Dolphins vs Chargers (Week 14 Sunday Night Football) Betting: Will Miami put Bay Area disappointment behind them to inch closer to the playoffs?

Despite a disappointing loss to the San Francisco 49ers and their third-string quarterback Brock Purdy on Sunday, the Miami Dolphins are still in a fantastic position with five games remaining in the regular season.

The optimism isn’t so high for the Los Angeles Chargers, who will welcome the Dolphins to SoFi Stadium for some Sunday Night Football action in Week 14.

The Chargers, like the other team that plays at SoFi Stadium, have underwhelmed this season. Sunday’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders dropped the Bolts to 6-6, and they remain three games behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the SEC rest and a game out of the AFC’s seventh and final playoff spot.

With so many teams ahead of them and a few behind them as well, the Bolts can’t afford to lose this game. But will they step up with their backs against the wall and deliver a winning performance? Keep reading for our Dolphins vs Chargers prediction, as well as our recommended bets for Sunday’s showdown in south Florida.

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Miami Dolphins (8-4, 3-3 away, 2nd in the AFC East) vs Los Angeles Chargers (6-6. 2-3 home, 2nd in the AFC East)
• Venue & Location: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
• Date: Sunday, December 11, 2022
• Game Time: 8:20 pm ET (5:20 pm local time)
• How to watch Dolphins vs Chargers: NBC

Dolphins vs Chargers Odds

Odds for Dolphins vs Chargers are via BetOnline as of Wednesday, December 7, 2022, at 7:20 am ET. Odds from our recommended legal sports betting sites may also appear in this article.

Spread

• Miami Dolphins -3 (-114)
• Los Angeles Chargers +3 (-106)

Over/Under

• Over 52.5 (-110)
• Under 52.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Miami Dolphins -172
• Los Angeles Chargers +144

Will Herbert Deliver in Must-Win Matchup for the Chargers?

It wasn’t all bad for Justin Herbert in Sunday’s 27-20 loss to the Raiders.

He threw for 335 yards, his first 300-yard game since Week 4 against the Houston Texans and just his third of the season.

He averaged 7.1 yards per pass, which was just the second time in his last eight games that he had averaged at least seven yards per pass.

He didn’t commit a turnover for the second straight week.

However, it all still wasn’t enough for the Chargers to pull out the win over the Raiders, as they were stopped on downs inside the 45 with under three minutes left and were only able to get the ball when there was too little time for anything other than a miracle.

I’ve made note of Herbert’s disappointing season a time or three around these parts, and while he isn’t the only person or area that has some responsibility for what has gone wrong for the Bolts this season, the QB is going to draw a lot of the spotlight when his numbers are short of expectations and four of the team’s six losses are by seven or fewer points.

But there’s still time for him and the Chargers to turn things around, and things are at least trending in somewhat of a positive direction with his performances. And he will get to face the Dolphins after they were beaten by the 2022 NFL Draft’s Mr. Irrelevant.

It would certainly help if he could get Mike Williams back this week. According to reports, Williams could be set to practice this week after being plagued by an ankle injury since Week 7.

Miami Dolphins vs Los Angeles Chargers Prediction and Picks

Dolphins vs Chargers Prediction: Dolphins to win

Dolphins vs Chargers Picks: Dolphins to cover (Best Value: -3 @ -114 at BetOnline) & Dolphins team total over (Best Value: over 27.5 @ -106 at BetUS)

This is a pivotal point for the Dolphins, who lost a winnable game at Levi’s Stadium and have dropped a game behind the Bills in the AFC East. There are no easy games remaining on their schedule, and how they respond this week will tell a lot about how you can project their home stretch to go.

After not throwing a pick in five consecutive games, Tua Tagovailoa threw two against the 49ers and completed a season-low 54.6 percent of his passes.

However, he still averaged 8.9 yards per attempt, and things could have gone very differently if Miami, down 23-17 at the time, had converted a 4th and 2 from San Francisco’s 36 with around six minutes left.

I don’t see their confidence being dented by a road loss to a team that most, including oddsmakers, consider one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. I still like where they are headed, and I think they will show up at SoFi and get the job done.

Other NFL Week 14 Content at Betting News

• NFL Week 14 Odds
• NFL Week 14 Picks
• Raiders vs Rams Prediction & Picks (Week 14 Thursday Night Football)