Sunday, December 6, 2020, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California, 4:25 p.m. ET
Patriots at Chargers Betting Preview: Patriots (-1/-110), Chargers (+1/-110)
New England Patriots
The Patriots (5-6) are beginning a two-game stay in Los Angeles as they visit the Chargers on Sunday before playing the Rams four days later in the same stadium. New England is closing in on must-win territory as it resides in third place in the AFC East and is also on the outside when it comes to the wild-card race. The Patriots are 1-4 on the road with the lone victory coming when it rallied to a 30-27 victory over the winless New York Jets on Nov. 9.
Quarterback Cam Newton hasn’t become a force in New England and has thrown just four touchdown passes against nine interceptions. Newton passed for a season-low 84 yards last week in a 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the seventh time he has failed to reach 200 this season. Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley racked up a season-high 13 tackles against the Cardinals, his second double-digit output of the campaign.
Bentley (groin), Newton (abdomen) and cornerback J.C. Jackson (hip) were among 11 Patriots who were limited in Wednesday’s practice. Linebacker Anfernee Jennings (illness) sat out Wednesday, and his availability was to be firmed up later in the week.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers (3-8) are en route to missing the playoffs for the ninth time in the past 11 seasons. A loss to the Patriots would move the club one setback away from double-digit losses for the fourth time in six campaigns. Defensive end Joey Bosa (7.5 sacks) certainly isn’t the reason for the dysfunction. His 47.5 career sacks rank fifth in franchise history after he had three last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills to pass Hall of Famer Junior Seau (47) on the club’s all-time list.
Rookie quarterback Justin Herbert is certainly excelling, having thrown for 3,015 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The next task is winning games, as the 27-17 loss to the Bills marked the Chargers’ highest margin of defeat all season. Star wideout Keenan Allen leads the NFL with 85 receptions, good for 875 yards and seven touchdowns.
Bosa (shin) sat out practice Wednesday and cornerbacks Casey Hayward Jr. (groin) and Chris Harris Jr. (foot) also were among those who missed the session. Running back Kalen Ballage (ankle) was limited, and he could miss his second consecutive contest.
Patriots at Chargers Betting Pick for Week 13
The victory over the high-powered Cardinals kept New England’s season alive, and the next step is getting back to .500. The Patriots will try to hold down the Herbert-to-Allen connection and make the game relatively low scoring.
Close games aren’t the Chargers’ specialty. The club also has experienced trouble holding double-digit leads, so the end result is that New England will find a way to win this one.
Patriots at Chargers Betting Pick:
Patriots 20, Chargers 17
Patriots at Chargers Best Bet for Week 13
New England certainly isn’t high-powered with Newton at the helm. The Chargers are the type of team the Patriots can keep off the field, so look for a low-scoring contest.
Patriots at Chargers Best Bet: UNDER 47.5 total points (-110)
