Week 8 opens with an NFL delicacy! 

This Thursday evening, obviously, we will watch tense and exciting match between two similar teams whose defensive reactions were not compact and strong like it used to be.

The Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings are both coming off of losses last week. Both teams played well, but receive too many cheap Touchdowns and it resulted with an losses.

The match will be played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in front of the Charges fans what gives big advance to the Justin Herberts team. Forecast: Sunny weather and 22 degrees Celsius. Kick-off between the Vikings and Chargers is set for Thursday at 5:15 p.m. ET. Fans can stream the game on Amazon Prime video.

A beautiful overture to an exciting new round of the NFL!

If you watched last Charges game, you could see unbelievable Quarterback Justin Herbert who completes a 30-yard pass to wide receiver Keenan Allen against the Indianapolis Colts. That was show! But this did not help. The Colts beat the Chargers 38-24. Indianapolis jumped out to a dominating 23-3 lead by halftime. There were only 10 rushing yards in the first half which is unacceptable for a team that needs balance. Their defense gave up a large lead early, and even though the offense improved in the 2nd half, it was too little too late.

We have to emphasize one big thing about this matchup, hope you remember Mr. Herbers „case“?!

The Chargers reportedly rejected trade offers for Herbert from the Vikings in the lead-up to the 2024 NFL Draft. In a 2023 game, Herbert threw for 405 yards against the Vikings, a career-high at the time. In two career games against the Vikings, he has a passer rating of 106.0 with 600 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. 

Can he repeat it again? Can not wait so see.

In the other team, there is disappointment regarding loss against Philadelphia Eagles with the 22-28 result! The Vikings struggled in the red zone: they had six trips inside the red zone but converted only one into a touchdown, settling for field goals the rest of the time. QB Carson Wentz threw for 313 yards but had two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. Vikings moved the ball overall (387 yards) and controlled the clock somewhat, but the score gap shows the more explosive plays and efficiency by the Eagles made the difference.

The Vikings are going into the game with a 3-3 record after falling to the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles at home, which is part of the reason why the Chargers are going into the game as a favorite on moneyline. 

Let we see betting line of this math-up.

The Bolts are 2.5-point favorites according to BetOnline, BetUs, Sportsbetting, MyBookie XBet and bet105 as of Monday, October 20.

In terms of the over/under, every sportsbook has the total above 43 points.

Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel Sportsbook, ESPN Bet and Bet365 all have the total at 43.5 points. Fanatics Sportsbook also has the total at 44 points.

There is good opportunity to earn some money on it!

Important information’s that you need to know about Minnesota Vikings:

• Record: 3-3
• Points scored: ≈ 24.2 per game)
• Points allowed: ≈ 16.2 per game)
• Total offensive yards: 1,912 yards (≈ 318.7 yards per game)
• Third-down conversion rate: 34.2% (among the worst in the league)
• Turnover margin: -4 through six games
• Defensively, allowing only ~16.2 points per game is very strong — the Vikings are doing a good job limiting opponents’ scoring so far.
• Offensively, the passing game is productive (~239 yards per game) and the rushing attack (~103.8 yards per game) is decent — but perhaps not dominant.
• The third-down conversion rate is a concern — struggling to sustain drives can hurt in close games.
• The negative turnover margin shows the Vikings are giving up too many possessions, which can swing outcomes.

Minnesota Vikings biggest strengths are that they have elite offensive weapons, especially at receiver (e.g., Justin Jefferson) which gives them big-play potential and a strong foundation for their passing game. Also, Their defense is generally well-constructed and has shown it can perform at a high level; they have had success limiting yardage or creating turnovers.

Minnesota Vikings biggest weaknesses are that they do not have Quarterback play / stability – question mark, which affects the ceiling of the offence and consistency. Also, they have pass protection and offensive line issues: their ability to protect the QB and sustain drives is flagged as a weakness.

Important information’s that you need to know about Los Angeles Charges:

• Record: 4-3 (2nd in the AFC West)
• Points scored per game: ~21.2
• Points allowed per game: ~20.8
• Total offensive yards: 2,609 yards over 7 games (~372.7 yards/game)
• Rushing yards: 778 over 7 games (~111.1 yards/game)
• Passing yards: 1,957 over 7 games (~279.6 yards/game)
• Third-down conversion rate: 35/89 (~39.3%) over 7 games
• Sacks allowed by opponents: 17 through 7 games

Los Angeles Chargers biggest strengths are that they have an elite quarterback in Justin Herbert, which gives their offense big-play upside and a strong foundation. Also, Their passing attack is productive: high total passing yards, good first-down creation via the pass. (See their 2025 stats). They have the potential for explosive plays, especially through the air, which can flip games quickly in their favor.

Los Angeles Chargers biggest weaknesses are that their run game has been a big concern: poor yards per carry, low success rate on early downs, which makes their offense less balanced and more predictable. Also, their defense shows inconsistency and vulnerabilities — especially when facing good competition, their defensive performance has dropped. In the end, depth and injuries are issues: both on the offensive line and on defense the team is less resilient when starters miss time.

 In the end, The Chargers showed they can put together a high-powered passing offence and finish under pressure. Their combination of Herbert + Allen + opportunistic defense gave them the edge. In other hand, The Vikings, despite performing well in many phases, once again came up short in crunch time. Their failure to finish drives, especially near the goal line, was decisive.

The result reinforces two themes: winners make big plays late; teams that don’t finish chances pay the price.