The betting world refuses to let go of the San Diego Chargers. Every week the NFL betting lines come out and every week the NFL scores indicate that the Chargers have lost again. The Chargers have the first ranked offense and defense in the NFL, yet they are only 2-5. That means that special teams and penalties are killing the Charges, and that is a sign of poor coaching.
The Titans are having quarterback problems again this season, but this time it is not their fault. Starting quarterback Vince Young is still nursing an injured knee, and back-up Kerry Collins has a bad finger. Collins still wound up playing in the Titans week seven 37-19 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, and he played well. But the preseason NFL predictions surrounding the Tennessee Titans and their chances at a playoff spot centered around Vince Young being in at quarterback. It is still unknown as to whether or not Young will play in week eight against the Chargers.
If you like offense, then you will love this game. The Chargers offense is top ranked in the NFL putting up an average of 423 yards and 25 points per game. The Titan offense can’t match the number of yards the Chargers have, but Tennessee has been averaging 28 points per game. The difference in this game as pointed out earlier, will be special teams.
One of the reasons why the Chargers have so many yards per game is because that is the situation their special teams puts the offense in. The Chargers have not returned a punt for a touchdown this season, and the best punt returner they have is Patrick Crayton with an average of 11.5 yards per return. Regular punt returner, running back Darren Sproles, is only averaging 7.5 yards per return and his longest return is 13 yards.
Another reason why the team with the best offense and defense in the league is only 2-5 is their turnover ratio. The Chargers have a -7 turnover ratio, which means that their defense is unable to get the ball back from the opposing offense with any decent field position. The Chargers have to rack up all of that offense just to make up for the terrible starting field position they get on each possession.
The Titans are still trying to hold on until Vince Young can come back. The win over the Eagles was a huge Northbet review confidence builder, but the Titans defense is 23rd against the pass. This game will probably turn into a shoot out between Kerry Collins and San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers. If that is how this one shakes out, then the Titans are in big trouble.
The Titans need to try and control the clock with running back Chris Johnson and keep the San Diego offense off the field. But the Chargers are masters at time of possession outlasting the opposition 34 minutes to 26 minutes on average. Nothing about this game, on paper, looks very promising for the Tennessee Titans without Vince Young.
Pick: San Diego Chargers 27-10
