Green Bay Packers San Diego Chargers Week 9 Betting Prediction

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Packers bettingGreen Bay Packers Continue San Diego Chargers Disappointments

Written by Greg Smith – 2011-12 NFL Prediction Record (7-2)

One of the few positive things that the San Diego Chargers can take from Monday night’s game versus the Kansas City Chiefs is that the short week gives them little time to dwell on their missed opportunities. As the Chargers prepare to host the unbeaten Packers this Sunday, NFL bettors have a golden chance to capitalize on the deficiencies the Chargers have shown not only in their last game, but indeed through the entire season. While the San Diego Chargers committed a few major and dramatic mistakes in their last game that most bettors will focus on (and perhaps forgive) I believe that QB Philip Rivers and the rest of the Chargers have shown that they have been over-hyped this season and in their upcoming game will be outmatched. Let’s examine some of the most important highlights of the two teams to see exactly how NFL bettors can best profit from this upcoming game.

It’s difficult to put any major criticisms against QB Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Green Bay Packers. The most that could be said is that they have taken a few of their opponents somewhat lightly, such as their last game against the Minnesota Vikings. They failed to cover the spread in that game and went into the locker room trailing 17-13 which must raise some concerns for NFL bettors. However, the Packers did come to their senses in time to allow their high powered offence (and less praised but still effective defence) to rally to a 33-27 victory. Indeed, I believe this last game is a useful tool that coach Mike McCarthy will use to impress upon his team the importance of playing as the champions that they are for a full four quarters. It may be a stretch but we could guess that McCarthy chose to have a full padded practice this week to get his team back to playing gutsy and physical football. Packers receiver Donald Driver was recently asked about his team’s offence and I believe he did an accurate job as he stated, “we’ve always had weapons here, but I can promise you, we’ve never had this many weapons. This is the best offense I’ve been a part of in my career.” High praise coming from a player with a resume such as Driver’s. And the unfortunate part for the San Diego Chargers is that the Packers have very few injuries to limit their team this weekend. Line backer Frank Zombo, wide receiver Greg Jennings and cornerback Sam Shields have some health concerns but are all listed as probable to start against the Chargers. The Green Bay Packers have been ranked first in the power rankings for some time and show little if any signs of dropping from the top.

The San Diego Chargers, on the other hand have had a mediocre season at best and a highly disappointing season at worst. While their most recent game against the Kansas City Chiefs can easily be seen as the low point of their season, they really have struggled in many regards all season. Losses to the New York Jets and New England Patriots can definitely be forgiven, however as Rex Ryan described it “the Chargers lost the game more than we won it.” Turnovers are one of the major concerns facing the Chargers, especially as NFL bettors witnessed one of the greatest (or worst) fumbles committed on Monday Night Football. While this play will live in infamy with many NFL fans, the San Diego Chargers have not won the turnover battle in a game since they played the Miami Dolphins back in week four. Compounding the problems of turning the ball over has been the marginal play from QB Philip Rivers and the rest of the Chargers offence. Expectations were high in this area to start the year and the Chargers have failed to meet those expectations. To illustrate this point, think about the fact that the Chargers visited the Kansas City Chiefs red zone nine times on Monday night, yet came away with only one touchdown. Lest we dismiss this as a singular event, the fact is that Rivers rates only a 52.4 QBR for the season thus far and comes in at 17th as far as ranking NFL QB’s. While the Green Bay Packers go into the weekend’s match relatively healthy and confident, the Chargers have a list of very questionable players including: Mike Tolbert, Ryan Mathews, Curtis Brinkley all at running back and Kris Dielman at the guard position. Add to this the fact that the Chargers are ranked 25th in both offence and defence and have some serious questions about the commitment of their team and we see a host of problems facing the San Diego squad this weekend.

Play: Green Bay Packers -5.5 (5Dimes.com)

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