Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers betting guide
Can the Chiefs right the ship?
Kansas City has been in freefall over the last six games. They are only (2-4) during that span. We know the Chiefs have the built in excuse of their phenom quarterback Patrick Mahomes III not playing due to injury for some of those games, but has this team looked right at any point this season? For me, the answer is no.
Last season the Chiefs' offense was historically good, and while you can’t expect that type of production every year, I feel like the Chiefs offense took a bigger step back than I expected. We knew the defense was not good last year and it hasn’t really improved this season, so how does this Chiefs team get back on track? The offense needs to get fully healthy and Mahomes needs to be special all the time, if he isn’t, they are not a playoff team.
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Last week Mahomes was exactly that. He threw for 446 yards and 3 touchdowns without turning the ball over once, and in the end, it still wasn’t good enough to get the job done against a mediocre team in the Tennessee Titans. I struggle to see a way this gets better for the Chiefs moving forward. It seems the Chiefs defense is what it is the last few years, so improvement doesn’t seem likely. Does this mean they can’t beat the Chargers Monday night?
No, it doesn’t. Does it mean that they will be victorious this Monday in Mexico? That is the question.
Injuries continue to mount for the Chargers
It’s not even debatable which team has suffered through the most injuries this season. It seems pretty cut and dry that it’s been the Los Angeles Chargers. Both starting centers have been out for most of the season in Adrian Phillips and Derwin James. However, there is a chance that Phillips return on Sunday.
In addition to them, the Chargers had missed Hunter Henry and Russel Okung for half the season, but they both played last week against the Raiders. There are still multiple starters that won’t play this weekend, and that has been the issue. The Chargers have not been able to get into a rhythm all season because they haven’t had both units healthy. The moving pieces and the negative effects from it showed last weekend against the Oakland Raiders.
The Los Angeles Chargers looked lost last weekend against the Raiders. Suddenly it looked like Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers aged a decade in a week. The 37 year old quarterback could do nothing right. Rivers ended up with 207 passing yards and 2 touchdowns with 3 horrific looking interceptions in the process. The one bright spot the last couple weeks for the Chargers offense has been the play of Melvin Gordon. The last 2 weeks he is averaging close to 100 rushing yards and looks like he has life back in those legs. It’s hard to back either of these teams this week, but one thing we know is the Chargers have just as good a chance to win this game as the Kansas City Chiefs.
Will they? That is the question.
Chiefs vs. Chargers prediction
So, who wins this game? I Have no idea. I lean to the Kansas City Chiefs because their offense is more reliable than the Chargers, but Los Angeles is fully capable of beating KC. They proved that against the Green Bay Packers two weeks ago. If either of these teams can win the game then what is the angle? I understand anyone taking the points with the Chargers and saying, hey if anyone can win then give me the points. That is a sound argument, but I want to focus on the total. This game is being played at altitude in Mexico on Monday night. We already know these offenses are completely capable of putting up points in bunches when they are on, and we know the defenses are below average this year.
That screams over to me, and what solidified it for me was the elevation in Mexico. Both of these defenses are going to be out of breath, especially in the 2nd half. The total is high this week, but it’s justified. I still think the game goes over this number.
Chiefs vs. Chargers pick: OVER 52 (-110)
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