SPORTS N STUFF

sports betting players may be counting San Diego out, but theyre known to be a team that steps up late in the season and they fired a warning shot on Monday night. Theyll host a struggling Buffalo team this weekend and as long as the Chargers avoid turnovers, they should have no problems sending the Bills to a sixth straight loss.

What: NFL Betting
When: Sunday, December 11th, 4:15 PM ET
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
Pick: San Diego Chargers -7

Why Bet On Buffalo Bills (5-7 SU, 5-6-1 ATS)

The wheels have officially fallen off for the Bills, who have dropped five in a row after a 23-17 loss at home to Tennessee, and Buffalo was let down by turnovers (a pair of fumbles) and an inability to stop the run (187 yards allowed on the ground). Ryan Fitzpatrick was 29-of-46 for 288 yards and a touchdown, and the Bills even got a decent day out of C.J. Spiller, who ran for 83 yards and showed shades of the player who starred at Clemson and convinced Buffalo to make him their first pick in 2010. Buffalo actually outgained Tennessee in terms of yards, but those fumbles killed their momentum, although they managed to make a game of it when Fitzpatrick found Stevie Johnson from two yards out with 2:58 to play. The defense couldnt slow down Chris Johnson and allowed 12 first downs on the ground, which means they couldnt mount a pass rush on Tennessees limping quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck.

Kicker Rian Lindell (shoulder) and cornerback Aaron Williams (knee) shouldnt be counted on to play in this game, and tight end Scott Chandler (ankle) is doubtful, which means the Bills have to deal with more injuries as they attempt to pull themselves out of this slump. Fitzpatrick has been pressing since he received a new deal and hasnt been effective, but the defense has slipped down to 22nd in the league (24th in rush defense) and theyre not forcing turnovers like they used to, which covered up a lot of their problems early in the campaign.

Why Bet On San Diego Chargers (5-7 SU, 3-9 ATS)

The Chargers have been one of the biggest NFL betting disappointments of the season, both in terms of futures and on a game-to-game basis, but they played with some pride in a 38-14 romp over Jacksonville on the road on Monday night. Philip Rivers was 22-of-28 for 294 yards and three touchdowns but most importantly, no picks and he showed how productive he could be when he wasnt turning the ball over. Ryan Mathews ran the ball only 13 times, but he racked up 112 yards and a 31-yard touchdown in the fourth to put the icing on the cake for the Chargers. The defense was inspired, although they were aided by a Jacksonville offense that was tentative in the air due to having a struggling rookie, Blaine Gabbert, quarterback. Still, they sacked Gabbert twice and picked him off once, and that allowed the Chargers to focus on the running game. The problem is, San Diego still gave up 129 yards on the ground and are now 26th in the league in that category.

Tackle Brandon Dombrowski (foot) will be sidelined for another week, but the Chargers played well up front against Jacksonville despite a rash of injuries to that unit over the last few weeks. San Diego is starting to get healthy and could be poised to go on a late-season run (the Chargers are 18-2 in December and January under Norv Turner), but it all starts with Rivers, who has been terrible for the most part this year and he still leads the NFL in interceptions with 17. We all know Rivers can be lethal, and even though Jacksonvilles secondary was depleted, it was a great game for Rivers confidence and the Chargers are only two games behind Denver in an unpredictable AFC West, so theyll want to put some pressure on the Broncos, who theyve split a pair with this season.

How It Will Play Out

San Diego is a 7-point favorite at home over the Bills, who are 2-3 SU and 4-1 ATS in five meetings with the Chargers since 2001, with three games going over the posted total. Two of those games were in San Diego, and the Chargers won both, but they only covered once.

San Diego is 1-5 ATS at home this season, but theyll cover this week as Rivers will have another big game by avoiding turnovers. The Bills have to take advantage of San Diegos poor run defense if they want a chance, but the Chargers will jump out to an early lead and force the Bills to go to the air. San Diego is a late-season team, and the run starts here; wager on the Chargers to cover the sports betting spread.

Bills Chargers Betting Pick: San Diego Chargers