Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Chargers Week 8 NFL Betting Picks and Parlays Predictions

Herbert’s Hollow Numbers and a Thursday Night Hangover

A short week in the NFL is brutal. A short week after getting punched in the mouth at home is downright miserable. That’s the reality facing the Los Angeles Chargers, who have just four days to lick their wounds before hosting the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football. The Bolts are coming off an ugly 38-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts that was the very definition of “fool’s gold” for their offense. 

If you just glanced at the box score, you’d think Justin Herbert was a world-beater, throwing for a career-high 423 yards and three touchdowns. But those were some of the emptiest stats you’ll ever see. The truth is, Herbert’s two first-half interceptions were killer, helping the Colts build a commanding 23-3 lead. The vast majority of his yardage and touchdowns came in frantic, late-game garbage time when Indy’s defense was playing soft coverage to prevent the big play. 

Making matters worse, the Chargers' special teams completely fell apart, surrendering an 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to Ameer Abdullah that served as the final nail in the coffin.

It was a deflating, undisciplined loss, and now they have to immediately turn around and face a Vikings team that smells blood in the water. Minnesota isn’t without its own problems, of course. They just lost a tough 28-22 game to the Philadelphia Eagles, in which quarterback Carson Wentz threw a couple of costly picks himself. But the Vikings have a massive advantage coming into this matchup: a game-changing reinforcement. 

After missing several weeks on injured reserve, star running back Aaron Jones is reportedly "100% ready to go" and is expected to be activated for Thursday’s game. His return gives the Vikings a dynamic, dual-threat weapon out of the backfield—exactly the kind of player who can exploit a gassed, demoralized Chargers defense that will be playing on tired legs. 

This game feels like a tipping point; can Herbert turn his hollow numbers into an actual win, or will a weary Chargers team get run over by a Vikings squad with a fresh set of legs in the backfield? The oddsmakers believe in the Chargers for the win, although the 3-point spread looks off. There were several big blowouts in Week 7 and while this one shouldn't go that far, the Chargers can still cover.