SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
Turner Around: Norv Turner has quite a legacy to follow. Marty Schottenheimer won football games, at least during the regular season. Over the last 3 years, Marty’s Chargers had two seasons of 12+ wins, and no losing records. However, a 35-13 record over the past 3 seasons wasn’t enough for Marty to keep his job, as Norv Turner was hired to replace him. Norv has high expectations in San Diego. He has to improve Phillip Rivers and utilize all the talent that has led to 3 straight winning seasons and two playoff appearances in the last 3 years. The Chargers are a Top 5 Super Bowl favorite, but first, team officials hope Turner can improve on the winless playoff streak the Chargers are riding.
Over or Under: Over the last 3 seasons, the Chargers have been just about even over/under. Over that span, the Chargers are 23-24 O/U. At home they are 13-11 O/U, while on the road they are 10-14 on the road. Last season, the Chargers were 10-6 O/U. 5-3 at home and the same on the road. The Chargers hit the over 6 times in a row in the middle of 2006. Despite their 1-2 O/U start last season, over the last 3 seasons, the Chargers are 7-4 O/U in the first 4 weeks of the season.
Against the Spread: In 2006, the Chargers were 9-7 ATS, but that’s the worst year they’ve had in over the last 3 seasons. They were 9-5-2 in 2005 and 12-2-2 in 2004. That means, that over the last 3 seasons, the Chargers are an unbelievable 30-13-5 ATS. I don’t have the exact numbers, but I’m guessing that is the best ATS record in football. The Chargers have gone 15-8-1 ATS at home and 15-5-4 ATS on the road.
Straight Up: Over the last 3 seasons, the Chargers have been consistently dominant. In 3 years, the Chargers went 35-13 SU, and never lost more than 7 games in a season, winning 12 in 2005 and 14 in 2006. The Chargers were 9-7 in 2005. Over those 3 seasons the Chargers were 19-5 SU in San Diego, and a very impressive 16-8 on the road. San Diego was undefeated at home during the regular season last year. They were 6-2 on the road. The Chargers were 13-1 SU as a favorite last year, taking their only loss as a favorite to Kansas City in Week 7. They also lost to the Patriots in the playoffs.
AFC San Diego: Last year, the division might as well have been renamed the AFC SD, because San Diego was 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS against divisional opponents last season. In 2005 the Chargers were 3-3 SU and 3-2-1 ATS. In 2004 they were 5-1 SU and 3-0-3 ATS. That’s 3 years of very good divisional play, and an ATS record of 10-4-4 over the last 3 seasons. Chances are, the Chargers will win (13-5 over last 3 seasons) and cover (10-4-4 over that span) but the Chargers also have a very good chance of finishing under the total in rivalry games. Against their division, the Chargers are 5-13 O/U over the past 3 seasons.
