By Spencer Closs North Star Bets,Spencer Closs NorthStar Bets
Copyright thestar
The Denver Broncos visit the Los Angeles Chargers for a pivotal early-season AFC West matchup.
The pregame narrative: The Chargers have jumped out to a 2-0 start, which is good enough for the top spot in the division. Denver can even things up atop the AFC West with a win on the road Sunday afternoon.
Check out my Broncos vs. Chargers +425 same-game parlay predictions for Week 3, featuring Bo Nix and Troy Franklin.
Broncos vs. Chargers SGP predictions
SGP: Chargers ML | Nix over 19.5 rushing yards | Franklin 30+ receiving yards (+425)
Chargers ML (-148): This has the makings of a close game on paper, but I give the Chargers the edge.
L.A. has looked really good through two weeks. First, it beat the Kansas City Chiefs by six in Brazil and then stifled the Las Vegas Raiders 20-9 on Monday Night Football.
On the other side, the Broncos have a strong defence, but they’re coming off a game in which they allowed 473 yards to the Indianapolis Colts.
Behind Bo Nix, the offence also feels a step behind. The second-year quarterback has thrown four TDs, three INTs and has an inferior passer rating of 82.0.
In my opinion, the Chargers are the better team right now on both sides of the ball and hold home-field advantage in this contest.
NFL SGP picks
Nix over 19.5 rushing yards (-114): Nix isn’t known for his speed, but he’s an efficient runner out of the backfield.
The Chargers’ defence only blitzes 12.6% of the time. That means Nix should have time in the pocket and can set up some big runs if his receivers are covered.
Patrick Mahomes ran for 57 yards on six rushes against L.A. in Week 1, then Geno Smith cleared this line in Week 2, rushing for 20 yards on five carries.
The latter is nowhere near as athletic as Nix in his age-34 season.
Franklin 30+ receiving yards (-250): The fourth-round draft pick is quickly earning his keep as an important part of Denver’s offence.
He played 59% of snaps in Week 1 and then led all Broncos receivers in Week 2 with an 83% snap share. That was surprisingly higher than Courtland Sutton (78%).
Franklin has earned the extra time. Look at his stats to start the season:
He may not end the year as the Broncos’ WR1, but he’s certainly solidified himself as a strong second option for Nix in this offence.
And if he’s going to continue getting more opportunities, this line is far too low. I want to take advantage while this number is still available early in the season.
Broncos vs. Chargers predictions made at 9:39 a.m. ET on 09/19/2025.
Looking to get started? Sign up here.
Spencer Closs Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Bets as an intern in 2023, before re-joining the team as a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.
