Sunday Night Football in Los Angeles! The Chargers host the Chiefs for an AFC West battle with playoff implications! It’s time to continue our NFL odds series with a Chiefs-Chargers prediction and pick.
The Chiefs are atop the division with a (7-2) record after taking down the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-17 in Week 10. They continue to dominate the division as well as the AFC year in and year out. However, the Chargers always play them tough and if it wasn’t for late dramatics the Chargers could have won earlier in the season. LA is (5-4) on the year and is coming off a Sunday Night Football loss to the San Francisco 49ers last weekend. They will play on the big stage two weeks in a row and have a chance to upset KC at home.
Here are the Chiefs-Chargers NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Chiefs-Chargers Odds
Kansas City Chiefs: -5.5 (-105)
Los Angeles Chargers: +5.5 (-115)
Over: 51.5 (-118)
Under: 51.5 (-104)
Why The Chiefs Could Cover The Spread
The Chiefs enter LA as the favorites and that is no surprise. They won a close game in Week 2 on Thursday Night Football thanks to a late pick-6 from Jaylen Watson. That changed the game entirely as the Bolts were on the verge of a 24-14 lead. Justin Herbert ended up fracturing his rib cartilage the next possession and the Chiefs ran away with the game. Many weeks later, they meet once again but this time, the Chiefs will be out some key offensive players. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Micole Hardman will be out as Patrick Mahomes is now down to a few wideouts and Travis Kelce.
Kelce will need to have a huge game. He usually plays very well against LA but only had five catches for 51 yards last time they played. Expect Derwin James to be shadowing him for the majority of the game. If Mahomes can find his best weapon time and time again then the Chiefs should score a lot of points. The run game won’t be a huge factor, but the Chargers aren’t great at stopping it. If Andy Ried can find a way to create some sort of run game then that will only benefit them.
The key defensively will be doing everything they can to disrupt Justin Herbert. The Chargers rely on him to carry the team right now and he could be getting some of his stars back. Herbert is the least sacked QB in the NFL (among everyday starters) as he has only been sacked 12 times.
Why The Chargers Could Cover The Spread
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The Chargers will likely be getting star receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams back for this game. That is not only a good thing, but it could not have come at a better time for the Chargers. Allen has been out since Week 1 as he has been dealing with a hamstring injury all year long. Williams hurt his ankle against the Seattle Seahawks and has played since. With those two back catching passes from Herbert, and the rise of Josh Palmer, the Bolts will have a lot of weapons available to try and keep up with the Chiefs offensively. Austin Ekeler is hoping to bounce back from a poor performance against the Niners last weekend. He is also a big part of that offense when he’s involved.
The defense will need to play their best in order to stay in this game. Without JuJu and Hardman, the Bolts have a chance to really shut down Kelce. If Derwin James and Bryce Callahan can contain him and force other players to step up, then that will be the best way to disrupt the flow of their offense.
Final Chiefs-Chargers Prediction & Pick
The Chiefs are (4-5) ATS and the Bolts are (6-3). LA finds ways to cover the spread as most of their games are close. I expect the Chargers to find a way to stay in this as well.
Final Chiefs-Chargers Prediction & Pick: Chargers +5.5 (-115)
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