Here is it. The last Sunday NFL game in the 2008 regular season. The Denver Broncos play the San Diego Chargers for the AFC West Championship.  John Madden and Al Michaels will be in the booth for the game.

GAME INFO
Date: Sunday, Dec 28, 2008
Kickoff:  8:15 PM ET
Teams: Denver Broncos vs San Diego Chargers
Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego California
TV: NBC

THE LINE (subject to change)
The Chargers are favorite by 8 points (-7).  The Under/Over is 49

THE MATCHUP
The winner is the champion of the AFC West. The loser goes home.
Denver is 8-7 overall and 4-3 on the road. They are 3-2 in the AFC West and 5-6 in the AFC
San Diego is 7-8 overall and 4-3 at home. They are 4-1 in the AFC West and 6-5 in the AFC
AGAINST THE SPREAD (ATS)
The Broncos are 5-10 overall ATS. They are 4-3 ATS away, 4-2 ATS underdog and 3-2 ATS as an away underdog.

The Chargers are 6-9 overall ATS.  They are 3-4 ATS at home, 4-8 ATS as the favorite and 3-4 ATS as home favorite

PREVIEW
Philip Rivers is on a serious roll and he is averaging 270 yards with 2.2 TDs vs just 0.5 interceptions for a simulation passer rating of 114. With Jay Cutler mustering just an 82 rating the Chargers are heavy 84 percent favorites. The Broncos lost 2 more RBs to injury and Tatum Bell and recently signed Cory Boyd are averaging well under 4 ypc. The Broncos have relied solely on the passing offense to win games this year. To pull off the upset they not only need a huge 3 TD performance from Jay Cutler, they also need the defense to sack Rivers twice and have at least 2 Chargers turnovers. In these simulations the Broncos pull even with an average simulation score of 30-30.
 
PREDICTION (ATS)
San Diego Chargers 35   Denver Broncos 14
Phillip Rivers will lead the Chargers into the Post season.  The Denver Broncos will not be able to overcome 2 more injuries to their running backs. Expect a high scoring affair - at least for the Chargers.

Oakland Raiders (3-9, 2-4) vs San Diego Chargers (4-8, 3-3) 

Date: Thursday, Dec 4, 2008
Kickoff:  8:15 PM ET
Location: Qualcom Field

The Line: San Diego giving 8 points    Under/Over 42 1/2

Matchup
Oakland is 3-9.  They have scored 172 points while giving up 265. They are 2-4 on the road and 2-3 in their division

San Diego is 4-8. They have scored 290 points while giving up 274. They are 3-3 at home and 2-1 in their division.

PREVIEW 
The San Diego Chargers haven’t had a losing season in five years. It’s been just as long since their last loss to the Oakland Raiders. Possibly the most disappointing team of this NFL season wants to make sure neither of those streaks end Thursday night, with the Chargers hosting the Raiders and looking to avoid putting their slim playoff hopes at risk this weekend.

HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUPS (SINCE 2001)
San Diego leads 11-4

MORE INFO
Both of these teams lost last week, and with the Broncos’ victory over the Jets, the lowly AFC West looks to be all but wrapped up. Neither the Chargers nor the Raiders have much hope for a wild-card berth. The Chargers were beaten at home by Atlanta in just about every area of the game, while Oakland lost to a Chiefs team that had just one win for the season. San Diego won the first contest 28-18 in Week 4, and both teams will be playing for pride on a national stage.

KEY FACTORS
If the Chargers lose they are out. Raiders are already out.  Chargers are playing for their lives.

Chargers are on a three-game losing streak, equaling the longest he’s seen since joining the Chargers in 2004. San Diego hasn’t dropped four straight since an 0-5 start in 2003, and one of those losses was a 34-31 defeat in Oakland.

The Raiders (3-9) have lost all 10 meetings since that game, and only one of the last seven has been decided by fewer than 10 points.

AGAINST THE SPREAD
Just as expected, considering the Chargers beat the Raiders in their visit to Oakland in September by 10 points (28-18).  When wagering on these betting numbers, keep in mind that Oakland is 2-4 against the spread in its last 6 games and has won only 4 of its last 25 games on the road. Meanwhile San Diego is 9-4 against the spread in its last 13 games at home, but 10-1 against the spread in its last 11 games when playing Oakland. Also, the total has gone UNDER in 7 of the Chargers last 8 games when playing at home against the Raiders.

PREDICTION
Chargers 35-21