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Thursday Night Football will feature an elite matchup between two AFC West rivals. It's time to continue our NFL odds series with a Chargers-Chiefs prediction and pick.
The Chargers are coming off of a 24-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in the opener. Khalil Mack headlines the defense with his three sacks and forced fumble against Derek Carr. Justin Herbert finished with three touchdown passes and zero turnovers. Turnovers were the story of the day for the Raiders as Carr threw three picks which ultimately caused them to lose. Thursday night will be a huge game for the Bolts as they go into Arrowhead Stadium ready to go 2-0 in the division early in the season. Remember, the Bolts defeated the Chiefs in KC last year.
The Chiefs dominated the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 by the score of 44-21. Patrick Mahomes and company showed that they are still a top team in this league and after that performance, they can beat anyone. The Chiefs split the last four meetings with the Chargers so they know how important this game is. Going up 2-0 in this tough AFC West Division is all these two teams are thinking about and both sides will need to be at their best in order to win.
Here are the Chargers-Chiefs NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Chargers-Chiefs Odds
Los Angeles Chargers: +4.5 (-114)
Kansas City Chiefs: -4.5 (-106)
Over: 54.5 (-105)
Under: 54.5 (-115)
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Why The Chargers Could Cover The Spread
Keenan Allen will likely not play on a short week after suffering a minor pulled hamstring. With 10 days of rest following the game, it makes sense to not suit him up. Tight end Donald Parham Jr. will not play either but Herbert will still have plenty of weapons Thursday night. Mike Williams didn't produce at all in the opener against the Raiders but should be the main target without Allen out there. DeAndre Carter and Josh Palmer are two other receivers that will contribute and also Gerald Everett at the TE position. Look for Austin Ekeler to be more involved as well. He only had 72 combined yards in the win and without Allen, the run game might be more of an emphasis early on.
The defense will have another huge task as they face one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The Chiefs have arguably the top offense in the NFL even without Tyreek Hill. Travis Kelce had eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown last week and Derwin James should be on him all game long. If Joey Bosa and Mack can put pressure on Mahomes as they did on Carr, then that will boost their chances of winning this game. The addition of JC Jackson could be a game changer for the Bolts. Yet to make his debut, Jackson is currently recovering from minor ankle surgery. He is currently questionable after being a limited participant in Tuesday's practice.
Why The Chiefs Could Cover The Spread
Kansas City is the favorite at home in what should be a close game. Mahomes threw five TDs and the offense was in a groove against a good Cardinals defense. Mahomes did a great job of getting a bunch of different players involved, similar to Herbert in Week 1. Outside of Kelce, eight other players caught at least one pass as JuJu Smith-Schuster caught six for 79 yards. Andy Reid and the Chiefs did a solid job of running the ball as well with 128 yards on the ground. They will need to keep the Chargers guessing all night long. The offensive line will be tasked with trying to contain Bosa and Mack, which will not be an easy thing to do.
Rookie cornerback Trent McDuffie out of Washington will not play tomorrow night. The Chiefs added him to the Injured Reserve on Tuesday, which is a huge blow to the secondary. His name wasn't in the stat book, but that is a good thing as he didn't allow even one target on 21 coverage snaps. Justin Reid is taking over for Tyrann Mathieu and finished with four tackles in the win. He is now their place kicker with Harrison Butker dealing with an injury. KC will need Nick Bolton and Willie Gay to contain the run game and Carlos Dunlap to apply pressure on Herbert.
Final Chargers-Chiefs Prediction & Pick
Herbert has been breaking records ever since joining the league. He has yet another chance at a milestone as he could be the first QB since Ken Anderson to win his first three games at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chargers will cover this spread on the road in what should also be a high-scoring affair. The over at 54.5 is a great pick to consider.
Final Chargers-Chiefs Prediction & Pick: Chargers +4.5 (-114); Over 54.5 (-105)
