Denver at Los Angeles

This is virtually a meaningless game for both teams. Denver, at 6-8, has been eliminated from the playoffs. San Diego has clinched the West. So we turn to motivation and goals. Who has a motivational edge? What are the goals of each team? San Diego is looking ahead to the playoffs. Their goal has to be to get into the playoffs healthy. Denver has no such postseason hopes. The only thing they can do to improve how they feel this year is win some games to get to a respectable .500 mark. LaDanian Tomlinson tweaked a hamstring last week and Phillip Rivers has a dinged up knee. With essentially nothing to play for, you have to wonder how much risk Norv Turner will take here. How hard will the Chargers players play? They don't have a lot to prove as they are feeling good about themselves with their recent red-hot play. Denver is dinged up as well with Jay Cutler and Travis Henry ailing. But this team has no reason to heal them up. San Diego has won four straight but if you look closely, they haven't have played some real cream puffs. They beat Baltimore, a team that is 0-9 in their last nine games. They beat Kansas City who is 0-8 over their last eight game. They beat Detroit who just barely broke an 0-6 slide on Sunday (against the 0-8 Cheifs). Finally, the Chargers needed a miracle finish to down Tennessee. San Diego trailed in that game 17-3 late in the 4th. Is San Diego really so good to be laying 9 points in a division rivalry game? Denver was beaten by San Diego at home 41-3 earlier in the year and the veterans on this team are going to call on that game to show up for this one. This San Diego offense and defense is just not what it was last year. They rank just 20th overall and the defense is just 16th. We think this line is a serious overlay, and we will back the team that has a bone to pick for a humiliating loss.