Philadelphia Eagles (2-1 SU, 1-2 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (0-3 SU, 0-2-1 ATS)
NFL Week 4
Date/Time: Sunday, October 1, 2017 at 4:05PM EST
Where: StubHub Center, Carson, California
TV: Fox
by Scott, Expert Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: PHI +1/LAC -1
Over/Under Total: 47.5
The Philadelphia Eagles face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday in an interesting week four matchup. The Eagles are riding high after averting what seemed like sure overtime after blowing a lead against the Giants. A 61-yard field goal by rookie kicker Jake Elliott gave them the exciting win and they look to bring that enthusiasm to the StubHub Center on Sunday. They will be facing a winless Chargers team that is playing for the third straight time at home. On Sunday, they were beaten handily by the Chiefs, 24-10. They also havent covered the spread this season.
The game last week started bad for the Bolts and ended the same way. An early Philip Rivers pick seemed to set the tone and thus far, the change in location hasnt changed things much for a Chargers team mired in a constant injury crisis-mode. They are constantly plagued by inconsistent play. Rivers was off-the-mark for much of Sunday and they squandered what production they did have. They outgained the Chiefs and had 8 more first downs, but most drives died, with Rivers three picks playing a big role in that. After losing two straight games at home, they really need this one.
The Chargers scored ten points on Sunday and zero points in the second half. It was not what appeared to be a Chargers team that was in the right headspace, as they produced a drab effort. Melvin Gordon had some good moments, including a TD. Travis Benjamin and Keenan Allen had some good moments in the aerial game. But they just seemed mired in quicksand for much of the game. Maybe they can get better results this week, again at home. In any event, there were a lot of people forecasting things to go better this season for the Chargers and it just hasnt happened. Having an O-line that cant ever seem to stay healthy doesnt help.
The Chargers defense has also faced some injury issues. Not having Denzel Perryman in there has hurt and they will now be without their best defensive back with CB Jason Verrett lost for the season. At corner, Casey Hayward and rookie Desmond King werent all that bad on Sunday. In the pass-rush category, Melvin Ingram had three sacks, with Joey Bosa getting after it, as well. Linebacker Jatavis Brown has been very active. As a whole, this D needs to be a lot better against the run, though their pass-rush has kept opposing aerial attacks in check.
This is not an easy road game for the Eagles, whose only loss of the season came at another AFC West venue at Arrowhead. Its a long road-trip and there might be some adrenaline-dump after the electric win at home last week. They seemed to have the game in hand, but they had grown a little sleepy late. Suddenly, the dormant Giants offense sprang to life and the Eagles were hanging on for dear life. But even with the momentum so squarely in the Giants favor, the Eagles hung in there, scoring a field goal with less than a minute left and getting the ball back somehow after a three-and-out. Carson Wentz connected with Alshon Jeffery on a 19-yard pass and then the improbable happened with the 61-yard boot.
The Philly offense was flat at times against the Giants. But there were some good signs, namely a run-game that awoke from a slumber. LeGarrette Blount scored a TD on 67 yards, while Wendell Smallwood added 71 yards. Rookie back Corey Coleman also get into the end zone for the first time. Carson Wentz was able to relax a little, but still was effective, as he connected well with TE Zach Ertz, as well as Jeffery, who is starting to grow into the offense in his first season with the team. They did lose Darren Sproles for the season, which is a bad loss, but one from which they can still recover. Wentz still seems to have more outlets this season and the offense is a little better overall.
In all three games this season, the Eagles played three quarters of good defense, with one quarter being an offensive bonanza for the opponent. For the first 45 minutes of action on Sunday, the D kept the Giants scoreless, but before you knew it, Odell Beckham caught two TD passes, with Sterling Shepard adding a 75-yard catch-and-run. Losing Jordan Hicks and Fletcher Cox seemed to affect the defense and well see closer to game-time what their status is. They had some big plays, with Rasul Douglas and Patrick Robinson intercepting Manning. The middle was strong. But injuries keep popping up and its getting to the point where it might render the D a shadow of what they could be under the stewardship of Jim Schwartz. In addition to Cox and Hicks, safeties Jaylen Watkins and Rodney McLeod are also banged up and missed the last game.
Again, its not an easy spot for Philly, even against an 0-3 Chargers bunch. They could easily be 2-1. Theres a reason they arent, but it just illustrates that they might be better than their record indicates. The Eagles are out of their element and the Chargers are nice and dug-in at home for their third straight at the StubHub Center. I see the Chargers finally having a few things go their way. Im taking the Los Angeles Chargers at home this week.
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