Los Angeles Chargers (0-4;0-3-1 ATS; 2-2 O/U) vs. New York Giants (0-4; 2-2 ATS: 2-2 O/U)
NFL Week Five: Sunday, October 7, 2017 at 1:00pm EST
Line: New York -4
Total: 44.5
The New York Giants and the Los Angeles Chargers will both aim for their first win of the season in week five action Sunday afternoon from MetLife Stadium. The Chargers were edged 26-24 by the Eagles last week, and the Giants are coming off a tough 25-23 road loss to the Buccaneers. This will mark the first meeting between these two teams since the 2013 season in a game the Chargers won 37-14.
Chargers Edged by Eagles in Fourth Straight Defeat
The Los Angeles Chargers could not erase a 13-0 deficit in their 26-24 home loss to the Eagles last week and have now lost four straight to start the season. Philip Rivers was much better than his poor week three performance, throwing for 347 yards with two TD’s and zero interceptions. The 35-year old quarterback is having a decent season, collecting 1107 passing yards with a 6:4 TD to INT ratio. Keenan Allen had a monster game for the Chargers, bringing in five catches for 138 yards. The fifth-year wide receiver has now recorded 100 receiving yards and two of four games and leads the Chargers with 334 receiving yards. Melvin Gordon struggled to gain yards in the defeat, rushing for only 22 yards on 10 carries. The 24-year old running back is only averaging 3.1 yards per carry and has amassed 168 yards on the season. The Chargers offense have been competitive in two of their four losses, and have now dropped nine straight games dating back to last season.
The Chargers defense scuffled again in the loss to the Eagles last week, allowing 454 total yards which included 214 rushing yards. Their rush defense has been awful all season and ranks at the bottom of the entire NFL. The Chargers tough schedule continues with two road games starting in New York followed by a contest in Oakland.
Giants Can’t Hold Late Lead, Drop to 0-4
The New York Giants were defeated by a field goal for the second straight week in their 25-23 road loss to the Buccaneers to drop to 0-4 on the season. Eli Manning was very active, connecting on 30 of 49 passes for 288 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. The 14-year veteran QB has not been bad during the Giants losing ways, ranking fifth in the NFL with 1113 passing yards to go with a 6:4 TD to INT ratio. Odell Beckham Jr. had his best output of the season last week, bringing in seven catches for 90 yards. The star receiver is now fully recovered from his ankle injury and has tallied 205 receiving yards in three games. The Giants running game was a bit more productive last week, rushing for 91 yards as a team. Wayne Gallman made his NFL debut and rushed for 42 yards on 11 carries. The Giants offense has been productive in their last two games after a miserable start to the year.
The New York defense could not make one last stand late in the fourth quarter in the loss to the Bucs. They conceded a total of 434 yards which included 323 passing yards as they couldn’t contain James Winston. Overall the Giants defense has been a bit of a disappointment this season. The Giants are already in trouble in the standings and need to pull off a winning streak to get back in contention.
Trends:
The Los Angeles Chargers are:
- 1-9-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
- 0-7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a straight up loss.
- 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games against a team with a losing record.
The New York Giants are:
- 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up loss.
- 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games in week five.
- 34-16-3 ATS in their last 53 games in October.
I am siding with the Giants in this contest. The Giants pass defense has been solid in three of their four games, and they feature a strong secondary, so it will not be easy for Rivers to have success in the air, plus overall the Chargers offense has been inconsistent this season. Furthermore, the Giants are averaging a solid 265 passing yards per game as they have found their offense the last two weeks, and overall I feel Manning and Beckham Jr. can break through the Chargers defense. Overall I feel the Giants are the better team, especially defensively, plus they are on their home field, so I am confident taking them with this smaller spread.
Pick: New York Giants
The Giants and Chargers are both having success in the air as Rivers and Manning have recorded more than 1100 passing yards on the season. The Giants have found their offense the last two weeks with Beckham now healthy so I expect them to have a strong game offensively, and the over is 4-1 in the last five meetings between these two teams. Rivers has been productive as the Chargers rank sixth in the NFL in passing yards, and the over is 5-1 in their last six October games.