NFL Betting – Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers

The Super Bowl hangover didn’t affect the Kansas City Chiefs in their Week 1 rout of the Houston Texans. If anything that championship only inspired Patrick Mahomes to accomplish more. But what more can the man do? He was the NFL’s MVP in 2018 and won a Super Bowl and that game’s MVP in his second season. Maybe his goal is to win both of the awards in the same season. Kansas City’s dominance within the AFC West is a big reason for their four straight division titles. The Chiefs have won seven straight against their closest rivals while going 22-2 since the 2016 season. They look to continue that torrid pace on Sunday with a matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.  Bookmaker is offering a generous welcome bonus (max bonus $1600 limited time only)

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers
Date and Time: Sunday, September 20, 2020, 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Opening NFL Odds: Chiefs -6, O/U 51
Chiefs at Chargers TV Coverage: CBS

Odds Analysis

The spread has been wagered up and the total down since the numbers first hit the board. One thing bettors can’t do is overreact after only one game. I do think it’s safe to assume the Chiefs are the real deal again after blasting Houston in the opener, covering the 9.5-point spread in the 34-20 victory. KC opened at -6 but has since climbed to -8.5. That might have to do with LA’s Week 1 performance, escaping Cincinnati with a 16-13 win. The Bolts covered the closing 2.5-point line against No. 1 pick Joe Burrow, but needed a missed field goal at the end of regulation to do it. The Chiefs have won 15 of their last 16 games against AFC West competition with the only setback in that span to the Chargers late in 2018. Philip Rivers isn’t around to bail the Bolts out anymore, though.

Kansas City Chiefs

A lot of what we saw from the Chiefs in their opener was the same as their march through the playoffs last season. Mahomes tossed three scoring passes and had another overturned on replay review and the defense was solid leading to a 34-20 victory, their 10th straight dating back to last season. The game wasn’t really that close. The Chiefs surrendered a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns in the final seven minutes after building a 31-7 bulge.

Outside of his three touchdown passes, Mahomes didn’t have the usual eye-popping numbers we’ve become accustomed to seeing. He threw for just 211 yards on 24 of 32 passing. But he was praised by Andy Reid for his awareness to throw check downs when the big play wasn’t available. “I thought he handled the situation against a good defense. That to me showed growth,” Reid said. Apparently Mahomes can be even better than he’s already shown.

It helps to have Clyde Edwards-Helaire sneaking out of the backfield. The rookie bolstered the run game that amassed 166 yards by scampering for 138 of them on 25 carries with a touchdown. One question bothering the Chiefs was whether or not their defense could play at a championship level. The group got better as last season moved along and held the Texans to just over 200 total yards until the last scoring drives padded the stats.

Los Angeles Chargers

For the first time since the end of the 2005 season someone other than Philip Rivers started at quarterback for the Chargers. That’s not the only new look the team has in 2020. Playing their first game in SoFi Stadium, the move from San Diego a few years ago will now be complete. However, the home field advantage the club was hoping for after playing in front of throngs of opponent supporters at the soccer stadium in Carson, will have to wait with no fans able to enjoy the amenities the $5 billion joint has to offer.

We won’t see many explosive plays in the passing game with Anthony Lynn transitioning to a power run game. They have the perfect QB for the job in Tyrod Taylor, a game-manager rather than a game-changer throughout his career. Austin Ekeler, the featured back now that Melvin Gordon has moved on, rushed for 84 of the Bolts’ 155 yards in the Week 1 victory over Cincinnati. The ground could be impacted by the loss of center Mike Pouncey, who will have season-ending hip surgery.

The Chargers amassed 362 yards and didn’t turn the ball over last week. However, the point total was limited since they converted only 6 of 16 third downs, failed on both fourth down conversion attempts, and were 1 of 3 in the red zone. Taylor stated the obvious, “We have to execute better in the red zone.” The defense will have to carry the team like it did last week with three sacks while holding the Bengals to 293 total yards. They’re not facing Cincy this week, though.

Bet Chiefs at Chargers at BookMaker.eu

The Bolts are the only AFC West team to beat Mahomes, but that’s their only win in the last seven meetings. I do like LA’s defense and think the group can do a job against Mahomes. But the offense isn’t going to sustain drives and giving the Chiefs extra possessions is costly. If you like the Chiefs grab them now before the line goes higher.

NFL Score Prediction: Chiefs 31, Chargers 20

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com