Chargers Game Sunday: Chargers vs Patriots odds and prediction for Week 8 NFL game
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers are coming out of the bye week with a 4-2 record and are hosting the 3-4 New England Patriots. We saw this matchup last season as the Patriots gave the Chargers the worse shutout loss in franchise history, 45-0.
Things are different for both sides in this matchup. Justin Herbert is no longer a rookie and the Chargers are a much better coached team, which was the main problem against a coach like Bill Belichick.
The Patriots are also the ones with a rookie quarterback this season in Mac Jones. Jones has probably been the best of the rookie quarterbacks but he has not been great; it is clear the Patriots don't fully trust him to air it out yet.
To add another narrative into the mix, Hunter Henry switched sides and is now a member of the Patriots. That won't make that big of a difference but it is something that talking heads will mention during the week.
It definitely is a compelling matchup and is going to be a fun one to bet on.
Chargers vs Patriots odds Week 8:
According to WynnBET, the LA Chargers are six-point favorites at home against the Patriots. The Bolts have been tabbed as -255 moneyline favorites while the Patriots are +215 favorites against the moneyline.
The over/under for the game has been placed at 48 points. Both the over and the under side of the bet has -110 odds, which is the case for the spread as well.
Chargers vs Patriots prediction Week 8:
There are a few unknowns in this matchup, especially on the Chargers' end. The Chargers had some injuries that they were dealing with and at the time of writing this, it is unclear who is going to play that was previously injured before the bye.
There is also the potential of trading for a run-stuffer, which is something the Chargers absolutely should do. However, Tom Telesco is not known for being aggressive at the deadline.
Regardless of the variables in this game, there is one side of this bet that I really love and fellow Charger fans are not going to be happy with me. I am taking Patriots +6 and over 48 points.
No, I do not think the LA Chargers are going to lose this game but I absolutely think it is going to be a close game and the Patriots are going to cover. Six points is too many for the Chargers and by kick-off, I wouldn't be shocked if this line is all the way down to 3.5-4 points.
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There are two lines of thinking for this pick. First is the Patriots' running attack. The Patriots ran all over the New York Jets in Week 7 and the LA Chargers have one of the worse run defenses in the league. This is going to allow the Patriots to stay in the game without asking Mac Jones to do too much.
The second line of thinking is the fact that the Patriots are better than the record indicates. They played two really close games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys, two of the best teams in the league. If Nick Folk makes the game-winning kick and the Pats win in overtime (which was possible) then they would be 5-2. If Damien Harris doesn't fumble in Week 1 they would be 6-1.
They aren't as talented as a 6-1 team but they are better than a 3-4 team. The LA Chargers are more talented and should get the W but it is not going to be this blowout that some fans think it will be.
Final score prediction: LA Chargers 27, New England Patriots 24.