The Los Angeles Chargers will visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium (Friday UK time). The AFC West is the strongest division in the NFL this season, and both the Chargers and Chiefs are expected to do well.
NFL Week 1 saw the Los Angeles Chargers defeat the Las Vegas Raiders 24-19. The Chargers raced out to a first-half 17-3 lead but nearly threw away the game in the second half. The Raiders stormed back and outscored Los Angeles 16-7 in the third and fourth quarters.
The Chargers were able to hang on as Raiders quarterback Derek Carr tossed three interceptions. LA quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns.
The Chiefs had a shootout with the Arizona Cardinals. Head coach Andy Reid watched quarterback Patrick Mahomes outduel Arizona’s Kyler Murray as Kansas City won 44-21. Mahomes threw five touchdown passes and racked up 360 yards passing. Mahomes once again showed he is one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL and should be considered a favourite to win the Most Valuable Player award at the end of the season.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs Betting Odds
Expect offence on Thursday night as the Chargers visit their long-time AFC West rival. The NFL Week 2 match-up will feature two of the league’s best quarterbacks. The offences should shine at Arrowhead Stadium.
The moneyline favours the Kansas City Chiefs heading into this fixture. Sportsbooks have Chiefs at odds of 20/37. The Chargers are at the best moneyline betting odds of 33/20.
The Chiefs posted an overall record of 12-5 in 2021 which topped the AFC West. Arrowhead Stadium was a fortress with the Chiefs going 7-2 at the famous old NFL venue. Kansas City lost just one time to an AFC West opponent.
Which AFC West team defeated the Chiefs in 2021? It was Los Angeles and the Chargers won the game at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chargers finished third in the AFC West a season ago with a record of 9-8. LA was 4-4 on the road and went 3-3 in the AFC West.
The Chargers were better than their record indicates. There are a lot of expectations in Los Angeles this season that the Chargers can battle for the top spot in the AFC West and possibly go to the Super Bowl.
The over/under for the game is set at 54.5 points at the best betting odds of 10/11. Expect points. Last season at Arrowhead, the two rivals combined 54 points exactly. The reverse game at SoFi Stadium in LA finished with 62 points after going to overtime.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs Team News
Chiefs’ fans held their collective breath after it was reported Patrick Mahomes had a wrist injury. However, the issue is with Mahomes’ non-throwing wrist. He will practice this week and play on Thursday night.
Safety Justin Reid is also practicing and expected to play after a hand injury. Two players that could miss the game are kicker Harrison Butker and cornerback Trent McDuffie. The former has an ankle sprain and the latter is nursing a hamstring strain.
Meanwhile, wide receiver Justin Watson, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, right guard Trey Smith, and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr are all questionable to play this week after reporting injuries following the win versus Arizona.
The Los Angeles Chargers could be without cornerback J.C. Jackson. The defensive back has an ankle sprain and did not practice on Monday. According to head coach Brandon Staley, Jackson has a 50% chance of playing on Thursday. If Jackson doesn’t play, it could open up space downfield for Mahomes to throw the ball.
Tight end Donald Parham and wide receiver Keenan Allen also did not practice on Monday. Both players are nursing hamstring injuries, and are likely to miss the game.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs H2H
The Kansas City Chiefs lead the all-time series with the Los Angeles Chargers with a record of 65W-58L-1T. Due to playing in the AFC West, these teams play twice per season home and away.
In 2021, the Chargers went to KC and won 30-24. The Chiefs were victorious in the reverse game 34-28 in overtime.
Kansas City have won three of their last five games against the Chargers. Two of those games went into overtime. All five of those meetings finished with over 42.5 points.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs Prediction
Player Passing Touchdowns: Patrick Mahomes over 2.5 touchdown passes
Patrick Mahomes threw for five touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals in NFL Week 1. Mahomes was incredible and Thursday’s game should see him have another great night at the office. The Chargers have given up at least 21 points to the Chiefs in their last five meetings. Our betting tips prediction is for Mahomes to pile up the points at home. Last season, Mahomes threw 3.0 touchdowns in both games versus LA.
Winning margin: Kansas City Chiefs 1-6 points
These teams met twice in the 2021 NFL season with the winning margin being 1-6 points in both games. The Chiefs claimed an overtime win in Los Angeles, while the Chargers won in KC. Three of the last four games between these teams had a points margin of 1-6. Our betting tips prediction is for a close game with Mahomes leading the Chiefs to a win.
Moneyline: Kansas City Chiefs
If you simply want to make a moneyline wager on this NFL Week 2 match-up or add it to an acca, then our betting tips prediction is for Kansas City to win at the end of regulation. The Chiefs looked fantastic in NFL Week 1 with Mahomes tossing five TDs. The Chargers started strongly against the Raiders but nearly lost the game with a poor second half on both sides of the ball. The Chiefs should win this Week 2 game. KC went 5-1 in the division last season. Yes, the Chargers were KC’s one loss and it came at Arrowhead. However, it is difficult to win in KC.
