Los Angeles Chargers vs Denver Broncos Prediction, 12/31/2023 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 17

Game: Los Angeles Chargers vs Denver Broncos

Date: Sunday, December 31, 2023

Location: Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, CO

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Broncos (-5.5)

Total/Over-Under: 39.5

The Los Angeles Chargers (5-10) are en route to Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday where they will meet the Denver Broncos (7-8). Los Angeles opens this matchup as 5.5-point underdogs. The over/under comes in at 39.5.

The Los Angeles Chargers step onto the field holding a record of 5-10 for this season. In their last contest, the Chargers took the field against the Bills and went home with a loss by a final score of 24-22. Easton Stick went 23/33 with 215 yards through the air. He had a quarterback rate of 87.3 and ended the contest without throwing a pick. Josh Palmer averaged 9.4 yds per catch by accumulating 47 yds on 5 catches. Austin Ekeler led the offense in rushing for the Chargers with 15 totes for 65 yards (4.3 yds per carry). When all was said and done, they ran 65 plays which gave them 273 yards. The Los Angeles Chargers rushed the ball a total of 27 times and recorded 98 yds, earning them an average of 3.6 yards per tote. On the ground, the Chargers conceded 105 yds on 30 attempts, which is an average of 3.5 yds per rush surrendered. Los Angeles gave up 15 completions on 21 tries for a total of 230 yards, and a completion rate of 71.4%.

The Chargers currently have 4,945 total yards for the season. Los Angeles has a total of 182 1st downs, and they have been flagged for 75 penalties for 672 yards. With reference to scoring, Los Angeles has amassed 24 touchdowns through the air and 11 touchdowns on the ground. They have turned the ball over 19 times (8 interceptions and 11 fumbles). As a team they have an average of 95.9 yards via the ground game which has them sitting 24th in the NFL. Concerning putting points on the board, the Los Angeles Chargers are sitting at 21.7 PPG.

The Chargers are ranked 26th in the NFL regarding team defense, allowing 24.6 points per game. The opposition is running for an average of 4.2 yards per running attempt and 113.3 yards on the ground per contest for the season. Over the course of this season, they have allowed 1,700 rushing yards through 15 outings. When talking about passing yardage, the Chargers have allowed 3,889 yards which has them ranked 30th in football. They have conceded 259.3 yards per contest via the pass in addition to allowing a completion percentage of 66.0%. Over the course of this season, they have surrendered 372.6 yards per outing which ranks them 29th in football.

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The Broncos come into this matchup with a record of 7-8 for this season. In their last game, the Broncos walked away with a loss by a score of 26-23 when they faced the Patriots. Jaleel McLaughlin ran the football 6 times for 37 yds, finishing the game with 6.2 yds per carry for Denver. Marvin Mims was featured in the passing game for the Broncos, grabbing 3 balls for 63 yards (21.0 yds per catch). Russell Wilson (2 touchdowns) ended the game with 238 yds on 25/37 passing while his QB rating was 103.2. He didn't throw any interceptions and his avg yards per attempt was 6.4 yards. Denver gave up 21 run attempts for 59 yds (2.8 yds per carry). The Broncos secondary allowed a completion percentage of 75.8%, relinquishing 230 yards on 25 for 33 through the air. The Broncos finished the game with 276 yds on 65 plays (4.2 yards per play). Denver rushed for 3.6 yards per tote, totaling 83 yds on 23 carries.

The Denver Broncos maintain an average of 298.2 yards/game which ranks them 25th in the NFL. They hold an average of 110.7 yards per game via the rush and have toted the ball for 1,661 yards overall. They have given away 8 interceptions while conceding 13 fumbles and they have tallied 135 1st downs. The Denver offense has accrued 665 yds of penalties on 88 infractions, which ranks 19th in the NFL in terms of helping out the other team. For the season thus far, the Broncos have racked up 2,812 passing yards in addition to an average of 187.5 passing yards per game, which ranks 25th out of all NFL teams. Regarding the points being put on the board, the Broncos are ranking 16th out of all teams in the NFL with an average of 21.8 points per outing.

The Broncos are conceding 25.1 PPG, ranking them 29th of all teams in the league. They have conceded 27 touchdowns through the air and 235.1 yards per outing, which puts them in 24th out of all teams. Denver has given up a total of 2,116 yards rushing (141.1 yards/game) and 14 touchdowns rushing this year. The Broncos defense has participated in 954 plays, which is 14th in the NFL. Their defense has 25 turnovers (14 fumbles recovered and 11 interceptions) so far this year. In total, they have conceded 377 points in total.

Who will win tonight's Chargers/Broncos NFL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Broncos -5.5

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