Week 8 of the NFL season begins Thursday night when the Denver Broncos host the San Diego Chargers. Coming off a 42-17 win againt the San Francisco 49ers, the 5-1 Broncos are riding a three-game winning streak into this AFC West matchup.
Chargers vs. Broncos 2014 picks and predictions: Experts like Denver at home
An AFC West showdown in primetime is on tap when the Denver Broncos host the San Diego Chargers.
Dustin Bradford
Quarterback Peyton Manning is fresh off a four-touchdown performance that pushed him past Brett Favre for No. 1 on the all-time passing touchdowns list. For the second straight week, the Broncos will be playing in the friendly confines of Sports Authority Field at Mile High in primetime.
Meanwhile, 5-2 San Diego is coming off a hard-fought loss at home to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chargers led 14-13 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Chiefs escaped after Cairo Santos hit a 48-yard field goal with 21 seconds left to give Kansas City a 23-20 victory.
Running back Ryan Mathews was again sidelined with a sprained MCL, but rookie Branden Oliver has successfully stepped into the lead role, rushing for 316 yards and two touchdowns while posting a 4.4 yards-per-carry average this season. This week, Oliver will face a Denver defense that ranks No. 3 against the run, allowing just 74.3 yards per game.
Philip Rivers continues to play like an MVP candidate for San Diego. The veteran QB has passed for 1,961 yards, 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions this year while ranking No. 3 in QB rating at 113.0. Watching him duel with Manning, who leads the league in passer rating, should be a sight to see.
Judging by how competitive AFC West divisional games have been this year, we could be in for a treat when these two face off. Denver's only divisional game thus far was a 24-17 win over the Chiefs in Week 2. San Diego has played two divisional games -- the close loss to Kansas City last week and a 28-21 win over the Oakland Raiders the week before.
Normally, this would be a typical trap game for Denver, a team riding high and one that could be playing without much urgency at home on a short week, while the Chargers will be looking to rebound from a loss. However, a similar scenario was in play last year when San Diego upset the heavily favored Broncos at Denver on Thursday Night Football. Don’t expect Denver to be overlooking the Chargers again in their prime time matchup.
On paper, Denver looks like a big favorite playing at home, and our SB Nation staff picked the Broncos to win by a 6-1 margin. The same holds true over at CBS Sports, where the panel sided with Denver by a 7-1 margin.
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