Los Angeles Chargers vs. Atlanta Falcons Matchup Preview (12/13/20): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

The Los Angeles Chargers will take on the Atlanta Falcons at home for week 14 of the NFL season. The Chargers have been officially eliminated from playoff contention in the AFC and the Falcons are holding on with a 4-8 record. Both teams are coming off of upsetting losses last weekend. The Chargers failed to score any points in a 45-0 loss to the Patriots and the Falcons lost by just 5 points to the NFC leader, the New Orleans Saints. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Los Angeles Chargers vs. Atlanta Falcons Matchup Page.

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, December 13th, 2020
Time: 4:25 PM ET
Location: SoFi Stadium – Los Angeles, California
TV Coverage: FOX

Chargers vs. Falcons Live Stream

Where can you watch Chargers vs. Falcons online? You can stream this game and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch (use 2nd name. IE – Vikings) vs. Team B (use 2nd name. IE – Vikings) Free Online Now.

Injuries:

Los Angeles Chargers: Questionable: Chris Harris, Casey Hayward, Rayshawn Jenkins, Joshua Kelley
Atlanta Falcons: Questionable: Dante Fowler, Ito Smith, Hayden Hurst, Sterling Hofrichter, Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, Julio Jones, Foye Oluokun, Grady Jarrett, Todd Gurley, Keanu Neal, James Carpenter, Ricardo Allen

Los Angeles Chargers Analysis

The Los Angeles Chargers have officially been eliminated from playoff contention this season. The Chargers are coming off their worst loss of the season, in a 45 point shutout against the New England Patriots. They sit at 3-9 on the season in dead last in the AFC West. They could use a win to turn their spirits around next week against the Atlanta Falcons.

Justin Herbert has been an elite quarterback this season. He is in the top 10 for completions, touchdowns, and one spot away from yards. Last week, he experienced his first roadblock in the stat book this whole season in a complete shutdown. He was kept to 209 yards and two interceptions on the day in his first game without a touchdown. Lucky for the Chargers, the Falcons allow the 6th highest completion percentage to quarterbacks, the third-most passing yards per game, and the fifth most passing touchdowns per game this season.

The highly anticipated return of Austin Ekeler has been nothing short of excitement for the Chargers. Last week, he had 8 carries for 36 yards and 4 catches for 32 yards. The week prior, Ekeler put up 11 catches from the backfield for 85 yards. He has yet to see the endzone yet since his return, but he will hope to find it against the Falcons next week. Atlanta hardly gets rushed against as a team, but they do allow 4.5 yards per attempt and have a weaker passing defense which gives Ekeler all the opportunity to have a great week next week.

The Chargers’ defense hardly gets passed against in the NFL, only 33.2 times per game. So, they rank in the top half for most passing defensive categories this season. But, their rushing defense has been a problem for them. They allow over 120 rushing yards per game and 4.6 yards per attempt to their opponents. They will need to take care of the run while keeping their elite wide receivers intact.

Los Angeles Chargers Depth Chart

QB: Tyrod Taylor
RB1: Austin Ekeler
RB2: Justin Jackson
WR1: Keenan Allen
WR2: Mike Williams
WR3: Joe Reed
TE: Hunter Henry

Atlanta Falcons Analysis

The Atlanta Falcons are 4-8 and in third place in the NFC South with a small glimpse of playoff hope still left for them. They are just two wins behind the Vikings and the Cardinals in the NFC and would need to go close to winning out to give them a chance. Last week, they lost an unforgiving game to the New Orleans Saints at home, but they kept it close to within 5 points.

Matt Ryan had a tough game last week against the Saints’ defense. He completed just 48.7% of his passes for 273 yards and one touchdown. He was also sacked three times and fumbled the ball in the early fourth quarter. He did connect with his trio of Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Russell Gage for 253 of his 273 passing yards. The Chargers allow the fifth least amount of passing yards this season and a 63.07% completion rate to opposing quarterbacks on the year, so the Falcons will have a challenge.

Todd Gurley should be a major key for the Falcons in this matchup, due to the Chargers’ lackadaisical rushing defense. The Chargers are in the bottom ten teams for rushing yards allowed, rushing touchdowns allowed, and yards per attempt allowed. Gurley struggled last week, getting only 8 touches for 16 yards against the Saints’ strict rushing defense. Gurley has been dealing with a knee injury that cost him a 33% offensive snap count last week, but he should have a larger role this weekend.

The Falcons’ defense has been their primary weakness this season against opposing teams. Atlanta does well against the run, but they are in the bottom five for NFL teams in passing yards, touchdowns, and completion percentage allowed to quarterbacks. Herbert and his supporting cast have been outstanding in the passing game, and Ekeler is a dark horse in the passing game too. The Falcons will need to scheme well against the weapons that the Chargers possess, and take advantage of their weak defense.

Atlanta Falcons

QB: Matt Ryan
RB1: Todd Gurley
RB2: Ito Smith
WR1: Julio Jones
WR2: Calvin Ridley
WR3: Russell Gage
TE: Hayden Hurst

Betting Corner

Spread: +/- 2.5
Moneyline: Falcons -141, Chargers +125
Over/Under: 49.5

Prediction

Spread: Falcons -2.5
Moneyline: Falcons -141
Over/Under: o49.5

The Falcons could use any win they can take to buy themselves an opportunity at the playoffs. They are mostly looking forward to a fresh start next season after having fired their coach and general manager earlier this season. The Chargers have already been eliminated from the postseason, so their locker room might be gone for the year. The Falcons have covered more spreads this season than the Falcons at 5-7 ATS and have won more games, so I would choose the Falcons for this one.

The Falcons and the Chargers can be high scoring teams when they see opponents with poor defenses, and I think that is what this game could turn into. I would take the over for the high chance these offenses get the ball rolling early.

Love/Hate Fantasy Picks

Love

Justin Herbert had himself the toughest week of fantasy last week against the New England Patriots. He came out with just 4.36 fantasy points on the week and had his worst day of fantasy on the year. But, he still averages 22.1 points per game and ranks 8th amongst quarterbacks in fantasy, making him a QB1. The Falcons have allowed the most points to quarterbacks this season and the fourth most to wide receivers, so I would bet that Justin Herbert has a great fantasy week next week. He has projected 22.1 fantasy points next week as the projected QB6.

Hate

Russell Gage has had himself a nice three-game stretch in the past three weeks with two weeks over 12+ fantasy points in that span. Last week, his 4-51-1 line got him 15.1 fantasy points for his third-highest point total of the year. But, the Chargers have allowed the fourth least amount of fantasy points to wide receivers this season and have a decent secondary. I pick on Gage because he is the third or fourth option for this offense, and his points rely heavily on him getting in the endzone. He has projected 8.75 points next weekend.