NFL Football
2011-01-02 - San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
Football : United States : NFL : Week 17
Sunday 2 January 2011 - Kickoff 4:15pm ET
9:15pm (British Standard Time)
Denver Broncos (4-11)
The Denver Broncos were criticised widely as they seemed to have reached in taking Tim Tebow in the 1st Round last April. It was said that Tebow would never make an NFL QB because of a lack of throwing technique and that he would perhaps end up a gimmick player. However, Tebow has played well in 2 starts for Denver this season and has provided some positives in an otherwise disappointing season all round.
Josh McDaniels was fired as Head Coach as a number of issues came to the fore, including a desperate Denver team that had lost 16 of their last 21 games under McDaniels. Further to that, McDaniels had traded away the likes of Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Peyton Hillis in the 2 seasons he had as Head Coach, the last of which was because he had made a pass at his wife at a party!!
Eric Studesville is the Interim Head Coach of the Broncos who are actively searching for a new Head Coach, but it was Studesville who gave Tebow a chance this season. Tebow already has a rapport with WR Brandon Lloyd and his engaging personality and will to win is infiltrating through the Broncos organisation.
The Defense continues to struggle and it is likely that Champ Bailey plays his final game for Denver this season. The outstanding CB seems to have become disillushioned with the franchise and would like to play for a more competitive team next season.
San Diego Chargers (8-7)
The San Diego Chargers must be the most disappointing team in the NFL over the last few seasons. Every season it seems they have the talent for big things, but struggle in the regular season before falling in the Play Offs - this season the Play Offs are beyond them after an embarrassing display in Cincinnati last Sunday.
Norv Turner was given a vote of confidence earlier this week, but rumours persist that he will be fired as soon as the Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached.
A loss here at Mile High would see the Chargers finish 8-8 for the 2nd time in the last 4 seasons under Turner, a real disappointing statistic for a team with the talent they have had in that time.
Injuries really hurt the team this season, even though they are in the leading places for Total Offense and Defense. Antonio Gates is out for this game, as is Mike Tolbert, and it will be interesting to see if Vincent Jackson returns to this part of California next season.
Malcolm Floyd missed the game at the Bengals last Sunday but is likely to play here and give Philip Rivers some more options.
Head to Head
San Diego have a very good record against Denver in recent seasons, and are 7-3 straight up in their most recent meetings.
The Chargers are 7-1-1 against the spread in the last 9 games overall. They are 3-0-1 at Mile High.
Denver are 3-4 against the spread at home this season, while San Diego are 2-5 on the road.
Other Interesting Notes
Denver are 11-5-1 against the spread as home underdogs. They are 5-2 against the spread against teams with winning records overall.
Norv Turner is 9-3 against the spread coming off a loss.
San Diego are 23-11-3 against the spread when coming off a straight up loss.
Prediction
It seems to me that these two teams will be at the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of motivation and passion for this game.
Denver look to have rallied behind Tim Tebow who brings a winning mentality into the club and the Broncos look like they are happy to be out on the field to finish this season in style.
The Chargers on the other side have to be a little flat after being beaten last week and have nothing to look forward to as this is the first time they missed the postseason since 2005. Many of the players are likely to have lost focus and it was interesting to hear Philip Rivers talking about how tough it is to accept they are out of the Play Offs.
I just feel there may be something in this by taking Denver to cover the point spread. San Diego has nothing to play for and I think they will find it tough to find the right motivation here, especially if there are struggles early.
I'll take the Broncos to cover.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Denver Broncos 24-21 San Diego Chargers
