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Andrew Rogers
Chargers vs. Texans Point Spread: NFL Week 16 Odds, Prediction
With time running out in their quest to catch the division-leading Kansas City Chiefs, the Los Angeles Chargers need every break they can get – and Sunday’s encounter with the host Houston Texans is a good place to start.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
This marks the first time this season that the Chargers have been a double-digit fave; it happened just once in 2020, and L.A. came up short of a cover in a narrow 34-28 home win over the New York Jets. Houston has much more experience being on the other end of the trend. The Texans have been underdogs of 10+ points seven times prior to this weekend, going 2-5 SU and 3-4 ATS while scoring fewer than seven points four times in that span.
The Chargers have the support of a whopping 87 percent of Sports Interaction bettors, while there’s a near-dead-even split among total bettors, with 51 percent siding with the O46 at -110. The Chargers are 7-7 O/U for the season but have converted the Over in four of their previous five games, with each of those Overs coming in above the 55-point plateau. Houston, on the other hand, has gone 4-8 O/U in its last 12 overall.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers’ chances of catching the red-hot Chiefs are already remote (Kansas City is a -960 fave to win the division, while L.A. is at +675), and the visitors will have to gain ground without the services of two of their best players. Running back Austin Ekeler says his chances of playing “don’t look good” as he sits on the COVID-19 list, while linebacker Joey Bosa also tested positive earlier this week and is expected to miss this one.
Houston Texans
Houston would love to take advantage of the Chargers’ key absences, but they’ve been even more ravaged by the coronavirus. The Texans have more than two dozen players on the COVID-19 reserve list – most notably leading wide receiver Brandin Cooks, whose 945 yards represent more than a third of the team’s season total through the air. All impacted players must produce two negative tests 24 hours apart in order to be cleared to play.
LAC
HOU