Hot Broncos Host Chargers in AFC West Matchup on Thursday Night

Denver Opened as a 7-point Home Favorite Against San Diego.

NFL Week 8 begins in Denver with the Broncos (5-1) hosting the San Diego Chargers (5-2) on Thursday Night Football. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook opened the game Denver -7 with the total of 51.5. The Broncos have since climbed to -8 and are as high as -8.5 at the South Point (click here for latest NFL odds).

The Chargers comes into this game off a 23-20 home loss to division rival Kansas City. It was their first loss in the last six games, and they have also failed to cover their past two after going 5-0 against the spread to start the season. San Diego can't be excited to be facing the Broncos right now. Denver is on fire, winning and covered the spread in three straight games. But if the Chargers were paying attention, they just saw the Chiefs implement the game plan against them that they need to use to beat the Broncos, ball control leading to extended drives that end in points. Carrying out that strategy would help keep Denver's record-breaking quarterback Peyton Manning and his lethal offense off the field.

San Diego has gone 4-0 ATS in its last four trips to the Mile High City, including the playoffs, and the team's defense has been pretty solid against the Broncos in recent meetings. The Chargers have only allowed 30 points to Denver once in the last four meetings, and they will certainly need a similar defensive effort if they hope to steal this game on Thursday. San Diego is certainly capable of it with a defense currently ranked fifth in the NFL in total defense, allowing just 316.4 yards per game.

The Broncos are riding high after a 42-17 blowout of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. They also saw history, with Manning breaking Brett Favre's record of 508 career touchdown passes. Manning ended the night with four touchdowns to give him 510 for his career. Expect the ball to be in the air again a great deal against the Chargers. Denver ranks third in the NFL with 298.8 yards passing yards per game and fourth in the league in total offense.

Defensively, the Broncos have also improved greatly from last season. The addition of free agents including defensive end DeMarcus Ware, cornerback Aqib Talib and safety T.J. Ward have all helped greatly.  They are currently sixth in the NFL in total defense and points allowed. A win here would put Denver two games clear of San Diego in the AFC West standings, so this game is huge for both teams with playoff-level intensity expected.

Here are a few key NFL betting trends to consider before heading to the window to wager on this game: The "under" is 14-4 in the last 18 games against AFC opponents for the Chargers and 8-3 in that situation for the Broncos as well. San Diego is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games overall and 7-1-1 vs. the line in the team's last nine trips to Denver.

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