For all the right motivational reasons I love the Los Angeles Chargers today getting the more than a touchdown on the spread against the homestanding Buffalo Bills. The Chargers lost their two opening games at home, and the Bills won a tough one on the road against the Houston Texans and blasted the talented Detroit Lions in second week Thursday night action.
How do the Bills prepare with any level of intensity when this game appears such an obvious mismatch?
Then again, maybe it is a mismatch.
The Chargers two home losses to open the season came by double digits to the suspect Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders. Those two teams won less than 20% of their games last season and both beat the Chargers by double-digits on Los Angeles’ home field.
Know how rare that is?
The only other National Football League team that was beaten so badly in back-to-back home games by squads coming off sub-.200-win percentages was … wait for it … the1926 Racine Tornadoes. For the record, that team played one more game, lost to Green Bay by a 35-0 score, and then disbanded.
I’m not expecting the Chargers to disband after this week, even if the Bills tag them with a 35-0 setback. But two things are for sure, I’m going to turn my back on this motivational spot out of respect for talent and we may be seeing the beginning of the end of Jim Harbaugh serving as the Chargers head coach. He has a habit of ending with teams on a sour note going back to both college and professional coaching stops.
In Indianapolis, a couple teams that thought they would be in the playoff hunt this season are simply looking to break into the win column when the Colts host the Houston Texans. The Texans were beaten at home on opening day by the talented Bills and lost a second straight game at Reliant Stadium last Sunday to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Houston is considered to have one of the league’s best defenses but in their opening two games on their home field the Texans allowed their opponents 56 points. Their offense, which has remained a work in progress in recent seasons, is without quarterback C.J. Stroud’s favorite receiver, Nico Collins. He is sidelined with a hamstring strain.
Colts Quarterback Daniel Jones is also missing his top receiver, Alec Pierce, who is headed to injured reserve with a heel injury. The good news for the Colts is they have other weapons for Daniels’ including All Pro Runningback Jonathan Taylor.
There will be no let down for either of these AFC South Division squads looking to get into the 2026 win column. But the Colts at home following their gutsy overtime road loss to Kansas City last Sunday night are geared to get a victory while handing the Texans a third straight loss.
Weather conditions are mostly mild at the outdoor NFL venues today and tonight but there is some rain expected for the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens matchup in Rio in the second of nine International games this season. Rain is also in the forecast when Washington hosts the Seattle Seahawks. The worst weather is in New Jersey where the New York Giants will entertain the Tennessee Titans. This one will encounter both rain and wind that could affect play on the field.
As for the public, they have checked in with their three favorite plays of the week beginning with the Buffalo Bills (-7½) points over the seemingly overmatched Chargers. The next two most popular plays for the betting public are the Seattle Seahawks (-7½) over the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions (-6½) over the New York Jets.
As for the Qoxhi money rated plays they are now posted on this site and if a Bullet Play develops in the final hour before kickoff that game will be added to the recommendations at least 15 minutes before the day’s first kick off.