticeable difference with Matt Cassel under center, but he is coming off a career-high 259 yards performance in a win over the 49ers last week. Cassel has passed for 707 yards on the season with three touchdowns against three interceptions. The Patriots bring the NFL’s 21st ranked passing offense into this game and a much more conservative approach. This would be a great week for the Chargers to find their pass rush to put some heat on the young signal caller. Cassel has already been sacked 13 times in his three starts and New England’s fear of him turning the ball over has slowed down the homerun threat of Randy Moss.

Without a feared passing game, the running game has struggled. To make matters worse, top tailback Laurence Maroney has been slowed by a shoulder injury.

New England leads the all-time series 18-13-2, but the were stomped 41-17 in 2005 when they made the trip to San Diego. In fact, the Pats have not won in San Diego since 1996. This game doesn’t have the luster we expected it to have when it was circled prior to the start of the season. But getting back to the .500 mark and getting revenge over the team which kept them from the Super Bowl means a lot to the Chargers this week. Bet the Chargers at -4.5 at BetUS and receive up to a 50% signup bonus.

Make sure you check back each and every week for Jimmy’s free NFL picks for help beating the football odds.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in: