Sunday, September 13, 2015

Qualcomm Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Detroit Lions face the San Diego Chargers on Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium. The opening line for this matchup has the Chargers as 2.5 point favorites and the over/under was set at 46. The Lions had a 8-9-0 ATS record last season, which meant they covered the spread 47% of the time. Their over/under record finished at 5-12-0. The Chargers covered the spread 44% of the time, finishing the campaign with an ATS record of 7-9-0. Their over/under record was 7-9-0.

Matthew Stafford leads Detroit into this game coming off another productive 2014 season. He threw for 4,257 yards and had 22 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Stafford had 4 games in which he threw for over 300 yards and he averaged 266 yards per game. He completed 363 passes on 602 attempts for a completion percentage of 60.3%. Calvin Johnson is his biggest weapon on offense by far, and he's coming off yet another 1,000 yard season. Johnson caught 71 passes for 1,077 yards last season for an average of 15.2 yards per catch. He's going to be relied on heavily this season along with running back Joique Bell. Bell ran for 860 yards last season and averaged 3.9 yards per carry.

Philip Rivers again will be under center for San Diego, and he's coming off another solid season for the Chargers. Rivers threw for 4,286 yards in 2014 and had 31 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He completed 379 passes on 570 attempts for a completion percentage of 66.5%. Melvin Gordon will get the start at running back for San Diego, and as a 1st round pick he will have some pressure to help take the running game to another level. Keenan Allen is the top returning receiver, and he's coming off a season in which he hauled in 77 catches for 783 yards. His average yards per catch in 2014 was 10.2.

In offseason news, the Chargers extended Philip Rivers' contract through the 2019 season and they recently named Josh Lambo the starting kicker. They've also announced that D.J. Fluker will be moving to right guard. Antonio Gates was suspended for PED use and will miss the first 4 games.

The Lions have cut ties with Reggie Bush and will now lean on Bell as the primary back. Their running game will be the biggest question mark when it comes to making a run at the playoffs in 2015. Losing Ndamukong Suh is also a huge blow to a Detroit team that prided itself on stopping the run.

The Lions are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games in September and are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in Week 1. They are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games and are 0-7 ATS in their last 7 games on grass. The under is 9-1 in the Lions last 10 road games and is 4-1 in their last 5 games on grass. The under is also 15-5 in their last 20 games overall and is 5-2 in their last 7 games in September.

The Chargers are 10-1-1 ATS in their last 12 games in September and are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games overall. They are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games on grass and are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games. The under is 5-1 in the Chargers last 6 home games, is 4-1 in their last 5 games in Week 1, and is 5-2 in their last 7 games on grass. The over is 19-9 in their last 28 games in September.

In head to head matchups, the Lions are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 meetings.

Detroit Betting Trends

Detroit was 5-12-0 against the over/under last season

Detroit had an ATS record of 8-9-0 last season

San Diego Betting Trends

San Diego was 7-9-0 against the over/under last season

San Diego had an ATS record of 7-9-0 last season

Injuries to Watch

Detroit

09/04/15 DT Caraun Reid Ankle "?" Sunday vs. San Diego
09/04/15 LB DeAndre Levy Undisclosed probable Sunday vs. San Diego
09/04/15 RB Joique Bell Foot probable Sunday vs. San Diego
09/04/15 LB Kyle Van Noy Undisclosed out indefinitely
09/04/15 G Larry Warford Ankle "?" Sunday vs. San Diego

San Diego

08/14/15 G Johnnie Troutman Arm out indefinitely
07/03/15 TE Antonio Gates Suspension expected to miss first 4 games of regular season

Tony's Pick: Take San Diego

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