Tennessee Titans vs. San Diego Chargers Betting Odds: Line Moves Up to -7
Carrie Stroup here with your Tennessee Titans vs. San Diego Chargers betting odds for Sunday September 15, 2012. This line opened at -4.5 in favor of the Chargers at some books and was now at -7 at Sportsbook.com as of Saturday morning. Online betting for this game and all other NFL games available at Sportsbook.com here.
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: San Diego -7 & 43
Opening Line & Total: Chargers -6 & 44
The Chargers look to retain their dominance over the Titans when the two teams meet Sunday afternoon at San Diego.
Since relocating from Houston to Tennessee, the Titans are 0-7 in this series, losing those games by a combined 206-96 margin. Tennessee will get top WR Kenny Britt back from a one-game suspension in some capacity, though he will not play full-time coming off multiple knee surgeries. Meanwhile, RB Chris Johnson is coming off the worst game of his career (11 carries, four yards against New England). San Diego has question marks of its own and historically starts slow. And with LT Jared Gaither (back) likely out again, the Chargers could have trouble keeping Philip Rivers upright. But they could have starting RB Ryan Mathews (shoulder) back for this one, which would be a big help to a running game that struggled to a paltry 32 yards in the Monday night win in Oakland. Don't underestimate the Monday Night Football hangover, as the Chargers have a short week to prepare for a Titans team that will surely improve its ground game. Underdogs in the first two weeks of the year after closing the previous season with 2+ straight wins are 26-7 ATS (79%) in the past 10 seasons. Also, the Chargers are 3-7 ATS in September games since the start of the 2009 campaign.
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Chris Johnson is coming off a horrible game versus New England, but he’s certainly capable of carving up San Diego with 261 total yards and 2 TD in two career games versus the Chargers. With backup RB Javon Ringer (elbow infection) questionable, the Titans will need to ride Johnson for most of the afternoon. Jake Locker injured his left shoulder in last week’s loss, but will probably be able to start this game. He was 23-of-32 for 229 yards (7.2 YPA), 1 TD and 1 INT against the Patriots, while backup Matt Hasselbeck was 6-of-11 for 43 yards (3.9 YPA), 0 TD and 0 INT. Hasselbeck is actually 4-1 in his career versus San Diego, but has thrown just 3 TD and 5 INT in these five meetings. Whoever takes the snaps will finally have talented WR Kenny Britt as an option in the passing game, but he will be limited to approximately 25 snaps. Starting WR Nate Washington (leg) is also expected to play on Sunday. Defensively, the Titans should have an easier time with a San Diego offense that doesn’t measure up to New England’s. However, the Chargers rolled up 456 yards of offense when these teams last met in 2010, a 33-25 San Diego victory.
Chargers QB Philip Rivers is 4-0 in his career versus Tennessee, completing 68% of his passes for 1,032 yards (258 YPG), 7 TD and 3 INT. He also looked pretty strong in the opener in Oakland, completing 24-of-33 throws for 231 yards, 1 TD and 0 INT. Only three of those passes went for more than 20 yards though, as San Diego wide receivers caught a total of eight passes. Star TE Antonio Gates (ribs) has been limited in practice this week, but is expected to start. Mathews thinks he’ll be able to play, but head coach Norv Turner has not yet made a decision on his playing status. The three San Diego running backs combined for 22 yards on 17 carries last week, as neither Curtis Brinkley (10 rush, 12 yds), Ronnie Brown (5 rush, 5 yds) or Le’Ron McClain (2 rush, 5 yds) gained more than six yards on any carry. San Diego’s run-stop unit was top-notch in Week 1 though, holding Oakland to 45 yards on 20 attempts (2.3 YPC). That was the first game for new defensive coordinator John Pagano.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
