NFL Betting Lines Overview The San Diego Chargers are going to put forth a great deal of effort to beat the Detroit Lions in this game. Even if San Diego wins the game, the Broncos can make the win useless by beating the Buffalo Bills and eliminating the Chargers from contention for the AFC West title. But the Chargers would still be alive for an AFC Wild Card spot. San Diego would need a lot of help to nail down a wild card spot and it probably won’t get the help it needs. This could be the last season for head coach Norv Turner, but firing Turner now is pointless. According to the price per head sports experts, the Chargers are getting older and the window of opportunity is closing on quarterback Philip Rivers. Anything Turner accomplishes now will be with a group that is nowhere near as talented as the group that has already been disbanded in San Diego. The Detroit Lions look liked like it was going to slowly fade away with a couple of losses in a row. But the Lions have fought back and the pay per head sports experts have the Lions in charge of its own playoff destiny. The Lions have a two-game lead over the Chicago Bears and a whole host of others for the sixth and final playoff spot. A win in this game and the Lions clinch a playoff spot for 2011. This team is a long way from the team that 0-16 and there are legends being born in Detroit these days. This is a young and talented football team. But it is the young part that has many people concerned in this playoff run. San Diego Chargers If the Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets each win in week 16, then the San Diego Chargers are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. The recent run by the Chargers is just like the run at the end of last season; too little, too late. This team consistently underperforms at the beginning of the season and then winds up missing out on the playoffs. A bodog review of the Chargers’ roster and stats shows a team that is way too good to be out of playoff contention. But turnovers and penalties are keeping the Chargers out of the win column and those are issues that need to be addressed by the head coach. Those will also be the main reasons why Norv Turner will no longer be the coach of the Chargers when this season mercifully ends for San Diego. Detroit Lions The Lions’ playoff scenario is pretty simple. The Lions need to keep winning to secure a playoff spot and to have momentum rolling into the playoffs. Even though the Detroit Lions have the talent to win in the playoffs, it lacks the maturity to recognize the difference between playoff football and regular season football. Ndamukong Suh needs to grow up considerably if he is going to be the asset to his team that he needs to be. This may not be the playoffs where the Lions do a lot of damage, but it will definitely be an important step in the team’s development. The Bottom Line The NFL schedule has the Detroit Lions playing back to back AFC West games towards the end of the season. That is good because all of the AFC West teams are on a roll right now. This game won’t be as close as the Oakland game, but it will be just as fun for Detroit fans to watch. Pick: Detroit Lions
