NFL Week 17 Betting – Denv. Can Clinch Bye with Win over SD

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos (-10, 41 o/u)

Reports out of Denver are that Peyton Manning is healed and ready to play. But the Broncos (11-4, 5-2 Home) aren’t ready to have him back just yet. Brock Osweiler will remain the team’s starter this weekend as Denver hosts the San Diego Chargers (4-11, 1-6 Away) at Mile High (4:25 PM Eastern), needing a win to clinch a first-round playoff bye.

On the off chance that the Patriots fall to the Dolphins in Week 17, the Broncos would also take over the no. 1 seed in the AFC with a win. If Denver falls to San Diego, though, and Cincinnati tops the 5-10 Ravens, the Broncos would fall to no. 3 and have to host a Wild Card game in the first round.

With New England and Cincy playing in the early window on Sunday, head coach Gary Kubiak will know exactly what’s at stake in his team’s afternoon game. No matter what’s on the line though, Kubiak has already stated that Osweiler will make his seventh start of the season. (The 6’8″ pivot is 4-2 so far as a starter.)

This obviously represents a new dynamic for Manning, a future Hall-of-Famer who isn’t used to playing second fiddle.

“I have to do whatever Coach says is best for the team,” Manning told the Denver Post. “It’s been an interesting year. … I have learned a lot about myself. I have been a good teammate and tried to help Brock in any way I can. It’s new to me. I will do whatever is best for the team. If they need me to play, to be in there, I will be ready. If they don’t feel that’s best for the team, then I will respect that decision and do what I can to help the team.”

Kubiak and company should have a decent amount of confidence in Osweiler after his performance last Monday against the Bengals. He struggled a bit early, but came through in the clutch and wound up completing 27 pf 39 passes for 299 yards and one touchdown, good enough for a 23-20 OT win.

Osweiler should have a much easier matchup this weekend against a San Diego team with a porous defense and nothing left to play for.

The Chargers do have the advantage of extra rest, though, with their last game coming against Oakland on Thursday in Week 16 (a 23-20 loss).

According to several reports, head coach Mike McCoy is on the hot seat in So-Cal. He has a 21-22 career record and hasn’t had more than nine wins in a season with the Chargers. Injuries have plagued his team all year, but with a potential relocation looming, the franchise could decide that now is the time to clean house and start fresh.

Sunday’s matchup will be the second of the year between the teams. In early December, the Broncos stymied the Chargers, 17-3, in an offensively-challenged game.  Denver’s top-ranked defense, which held the Chargers to just 272 total yards and forced three turnovers, proved to be the difference.

Denver is 8-1 SU in its last nine games against San Diego, but just 2-7-3 ATS in the last 12 at home against the Chargers. The Broncos are also a poor 1-6 ATS in their last seven games as a favorite, while the Chargers are an impressive 5-0 ATS in their last five on the road.

Pick: Chargers +10.

(Photo credit: Jeffrey Beall [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo may appear cropped.)