The Los Angeles Chargers (3-9) look to move past an ugly 45-0 loss in Week 13 when they host the Atlanta Falcons (4-8) Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The Week 14 kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. ET. Below, we preview the Falcons-Chargers betting odds and lines and make our NFL picks and predictions.
Falcons at Chargers: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 2:50 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Falcons -145 (bet $145 to win $100) | Chargers +120 (bet $100 to win $120)
- Against the spread/ATS: Falcons -2.5 (-115) | Chargers +2.5 (-105)
- Over/Under: 49.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Falcons at Chargers: Game notes
- Chargers rookie QB Justin Herbert is coming off his worst game as a pro. He completed 26 of 53 pass attempts for 209 yards with 2 interceptions and didn’t complete a touchdown pass for the first time in his 11 games.
- The Falcons lost 21-16 on home field to the New Orleans Saints last week. It was their second loss to the rival Saints in a three-week span that sandwiched a 43-6 home win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
- Falcons WR Julio Jones has been shut down for the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury. WR Calvin Ridley steps into the No. 1 role with 59 receptions for 905 yards and 7 TDs on the season.
- The Chargers defense has an advantage in yards per play allowed. They’re 15th in the NFL while the Falcons are 31st.
- Atlanta hasn’t lost back-to-back games and is 4-3 under interim head coach Raheem Morris. Los Angeles has lost back-to-back games and is in danger of its third losing skid of at least three games on the season.
- Both teams are 5-7 ATS. The Chargers fail to cover by 5.8 PPG while the Falcons still cover by an average of 1.7 PPG.
Falcons at Chargers: Key injuries
Falcons
- WR Julio Jones (hamstring) out
- S Ricardo Allen (concussion) questionable
- OT Kaleb McGary (personal) questionable
Chargers
- LB Denzel Perryman (back) questionable
- CB Chris Harris Jr. (foot) questionable
Falcons at Chargers: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Chargers 27, Falcons 23
Money line (?)
Take the CHARGERS (+120) as home underdogs on a line skewed by their lopsided loss last week. The Falcons have only one more win on the season and aren’t deserving of being road favorites in a rare West Coast trip.
Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn seems to have vaulted to the front of the line for next coach to be fired following last week’s result but look for his team and star rookie QB to give a more complete effort than the visitors with neither team playing for anything of importance over the final quarter of the season.
Against the spread (?)
Though located on opposite sides of the country, the Falcons and Chargers have been two of the most similar teams this season. They both struggle to hold onto leads and have found plenty of creative means by which to lose games and waste the season.
Take the CHARGERS +2.5 (-105) and the insurance of 2 points in the event of a loss.
Over/Under (?)
I lean slightly to the OVER 49.5 (-110) with the Falcons still having enough talent in the passing game without Jones in the lineup. Expect a much better effort from Herbert as he looks to reassert himself as the favorite for the Offensive Rookie of the Year.
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Also see:
- Gurley to see full workload (Falcons Wire)
- Anthony Lynn taking over special teams duties (Chargers Wire)
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