As we learned from the Cincinnati Bengals last year, every game matters. They were one early loss to the lowly New England Patriots away from making the playoffs. So you have to take every game seriously. But division games against opponents that also made the playoffs last year? Those games carry a lot more weight.

And that’s what we have this week, when the Denver Broncos square up with the Los Angeles Chargers. Both teams came into the season with aspirations of making the playoffs. But, with the Kansas City Chiefs starting 0-2, now there’s also a much bigger window open of winning the division. Games like this mean everything in that race to the top. 

Even if you just want to see the Broncos vs. Chargers odds and have Broncos vs. Chargers picks of your own, don’t forget to scroll down at the end to see how you can scoop up a $1,500 BetMGM Sportsbook sign-up bonus! 

 

 

 

Broncos vs. Chargers Predictions For NFL Week 3, Sunday 4:25 PM ET

Naturally, given the nature of division rivalries, these teams play often. Twice a year and possibly more if they meet in the playoffs. Last year was the first season for Bo Nix and also the first season for Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, so those two most recent games matter most for us. And the Chargers won both, 34-27 last December and 23-16 last October.

The Chargers have started off their season hot. They beat the Chiefs 27-21 then followed that up with another division win over the Raiders 20-9. The Broncos beat the Titans 20-12 Week 1, but fell to the Colts last week 29-28 after a last-minute field goal. 

Denver Broncos: Troy Franklin - Old Friend, New Weapon

Last week when covering the Broncos, we discussed how Courtland Sutton has been the only Broncos player to reliably play more than 50% of the snaps from week to week tracking back to last year. And that was true in Week 1. But, in Week 2, we saw a drastic change there with Troy Franklin playing 83% of the snaps. In fact, he played more snaps than Courtland Sutton.

It’s worth noting that Bo Nix and Franklin have a relationship that dates back longer than their one year Broncos tenure. Franklin was Nix’s top weapon in college at Oregon as well - a big reason they drafted him. If Franklin can emerge and offer some stability, that could make life easier for both Nix and Sutton. 

On defense, the Broncos have been one of the league’s best units. Sure, they will be without Dre Greenlaw this week. But they’ll still have plenty of studs, especially in the secondary where Pat Surtain and Talanoa Hufanga terrorize opposing pass-catchers. 

Los Angeles Chargers: Keenan Allen - Old Friend, New Weapon

The Los Angeles Chargers have an old friend of their own back in town. After a year with the Chicago Bears, Keenan Allen decided to join back up with his old buddy Justin Herbert. And they have been off to a hot start with Allen racking up 9 first downs of the first two weeks. With Allen, Ladd McConkey, and Quentin Johnston operating at a high level, it’s not surprising to see this team throw a little more than usual. 

 

 

 

Broncos vs. Chargers Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines

As promised, the latest Broncos vs. Chargers odds can be found below courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook:

 

 

 

Broncos vs. Chargers: Troy Franklin Over 4.5 Receptions (+4.5 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

It’s really not only a one-week sample size of increased usage for Troy Franklin. Yes, his snap share did increase quite a bit. But he earned that by catching four-of-six targets in the first week. And he proved it was smart to elevate him when he turned around and caught eight-of-nine targets the following week. He even had a carry for 11 yards on top of that.

It’s not just a fluke here beyond just the chemistry with Bo Nix as Franklin has been forced to take on an elevated role due possibly to some injury circumstances. Evan Engram was supposed to come in and be the “big slot” player for this team. But he dealt with a calf injury Week 1 and then a back injury Week 2. That saw Franklin lead the team in routes run from the slot with 18 last week - Engram was second with nine. Now, that back issue has Evan Engram inactive this week.

With the Broncos using Sutton as the prototypical split end, Troy Franklin is free to move around the formation and find more favorable matchups. He doesn’t need to come out this week and catch eight balls again - we just need him to catch five and we can get plus money on his line of 4.5 receptions at BetMGM. 

 

 

 

Broncos vs. Chargers Injury Report & Latest News

Finally, let’s take a quick look at the projected starting lineups for both teams heading into tonight’s matchup:

Denver Broncos

 

Los Angeles Chargers

 

 

 

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