Chargers vs. Chiefs Monday Night Football Betting Odds
The Chargers vs. Chiefs Monday Night Football betting odds have shifted a half a point from San Diego -4 to -3 coming into tonight’s game. All odds courtesy of Sportsbook.com
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: San Diego -3 & 44.5
Opening Line & Total: SD -4 & 45
The Chiefs seek their fourth consecutive victory as AFC West foe San Diego visits Kansas City on Halloween night.
The Chargers haven’t been sharp en route to a 4-2 record, and one of their ugliest wins was at home against Kansas City in Week 3. The Chiefs came into the game reeling after two blowout losses, but hung around to the point that they had the ball in San Diego territory for a final drive in a 20-17 Chargers win. In Week 7, San Diego choked away a big lead against the Jets with a turnover-filled second half. Kansas City has gotten back on track with three straight wins thanks to an improved defense and QB Matt Cassel’s play going from disastrous to just slightly below mediocre. The Chargers have won seven of the past eight games in this series, and although they are just 4-4 ATS in these meetings, this small spread should not be difficult to cover.
Although the Chargers have scored at least 21 points in all six contests this year, they haven’t yet reached 30 points in any game. QB Philip Rivers has thrown for 286 YPG, but has more interceptions (9) than touchdowns (7) this season. Although he’s 9-3 lifetime against K.C., his numbers haven’t been overwhelming: 233 passing YPG, 17 TD and 12 INT. San Diego’s ground game appeared to get back on track two games ago when it rushed for 206 yards at Denver, but the Jets held the team to 96 yards on 25 carries. Mike Tolbert rushed for a season-high 58 yards (5.3 YPC) against the Jets, but he could miss this game with hand and hamstring injuries. Fellow RB Ryan Mathews is also dinged up with a thumb injury and is coming off a season-low 39 yards on 13 carries. WR Vincent Jackson needs a big bounce-back game after being held to one catch by Darrelle Revis and the Jets, especially since the team’s No. 2 receiver, Malcom Floyd (hip) may not suit up on Monday night. TE Antonio Gates finally returned to action last week after missing three games with a foot injury. He caught five passes for 54 yards and a touchdown in the loss to New York, and has been a Chiefs killer over the years with 73 catches for 879 yards and 12 TD in 13 career games against the division rival.
On defense, San Diego has been very stingy in the passing game (176 YPG, 3rd in NFL), as the Patriots were the only team to tally more than 180 net passing yards against them. The run defense has been more generous (122 YPG, 21st in NFL), allowing an identical 162 rushing yards in each of the past two games. San Diego has only seven takeaways in six games this year.
The Chiefs have come a long way since they last faced San Diego in Week 3. They have been able to adjust to season-ending knee injuries to three of their best players (RB Jamaal Charles, S Eric Berry and TE Tony Moeaki), and put together a strong three-game run. Cassel threw for five touchdowns in wins over Minnesota and Indianapolis, but he had a brutal 38.3 QB rating last week in Oakland, completing 15-of-30 passes for 161 yards, 0 TD and 2 INT. WR Dwayne Bowe is having a huge season with 496 receiving yards and four touchdowns, including four catches for 67 yards and 1 TD against San Diego in Week 3. However, in his previous three meetings with the Chargers, Bowe had a meager four total catches for 27 yards and a score. RB Jackie Battle has really stepped up in his first real opportunity to shine in four seasons with the Chiefs. In his past two games, he has carried the ball 35 times for 195 yards (5.6 YPC). In his first three seasons in K.C., Battle had 41 carries for 118 yards (2.9 YPC).
The defense turned in quite a performance in last week’s 28-0 shutout in Oakland. K.C. defenders picked off six passes, including two interceptions returned for touchdowns. However, the Chiefs have allowed 29.0 PPG to San Diego in the past five meetings, so they’ll need to create some more turnovers to keep the high-powered Ch
