Chargers’ Super Bowl Odds Fade to +2000 After Week 2 Loss to Lions
By Robert Duff in NFL Football
Updated: March 26, 2020 at 2:36 pm EDTPublished:
- The odds of the Los Angeles Chargers winning Super Bowl 53 climbed to +2000 after Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions
- The Chargers were at +1600 prior to the game
- Last season, the Lions beat the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in Week 3
Should you give up on the Los Angeles Chargers after Sunday’s 13-10 road loss to the Detroit Lions? Maybe. Maybe not.
The sportsbooks are less sold on the long-term value of the Chargers than they were prior to Sunday’s setback. Losing to the Lions has a way of doing that.
Sportsbooks now list LA’s AFC squad at +2000 to win Super Bowl 54. Prior to Sunday’s loss, the 1-1 Chargers were at +1600 in the Super Bowl odds.
Super Bowl 54 Odds
| Team | Over/Under |
|---|---|
| New England Patriots | +333 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +700 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +1000 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +1200 |
| New Orleans Saints | +1200 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1400 |
| Chicago Bears | +1600 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +1600 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +2000 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | +2000 |
| Minnesota Vikings | +2000 |
*Odds taken on 09/16/19.Â
A point of reference – last season, the Lions posted a resounding 26-10 home-field victory over the New England Patriots in Week 3. That didn’t prevent the Patriots from winning Super Bowl 53.
Miscues Plague Chargers
Mistakes were again the nemesis of the Chargers as they fell to the Lions.
A touchdown pass from quarterback Philip Rivers to running back Austin Ekeler was wiped out by a holding penalty. A pass interference infraction against Detroit’s Darius Slay in the end zone gave L.A. the ball on the 1-yard line. But Ekeler fumbled trying to jump over the pile to score and the Lions recovered.
Two missed field goals by Ty Long today, that one wide right. Chargers leaving a lot of points on the field.
— Eric Williams (@eric_d_williams) September 15, 2019
The dagger was when Slay intercepted Rivers in the end zone on LA’s final drive with 1:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Punter Ty Long, attempting to fill the shoes of injured kicker Michael Badgley, missed field goals of 39 and 41 yards.
In their opener, the Bolts blew a 24-9 lead and required overtime to get past the Indianapolis Colts 30-24.
Defensive Injuries Mounting
LA took the field Sunday minus injured linebacker Denzel Perryman. Now they’ve lost safety Adrian Phillips to a broken forearm. Phillips was replacing safety Derwin James, on injured reserve after undergoing surgery on a fractured foot.
Chargers’ safety Adrian Phillips — who was replacing the injured standout safety Derwin James — broke his forearm during Sunday’s loss at Detroit and is now expected to be sidelined indefinitely, per league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 16, 2019
Clearly, the weakest link in the LA defense is the injury-depleted secondary. That’s not a recipe for success when the Chargers have to get past Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to win the AFC West.
Cutting Corners Proving Costly
The Chargers opted not to pay holdout runinng back Melvin Gordon, who ran for 885 yards and 10 TDs last season. It didn’t bother them in their Week 1 win over the Colts as Ekeler rambled for 154 all-purpose yards and three TDs.
Sunday, he was good for 133 all-purpose yards and a TD but his goal-line fumble was costly.
Teams seeking the Super Bowl pay their stars. That’s what the Dallas Cowboys did with Ezekiel Elliott.
Austin Ekeler on the Melvin Gordon holdout pic.twitter.com/BwMKQw0Z2s
— The Ringer (@ringer) September 15, 2019
Why an NFL team wouldn’t sign a legitimate kicker and would also ask their punter to perform double duty, something that’s been out of vogue almost as long as straight-on toe-style kickers, is also befuddling.
Going on the cheap isn’t a good look. And the Chargers paid for it in the loss to the Lions.
Lightning Won’t Strike
It would be easy to write off Sunday’s debacle as a one-off if the Bolts hadn’t also nearly bungled away their Week 1 triumph. Then again, they started 1-2 last season and ended up 12-4 and an AFC Wild Card.
What do you think Los Angeles about your Chargers?
Better get use to it because that’s the way Dean Spanos teams finish.
From Al Saunders to Dan Henning to Norv Turner to Anthony Lynn……In the end they always disappoint.
Commitment To Mediocrity! Enjoy!#Chargers pic.twitter.com/bUw2RBO6v7
— thehoch (@hochalicious) September 15, 2019
That might happen again but there isn’t a Super Bowl 54 win in the Chargers’ future. Don’t make that bet.
You’ve got better odds of being struck by Lightning.
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
