Prime-Time First TD Bets — Sunday Night Football, Week 16
Alex Christenson
The Los Angeles Chargers will be traveling Week 1 to face the Washington Football Team. Coming off a 7-9 season, the Chargers and their young quarterback Justin Herbert will be looking to start off on the right foot against the very stout defense of the Washington Football Team. With just a one-point spread, oddsmakers believe this will be a very close battle for Week 1.
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Washington Football Team Week 1 Odds
Date/Time: September 12, 1 p.m. ET
Arena: FedEx Field
How to watch: NBC
Opening odds: Chargers -1 | O/U 44.5 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Latest Chargers-Football Team odds
Looking for the latest odds for this matchup? Here they are, with the best prices from DraftKings Sportsbook
- Chargers -1
- Total: 44.5
Opening odds – Chargers vs. Football Team
The Chargers open up as -1 favorites for their Week 1 matchup against Washington. The Chargers spent the majority of their 2020 season coming in as favorites and only covered the spread four of those 10 times. Meanwhile, Washington is coming in once again as underdogs, which the Football Team did for 13 weeks last season, covering the spread eight of those times. The Chargers split their -1 spreads last season in Week 9 and 14, and WFT did the same in Week 7 and 16.
Quarterback analysis – Justin Herbert vs. Ryan Fitzpatrick
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert will look to follow up his 2020 campaign and prove there is no slowing him down. He was able to throw for 4,336 yards, 32 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 15 games. While he wasn’t the most mobile quarterback around — just 55 rushing yards — Herbert did rush for 5 touchdowns.
The FitzMagic returns as Ryan Fitzpatrick was named the Washington starting quarterback. These past few seasons have not been the prettiest. Fitzpatrick is able to get the job done to a point but is hoping to turn it back around after a season cut short in Miami. With just seven starts, Fitzpatrick threw for 2,091 yards, 13 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
Latest Chargers betting news & info
As a team, the Chargers struggled against the spread in 2017 to 2019, but they put things together a bit last year — they covered five of their first six games in 2020 and in every game of their four-game winning streak to end the season. They did struggle to cover in the games in between those stretches, but there was more good than bad last year from a spread standpoint.
There is much to look forward to for this Chargers team overall as they walk into the season fully healthy (knock on wood). Joey Bosa, Linval Joseph, Derwin James and Chris Harris will look to help bounce back from a mediocre season last year for this Defense. For the offense, they improved the offensive line while losing TE Hunter Henry, who joined the New England Patriots. Even with that subtraction, they added another solid tight end with Jared Cook, who will be another weapon for Herbert.
Latest Washington Football Team betting news & info
Washington had a very strange year last season, winding up at the top of a messy NFC East with a 7-9 record. They were 9-7 against the spread, which mirrored their O/U record. They found themselves more on the under side of action while covering spreads of a touchdown or less.
The addition of Curtis Samuel and Ryan Fitzpatrick are intended to open up the offense more. This could lead to more opportunities for running back Antonio Gibson as well. On the opposite side, the defense gets a boost with Jamin Davis who joins alongside Chase Young, Kendall Fuller and Tim Settle. This defense will most likely improve on an already impressive 2020 season while the offense follows in suit.
Chargers vs. Football Team betting picks – NFL Week 1
These two teams almost come in as similar but opposite teams for the 2021 season. While both teams were able to find success in covering the spread last year, both were complete opposites for the O/U. With a healthy Chargers team and the additions that the Washington Football Team made to improve their offense with Fitzpatrick and Samuel, I expect the over to be hit in this Week 1 matchup.
For the spread, Herbert is coming into his sophomore year and kicking it off against a very tough defense that I believe will be the main reason for Washington Football Team Week 1 victory. WFT will be able to keep him and this Chargers offense off the field long enough for the FitzMagic-led offense to take over this game.
Here are our betting picks for Chargers vs. Washington Football Team in Week 1.
FTNBets best bets
- OVER 44.5 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Washington +1 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
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