Thursday night football hits LA this week as the Chargers and Vikings clash at SoFi Stadium
Thursday Night Football breaks its divisional match-up streak this week but that doesn’t make the game any less intriguing.
This week it’s the Minnesota Vikings @ Los Angeles Chargers from the NFL‘s headquarters in Inglewood, Los Angeles. It’s a match-up between two pre-season darlings that haven’t quite lived up to the hype, for reasons not entirely within their control.
However, there remain two electric teams to watch both despite, and because of, their flaws, and Peter Sharland has picked out his favourite bets for the game…
Justin Herbert passing yards: Over 251.5
Keenan Allen receptions: Over 5.5
Oronde Gadsden receiving yards: Over 42.5
Carson Wentz passing yards: Over 222.5
Justin Jefferson receiving yards: Over 80.5
A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 13/1 with Paddy Power. TAP OR CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP
WHEN: Friday 14th October, 1.20am (UK)
WHERE: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood CA
WATCH: Sky Sports NFL
Justin Herbert passing yards: Over 251.5
Here’s a fun stat to kick things off with. Justin Herbert is the first player in NFL history (regular or postseason) to have 35+ completed passes, 420+ passing yards, 3+ passing TDs and 30+ rushing yards, all in a loss. Thanks to Opta for that one. Herbert is not a perfect QB, but he is an elite one and he is doing his best to drag this broken and battered team into the playoffs once more.
Herbert’s line is at 251.5 yards for this one and although Brian Flores’ defenses can always be tricky this is driven by the circumstances of the Chargers. They may get Joe Alt and Trey Pipkins back but they’ll still be without Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris so rushing will be tricky (Herbert was their leading rusher against the Colts on Sunday). Plus their defense is still pretty porous, expect Herbert to chuck it around the yard a lot.
Keenan Allen receptions: Over 5.5
Chargers legend Keenan Allen had a big game against the Colts, going for 119 yards on 11 catches. Allen is arguably Herbert’s favourite-ever weapon and he has already racked up a team leading 435 yards on his return to LA. As we mentioned earlier we expect Herbert to be chucking it and if he’s chucking it, we think he’ll be chucking it Allen’s way.
Oronde Gadsden receiving yards: Over 42.5
And we also think it might be going the way of rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden, who has exploded in the past two weeks. Through his first three games as a professional Gadsden had 76 receiving yards. In his last two he’s had 232. Herbert has been crying out for a reliable tight end since Hunter Henry left a few years ago and finally, he might have found it.
Carson Wentz Passing Yards: Over 222.5
Here’s another fun stat for you to start the Vikings section. Carson Wentz is 7-0 in his career on Thursday Night Football. Didn’t see that one coming did you?
Wentz’s time quarterbacking the Vikings has been the full Carson Wentz experience in every single aspect. Here’s our favourite stat from his four games as the starting QB for Minnesota. He’s had two games where he’s thrown for over 300 yards and two games where he’s thrown multiple interceptions. They were the same two games.
Wentz’s line is at 222.5 for this one and whilst his defense should give him more protection than Herbert he still has the same gunslinger mentality and we expect him to go out in a blaze of glory before JJ McCarthy returns next week against Detroit.
Justin Jefferson Receiving Yards: Over 80.5
And of course, we can’t talk about the Vikings without talking about Justin Jefferson. He is perhaps being a little overshadowed by what Ja’Marr Chase is doing without Joe Burrow but in another messy situation Jefferson has very quietly racked up 528 receiving yards, which is good for sixth in the NFL.
The elephant in the room is that he’s only got one receiving touchdown, whereas everyone else in the top 10 for receiving yards has at least two but those will come later. And besides, we’re not talking about touchdowns, we’re talking about receiving yards, with Jefferson’s line set at 80.5 for this one. He’s done this in two of his last three (and the other game was 79 yards) and he’s facing a very favourable defense.
Justin Herbert passing yards: Over 251.5
Keenan Allen receptions: Over 5.5
Oronde Gadsden receiving yards: Over 42.5
Carson Wentz passing yards: Over 222.5
Justin Jefferson receiving yards: Over 80.5
A Bet Builder with these bets pays at approximately 13/1 with Paddy Power. TAP OR CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP
*All odds and lines quoted are correct at time of publication but are subject to change
READ MORE
- Check out the latest NFL Specials for the new season on PaddyPower.com
- Get the latest NFL tips from Paddy Power News
- Free-to-play NFL game: Win big on the gridiron with Paddy’s new contest
- NFL London games: Jacksonville Jaguars v Los Angeles Rams date, kick-off time and half-time show
- Paddy Power: Premier League is back, Ascot thriller on Saturday, Super Bowl predictions, McIlroy magic again?
Tap here for PP.com’s latest NFL odds
The Paddy Power Guide To Safer Gambling – Everything You Need To Know
