Chiefs vs. Chargers Odds & Betting Tips | NFL Week 1

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Giving up on the Kansas City Chiefs after their humiliating loss to the Eagles in the Super Bowl could be a mistake. The duo of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid has dominated the AFC West winning the division every year since Mahomes became the starter in 2018 and they’ve appeared in five of the last six Super Bowls with three titles.

The Chiefs open the season against division rival the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday, September 5 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET with the game available to watch on YouTube TV.

Chiefs vs. Chargers Preview

It was a long offseason for the Chiefs, who were drubbed, 40-22, in the Super Bowl in a game that wasn’t that close. The end overshadowed what the club did during the season winning a NFL high-tying 15 games. With Mahomes behind center the Chiefs have won at least 11 regular season games every season.

Good teams find a way to win and the Chiefs were the best a season ago winning all 11 games decided by seven points or less, including a 32-29 win over Buffalo in the AFC Championship. Finishing among the top 6 in points and yards in each of Mahomes’ first five seasons, the Chiefs ranked 15th in scoring the last two seasons, but they were among the top 4 in fewest points allowed in that stretch.

Though the Chiefs went 15-2 last regular season they were just 8-9 against the NFL betting line.
KC has won seven straight in the series going 4-3 ATS in that span.
Mahomes is 10-2 with 27 TD passes in 12 career starts against the Chargers.

The Chargers figure to be stiff competition to KC’s dominance in the AFC West. They won 11 games last season, just the third 10+ win campaign in the past 15. Jim Harbaugh has won at every stop during his coaching career and he’s always preached defense and ball control. Those were strong areas for the Bolts a season ago boasting the NFL’s best scoring defense.

You can’t win without scoring points and the club would like to get better production from Justin Herbert and the passing game. Herbert threw only three interceptions, but had seven games with fewer than 200 yards passing. The Chargers averaged 23.6 points and could see overall improvement with Najee Harris expected to play in the opener.

The Bolts were the most profitable team in the NFL in 2024 going 12-5 ATS.
LA led the NFL allowing an average of 17.7 points, but surrendered 25.2 points over their last five games, including a playoff loss to Texas.
The Chargers cashed the OVER in each of their last five games.

Chiefs vs. Chargers Predictions

There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to the season opener. Some of the key players remain the same, but other integral parts are different. The Chargers allowed a lot of sacks last season and lost one of their top linemen for the season. The Chiefs have question marks at receiver with Rashee Rice serving a suspension. I was leaning toward the UNDER in this matchup anyway and those helped strengthen my decision.

Chiefs vs. Chargers Betting Tips

The NFL odds have the Chiefs as 3.5 point favorite with a moneyline price of -163.
The Chargers were 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS as an underdog last year
LA is +147 on the moneyline
The total is 45.5 with the teams cashing the UNDER in the last three meetings.

Chiefs vs. Chargers Head to Head and Key Stats

The Chiefs have dominated the Chargers winning eight in a row and nine of the last 11 meetings. The games have been close, though, with eight of the matchups decided by seven points or less. While the gap might be closing in the AFC West we can’t say the other teams have caught up. The Chiefs are 17-3 in their last 20 games against division foes and the most recent setback came at the end of last season when the Chiefs rested their entire roster.