Steelers-Chargers Odds: Philip Rivers, Bolts Favored On ‘Monday Night Football’

The San Diego Chargers will look for a third consecutive win at home when they meet the Pittsburgh Steelers on “Monday Night Football” as four-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

With their 30-27 straight-up victory over the Cleveland Browns last weekend, the Chargers remained perfect at home this season. However, they failed to cover as five-point chalk to record their third consecutive against-the-spread loss and drop to 3-12 ATS in their past 15 games overall.

San Diego has been a particularly shaky bet in recent home dates with AFC North opponents, taking an 0-4 ATS record in its last four games into Monday night’s Steelers vs. Chargers betting matchup at Qualcomm Stadium, and are a dismal 1-6 ATS in its last seven at home.

The Chargers will be without Stevie Johnson on Monday, after the veteran wide receiver went down with a hamstring injury last week against the Browns. However, tight end Antonio Gates returns following his four-game suspension and could be a regular target of quarterback Philip Rivers in his first appearance of the season.

The Steelers again will be without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who remains sidelined with an MCL sprain suffered in Pittsburgh’s 12-6 win over the St. Louis Rams two weeks ago.

Veteran Michael Vick has taken the reins in Big Ben’s absence, but he will have one fewer target than expected. The anticipated return of Martavis Bryant, who is also coming off a four-game suspension, will be postponed at least one more week after the Steelers wide receiver suffered a knee injury upon his return to practice last week. That’s a disappointment for a Steelers team that has scored just 32 total points in its last two outings, and 20 or fewer points in three of its last five contests.

But the Steelers have enjoyed regular success in recent meetings with the Chargers, going 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 against San Diego, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.

Pittsburgh also has been a consistently good bet despite its recent struggles, posting a 6-1-2 ATS record in its last nine games, but have wilted in prime time, going 1-5 ATS in its last six appearances on “Monday Night Football.” Conversely, the Chargers have regularly rewarded bettors in their Monday night performances, covering the spread in five of their last six contests.

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