LA Chargers Control AFC West After Winning Shoot Out With the Browns

Oddsmakers strike LA Chargers as current AFC West favorites
Herbert pushing up NFL MVP boards
Chargers have approaching upper echelon in AFC and Super Bowl futures

An aerial show it was, but in the end, the lightning strike pushed the Los Angeles Chargers into the favorite’s seat in the AFC West as running back Austin Eckler scored on a 3-yard run to push the Chargers past the Cleveland Browns, 47-42, at Sofi Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

biiiggggggg victory monday vibes pic.twitter.com/3fROcKxIlw
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 11, 2021

With the win, LA took control of the AFC West as the Chargers boast (+125) odds and led the division with a 4-1 record. Kansas City (+150), Denver (+500), and Las Vegas (+1100) all took losses as the Chargers sit at 4-1 and in sole possession of the AFC West.

Last week:

The Chiefs, who have won the division in each of the last five seasons, were out in from and laying (-110) odds despite their 2-2 start. Denver was sitting at (+450) while the Raiders (+500) brought up the rear. The Chargers haven’t won the AFC West since 2009 when they started at (+1000) and were catching as many as (+2500) before going on an 11-game winning streak and losing to the New York Jets in the first round of the playoffs.

At the beginning of this season, LA had the second-best number as the Bolts opened at (+500) behind the Chiefs’ (-275) as Denver (+600) and Las Vegas (+1800) had the third and fourth-best chances.

Bolting in the AFC

As Buffalo (+250) takes over the lead to win the AFC, the Chargers have pushed to (+800) while the 2-3 Chiefs (+350) are still in second with Baltimore (+550) and Cleveland (+750) in third and fourth.

Some sportsbooks also list Los Angeles at (+700), with Kansas City still leading at (+260) and Buffalo sitting with (+270) odds.

We sure do.#BUFvsKC | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/zjze5I7KHp
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 11, 2021

Last week, before quarterback Justin Herbert and Mike Williams’ Sunday heroics, LA was in fifth, but with (+1200) odds as the Chiefs (+280), Bills (+450), and the Browns and Ravens shared a (+500) number.

Herbert completed 26 of 43 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns, while Williams caught eight of those passes for 165 yards and two scores.

Throw Some Powder Blue into the Supe’

The Chargers have only one Super Bowl appearance in team history, and that came in 1995 when they were boat raced by the San Francisco 49ers.

Please Note:

They currently stand at (+1600) as they tie the Browns for the best chance to win Super Bowl LVI in their home of Sofi Stadium next February.

Herbert engineers the NFL’s third-rated pass offense as the Chargers drop in at 303 yards per game as he sits behind Tom Brady and Tampa Bay (349.2) and Matt Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams (310.2).

HERBO, Y'ALL. pic.twitter.com/uxDZ4sfR3z
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 11, 2021

This output is why the Chargers, who are the AFC West favorites, look like they will top the OVER on 9.5 wins, which they were assigned by oddsmakers at the beginning of the season. The line started at (-105) on the over, but (-125) on the UNDER, but it currently sits at (+110).

Williams already has 31 catches for 471 yards and six touchdowns while Keenan Allen posts 34 catches for 369 yards. As long as Austin Eckler is healthy, this offense should continue to click because he now gives the Chargers a solid running game to go with the passing attack.

Eckler rushes for 70 yards per game on the ground, but he has caught 23 balls for 194 yards and three TDs.

LA Accolades

Herbert has been consistently on point through the first five games as he has completed 67.1 percent of his passes with 13 touchdown passes and three interceptions.

Herbert has the fourth-best odds to win the NFL’s MVP as he is posting (+700) behind Buffalo’s Josh Allen (+400), Arizona’s Kyler Murray (+500), and the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott (+700).

we paid an editor $10 for this pic.twitter.com/xzUBBFY5bV
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) October 11, 2021

The former Oregon quarterback’s odds moved up from the (+800) that he was posting last week. The latest updates from sportsbooks on Herbert’s Offensive Player of the Year numbers as him still sitting anywhere from (+2000) to (+2800).

Eckler and Allen both on odds boards as they are at (+20000) odds to win the MVP award. Oddly, Williams, who has two games over 100 yards in his last three, is still not appearing on the NFL MVP boards.

Lightning Strikes

The Chargers’ 47-42 win over the Browns blew the number away as it was at 47 and ended a four-game run where LA had covered the UNDER. Los Angeles is 8-1 ATS, and 8-1 SU in its last nine games.

Los Angeles opens as a (+3.5) underdog next week at Baltimore.