NFL Week 12 teaser: Backing the scrappy Chargers, Giants
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Last week I said we may never lose again. Spoiler - we lost.
Despite an outright win from the Titans (+12), the Falcons (+11) couldn't cover the number in New Orleans.
Let's get back in the win column in Week 12.
Chargers @ Bills, Nov. 29 @ 1 p.m. ET
Line: Chargers +5.5
Teaser line: Chargers +11.5
Just three teams this season have yet to lose a game by more than a score - the Steelers, Chiefs ... and Chargers. Anthony Lynn's deficiencies have relegated Los Angeles to a miserable 2-7 record in one-score games, including some truly heartbreaking losses, but this is a competitive football team.
Justin Herbert continues to excel far beyond expectations, masking some important injuries on both sides of the ball. Now the Chargers get Joey Bosa back, while Austin Ekeler also returned to practice this week. It spells trouble for a Bills defense that grades as the 25th-ranked unit, according to PFF, while ranking dead last against the run.
Josh Allen's struggles against pressure are well-documented, so the return of Bosa comes at an inopportune time for Brian Daboll's offense, which also appears set to be without John Brown here. Brown is the guy who takes the top off a defense, and his absence shortens the field, allowing teams to zero in on Stefon Diggs. There's serious upset potential in Buffalo on Sunday.
Giants @ Bengals, Nov. 22 @ 1 p.m.
Line: Giants -6
Teaser line: Giants PK
You have to wonder what the mood in Bengals camp has been like this week after Joe Burrow went down with a season-ending knee injury. Cincinnati's season is also over at 2-7-1, and it's going to be tough for them to get up for this game, in a mostly empty stadium, with Brandon Allen under center.
Allen, in his fifth season in the league, has become something of a journeyman. The Bengals are the fourth team to employ him, and he's appeared in just three NFL games. Each of those were starts with the Broncos last season, where he completed just 46% of his passes. There will be added pressure on him to produce behind a terrible offensive line, as the running game has been completely non-existent with Joe Mixon injured. Ryan Finley led the Bengals in rushing last week with 19 yards.
Allen will face an underrated Giants secondary that's allowed just 15 touchdown passes (eighth-fewest) and 27 plays of 20 or more yards (sixth-fewest). The bend-but-don't-break approach means Allen will have to sustain long drives without the help of his running game, which is rather unrealistic to expect.
Meanwhile, Daniel Jones is playing as well as he has all season and will find himself in a great spot for success here. The Bengals rank 25th in the NFL in allowing 7.3 yards per pass this season, while their pass rush ranks dead last. Jones is completing 74% of his passes this season from a clean pocket and has been in a rhythm of late, producing with both his arm and legs. The Giants will simply be too much for a shorthanded Bengals team this week.
Full teaser: Chargers +11.5, Giants PK ($110 to win $100)
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.