The Los Angeles Chargers (6-6, 2-3 home) host the Miami Dolphins (8-4, 3-3 away) in a collision between two top teams in the AFC. This is the first and only meeting of the regular season between the two cross-country franchises. Miami knocked off Los Angeles, 29-21, last season in South Beach.
Sunday’s kickoff is at 8:20 p.m. EST inside SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Miami is a three-point road favorite, and the over/under total is 54 points.
What to Know – Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins stay on the West Coast after losing to the San Francisco 49ers last week, 33-17, against the best defense in the NFL. Miami had won five in a row up until then, remaining one game back of the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East Division. The Dolphins are tied with the second-best record in the AFC with a East Coast swing to close out the season.
Miami is eighth in the NFL scoring 24.9 points per game, thanks to an offense that generates 380.2 yards of total offense per contest. The Dolphins’ defense falls near the bottom of the league, allowing 24.1 points per game and 344.0 yards of total offense to opponents.
Miami is 10-4 against the spread over its last 14 contests against the Chargers but 3-6 ATS over the last nine games overall. The over has hit in four of the Dolphins’ last five matchups.
What to Know – Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles has had an up-and-down year but is trending in the wrong direction as the regular season winds down. The Chargers have lost three of their last four games, and their postseason hopes are officially on life support. If Los Angeles pulls out the victory Sunday night, they’ll have a schedule moving forward where they’ll be favored in most of the remaining contests.
On offense, the Chargers are in the middle of the pack averaging 22.7 points and 351.2 yards of offense per game. The Los Angeles defense ranks the worst in the AFC, allowing 25.8 points and 371.7 yards of total offense to opposing offenses.
The Chargers are 7-5 ATS this season and 2-3 ATS at home. Los Angeles is 0-5 ATS in its last five games against teams from the AFC East Division.
The Pick is In
The Chargers need to win every game they have remaining on their schedule to have a chance at the postseason, so expect Los Angeles to pull out all the stops necessary to get it done. Los Angeles will be tested defensively against Tua and the Miami offense, but both teams should find ample scoring opportunities consistently.
Herbert and company know what’s at stake, and the Chargers fans will be out in full force to will their team to victory and maintain the chances of another postseason berth. Take the points here, and don’t be afraid to put some money on the Los Angeles moneyline too.
The Pick: Los Angeles Chargers +3
