On October 23, the Los Angeles Chargers host the Minnesota Vikings for some Week 8 Thursday Night Football. Both of these teams are coming off losses, meaning they’ll be hungry to get back in the win column. We’ll be diving into all of the primetime games this season, and this one isn’t any different. With that in mind, keep reading for betting odds, picks and player props for this exciting showdown. Also, make sure you head over to our Week 8 NFL Betting Hub for a look at all of our NFL betting content.
MORE: Head to the Pro Picks page for best bets from all of our VSiN hosts and analysts!
How To Watch Vikings vs. Chargers
When: Thursday, October 23 at 8:15 pm ET
Where: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
Channel: Prime Video (Amazon)
Vikings vs. Chargers Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate as of Tuesday, October 21. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: Chargers -175, Vikings +145
Spread: Chargers -3 (-120), Vikings +3 (+100)
Total: Over 44.5 (-112), Under 44.5 (-108)
Vikings vs. Chargers Analysis
The Vikings continue to say that J.J. McCarthy isn’t ready for action, meaning we’ll see Carson Wentz under center for Minnesota. Wentz does some things that McCarthy doesn’t. He takes chances throwing the ball down the field, meaning guys like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison aren’t completely wasted. However, Wentz also makes a ton of mistakes. He threw two costly picks early in the loss to Philadelphia that put his team in a hole that it just couldn’t climb out of it. Wentz also wasn’t able to deliver in the red zone last week, with the Vikings going 1 for 7 in that part of the field. Will they figure that out on the short week?
It would appear a lot of people don’t believe in Minnesota to right last week’s wrongs. The public is heavily on Los Angeles in this one, according to our DraftKings betting splits. The Circa betting splits aren’t any different. Though it should be noted that the Chargers aren’t coming off a great performance either. They got absolutely smacked by the Colts, with their defense looking miserable. Indianapolis averaged 6.9 yards per play and went a combined 8 for 14 on third and fourth downs. So don’t make the mistake of just assuming L.A. is the same team that started the season 3-0. The Chargers have lost three of their last four games — and the one win was an uninspiring victory over a bad Dolphins squad.
If I had to take a side in this game, I’d actually take the points with Minnesota. The Vikings are 13-1 straight-up under Kevin O’Connell when facing teams that force 1.0 or fewer turnovers per game, winning those games by an average of 6.3 points per game. They’re also 8-1 SU when playing on the road in games with totals between 42.5 and 45 points in that span, winning those contests by an average of 5.0 points per game. That said, there’s some trends that suggest Minnesota will win this game outright, but you can grab 3.5 just to be safe. I’ll also note that I have a little more faith in Brian Flores than Jesse Minter when it comes to getting the defense ready on a short week. However, my favorite play in this game is the Over, so I suppose the trust I have in Flores isn’t too high at the moment.
You never want to put too much weight in one performance, but these defenses were absolutely awful last week. Jalen Hurts, who has struggled as a passer this season, went 19 for 23 for 326 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. And he was able to loft the ball over the top of the defense, finding A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith whenever Philadelphia was in obvious passing situations. Los Angeles doesn’t have weapons quite like those two, but Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen, and Quentin Johnston make up a pretty good pass-catching trio. Herbert should be able to do some damage with them, especially with the running back room in shambles.
Minnesota should also have a good amount of success offensively in this game. While Wentz has had his issues, the Vikings have been moving the ball. They have also scored at least 21 points in three consecutive games, which wouldn’t be an awful baseline as we look for these teams to score at least 45. And there’s a chance they look even better with Aaron Jones coming back, adding somebody to mix in with Jordan Mason while also serving as a receiver out of the backfield. That running back duo should be amped up for this matchup. Minnesota’s offensive line isn’t nearly as good as Indianapolis’, but Jonathan Taylor ran all over this Los Angeles defense last week.
The Over is also 9-4 in the 13 games the Vikings have played as road underdogs under O’Connell. It’s also 8-3 when the team is coming off a game in which it had a turnover margin of -2 or worse. On top of that, the Over is 3-1 when the Chargers are coming off a home loss under Jim Harbaugh.
Vikings vs. Chargers Player Props
Lean: Jordan Addison Over 51.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
There’s a real connection between Wentz and Addison. The 23-year-old is averaging 94.3 receiving yards per game since returning from his suspension, and he’s coming off a game in which he had nine catches for 128 yards against the Eagles. Addison was also targeted 12 times in that game, showing how much trust Wentz has in him. Well, this is a game in which Addison should be able to consistently create separation. Our OptaAI player projections have him going for 61.22 receiving yards, which is an edge of 5.72 with DraftKings’ total of 55.5. But BetMGM has the number at 51.5, making this an even better option.
Vikings vs. Chargers Pick
It sometimes feels like going Over on Thursday Night Football games causes a chain reaction that leads to the ugliest games ever played, but I just can’t imagine these defenses consistently coming away with timely stops. The Vikings secondary has some real problems right now, and those are issues that Herbert should be able to exploit. The Chargers also have their issues, meaning that even Wentz should be able to put some points on the board.
Bet: Over 44.5 (-110)
