Chargers, Packers attempting to bounce back from losses in rare Lambeau Field matchup
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4-5) at GREEN BAY (3-6)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox
OPENING LINE: Chargers by 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Chargers 4-5; Packers 4-5
SERIES RECORD: Packers lead 10-2
LAST MEETING: Chargers beat Packers 26-11 in Los Angeles on Nov. 3, 2019.
LAST WEEK: Chargers lost 41-38 at home to Detroit Lions; Packers lost 23-19 at Pittsburgh.
CHARGERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (22), PASS (8), SCORING (7)
CHARGERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (12), PASS (32), SCORING (24)
PACKERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (21), PASS (19), SCORING (21)
PACKERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (27), PASS (7), SCORING (11-T)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Chargers plus-8; Packers minus-4
CHARGERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Justin Herbert passed for 323 yards and four touchdowns last week in a loss. He has at least three TD passes and a passer rating of 110 in two of his past three games.
PACKERS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Jayden Reed, a rookie second-round pick from Michigan State, is developing into one of the most intriguing playmakers in the Packers’ young offense. Reed caught five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers, the second time in three games he has had at least 83 yards receiving. Reed has seven receptions of at least 30 yards this season. Only Miami’s Tyreek Hill has more.
KEY MATCHUP: Herbert vs. Packers secondary: Green Bay has been dealing with multiple injuries in its secondary, but has allowed just 119 yards passing in each of its past two games. The opposing quarterbacks in those games were Brett Rypien and Kenny Pickett. Herbert obviously offers a significantly tougher challenge.
KEY INJURIES: Chargers TE Gerald Everett won’t play due to a chest injury. … Chargers WR Keenan Allen (shoulder), WR Jalen Guyton (groin) and RB Isaiah Spiller (illness) are questionable. … Packers CB Eric Stokes (hamstring) and S Darnell Savage (calf) are on injured reserve and must miss at least one more game. … Packers S Rudy Ford (biceps) is doubtful. Packers LB Quay Walker (groin), OLB Rashan Gary (shoulder) and CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder) are questionable. Walker has missed two straight games. Alexander missed the Packers’ loss to Pittsburgh.
SERIES NOTES: The Chargers snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series with their 26-11 victory in 2019. … The Chargers haven’t won at Lambeau Field since 1984 but have only played there three times since. This represents the Chargers’ first visit to Lambeau Field since a 27-20 loss to the Packers in 2015. The Packers allowed 503 yards passing to Philip Rivers that day, but won by making a fourth-and-goal stop from the 3 with 15 seconds remaining. … This marks the first head-to-head coaching matchup between Los Angeles’ Brandon Staley and Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur.
STATS AND STUFF: The Chargers are 2-1 against the NFC North this season. … The Chargers offense finished last week’s game against Detroit by scoring a touchdown on each of its last five drives. It was the first time since 2018 they had scored TDs on five straight possessions. … The Chargers offense also is second in the league in red zone touchdown rate (72.4%). … Chargers RB Austin Ekeler is averaging 102.7 scrimmage yards and has scored four touchdowns in the past three games. … Chargers WR Keenan Allen is tied for the league lead with 73 receptions and has at least eight catches in three straight games. … Chargers WR Quentin Johnston, the Chargers’ first-round pick, caught his first NFL touchdown last week. … Chargers LB Khalil Mack is tied for fifth in the league with nine sacks. … Chargers LB Tuli Tuipulotu leads NFL rookies in tackles for loss (seven) and is second with four sacks. … Chargers S Derwin James had a season-high 13 tackles last week. … K Cameron Dicker has made 35 of 37 field goals since joining the Chargers last season. … The Chargers’ Darius Davis leads the league with a 16.6-yard punt return average. … The Packers have scored touchdowns on just two of their nine red zone possessions over the past two games. … Sunday’s loss at Pittsburgh marked the first time in franchise history that the Packers had three rookies (Reed, Luke Musgrave and Dontayvion Wicks) with at least 50 yards receiving in the same game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. … Packers CB/KR Keisean Nixon averages an NFL-leading 26.4 yards per kickoff return. … The Packers are scoring 14.4 second-half points per game to rank behind only the Miami Dolphins. The Packers are averaging 5.4 first-half points per game to rank second to last in the league, ahead of only the New York Giants. … Packers OLB Preston Smith has five sacks over his past five games.
FANTASY TIP: This could be a good game for both starting quarterbacks. We’re assuming most fantasy owners who have Herbert on their roster already are starting him every week. But this also might be a good week to pick Packers QB Jordan Love up off the waiver wire or to start him if he’s already on your roster. After a rough stretch, Love has played better the past couple of weeks, though he did throw two late interceptions in Pittsburgh. The Packers probably will need to put up plenty of points to keep up with the Chargers’ high-powered offense. That could mean Love produces some big numbers against a Chargers defense that allows the most yards passing per game in the league.
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