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Los Angeles Chargers vs Detroit Lions NFL Sports Betting Guide

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It’s a matchup that features two of the most frustrating Week 1 teams for bettors. The Lions and Chargers both held huge leads in the second half before letting their opponents come back and force overtime. The Chargers found a way to win, while the Lions managed a measly tie. But the fact remains that both teams failed to cover despite looking like locks to do so for the entirety of their respective games.

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Details

  • Opening Lines: FanDuel had the Chargers opening as 2.5-point favorites, with an over/under of 47.5. There has been no movement.
  • Current Line: Los Angeles Chargers -2.5
  • O/U: 47.5
  • Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
  • Start Time: 1:00 pm ET
  • Television: CBS
  • Last Meeting: September 13, 2015 – The Chargers defeated the Lions 33-28 in San Diego.

View consensus picks from 100+ experts for the Chargers at Lions >>

Overview

Austin Ekeler looks like he will be more than adequate filling in for Melvin Gordon this season, after recording 154 total yards and three touchdowns in the Chargers Week 1 victory. As a whole, the offense looked great against a pretty good Colts defense, putting up 435 yards including a five-minute, 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on the first possession of overtime. The concern for the Chargers, however, is how they allowed the game to get to overtime in the first place.

The defense collapsed in the fourth quarter, allowing an unbelievable 16-play, 80-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes off of the game clock and resulted in a touchdown and game-tying two-point conversion. It was a disaster for a defense that had looked solid for most of the game, despite a 63-yard touchdown run by Marlon Mack in the third quarter. The Chargers’ defense looked tired, and on top of that, they looked afraid of contact. Had the Colts gotten the ball to start overtime, there’s a very good chance they would have walked down the field and scored a game-winning touchdown in the exact fashion the Chargers did.

But while the Chargers collapsed, it was nothing compared to what happened to Detroit in Arizona on Sunday. Through three quarters, the Lions’ defense was astounding, shutting down rookie quarterback Kyler Murray and the struggling Arizona offense. And then, they took their foot off the gas pedal and watched their 24-6 lead evaporate. Which defense is going to show up this week against the Chargers?

The offense was a different story from a statistical perspective, yet it still felt like the same old Lions who always struggle to put teams away in the second half of games. Matthew Stafford threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns, but couldn’t get a huge first down at the end of the game which would have sealed the victory. On top of that, he very nearly threw a game-ruining interception at the end of overtime that would have set Arizona up for a game-winning field goal with just seconds left. The offense insists they want to be a run-first bunch and they did record 116 yards, but Kerryon Johnson only managed 49 of those, while C.J. Anderson was the one getting the carries at the end of the game.

Trends

  • Los Angeles is 13-3 SU in their last 16 games.
  • Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in their last five games against Detroit.
  • Los Angeles is 7-1 SU in their last eight games against Detroit.
  • The total has gone over in all of the last five games Los Angeles has played in September.
  • The total has gone under in all of the last five home games for Detroit.
  • The total has gone under in seven of the last eight games for Detroit.

Prop Bet

First Half Over 23 (-120)
In Week 1, both the Lions and the Chargers showed that they are first-half teams. I expect both teams to come out firing again, and I could reasonably see both teams scoring in the high teens or low 20s before halftime. The second half is when both offenses fell asleep, something that has plagued both franchises for years.

Bottom Line

This is such a hard game to pick, because both teams looked great early on in Week 1, then looked incredibly disappointing late. No lead is safe, that’s for sure. Which defense will show up for each team, the ones that appeared in the first three quarters, or the ones who let two lesser teams come back and force overtime against them? If this game were being played in LA with the same spread, I wouldn’t hesitate to take Philip Rivers and the Chargers, but weird things can happen at Ford Field, as seen last season when the Lions knocked off the Patriots on Sunday Night Football. Because of that, I’m going to stay away from the spread, but I expect both offenses to be able to take advantage of somewhat beat-up defenses and clear the over by a bit. I expect a field goal game either way, but one that should end with a score over 50.

Pick: Over 47.5

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Philip Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Philip, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.