Chiefs vs. Chargers: Betting odds, lines, and advice for Week 2

We take a look at the lines and betting odds set for the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week two matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.

I am not saying that I am the Nikola Tesla of sports betting and predictions, but I was 2-for-2 in my advice last week.

Before someone says it, yes, at the time of writing last week’s article, the over/under line was 54.5 and therefore I would have been wrong if the line had stayed where it was. However, it changed mere hours after I wrote the article to 53 and therefore I was right and no one can tell me otherwise. Like the Chicago Bears and the many shortcomings of Mitchell Trubisky, I pretend to not see your criticisms and continue doing it like I do.

So, as the self proclaimed Nostradamus of the internet (my ego is inflating quickly and uncontrollably, someone may want to put a stop to that), I decided to spread my knowledge of the betting lines and odds for the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

[Author’s Note: I do have money at stake in these results, and although I may claim to be Nostradamus of the internet, I am not. I am also not a betting professional or financial consultant. Bet at your own risk.]

Spread: Kansas City Chiefs by 9

It’s a divisional game. An away game. More fan noise then the Chargers have heard since they left San Diego. California wildfires make the air quality almost impossible to breathe. I should be telling you Chiefs by a touchdown—to take the Chargers with the spread.

However, I am not saying that. No, instead I am stealing the worlds of Pat McAfee and advising readers to “Put ‘da hammer dahn” on the Kansas City Chiefs not only winning but covering the spread as well.

Let me explain.

Despite winning their Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Chargers looked absolutely atrocious in the process. They went 6 for 16 on third down. They allowed 4.35 yards per rush. They scored only one touchdown. Even then, they only won due to a questionable offensive pass interference call and a missed kick.

Tyrod Taylor had an abysmal 75.4 passer rating, and although he only gave up two sacks, he failed to pick up a single touchdown. Despite being a team that centers around Austin Ekeler on offense, he was only targeted once in the passing game. Sure, the defense had an interception, but what the stat sheet does not tell you is that that interception came on a botched shovel pass. Outside of that, the Chargers’ defense had only three pass defenses.

All of this came against the Bengals, the team that went 2-14 last season, and the only real adjustment they made since then was bringing in Joe Burrow, a man with so much swagger and talent that he could legitimately fix the Bengals in the near future. However, between this being his first NFL game ever, the defense being without Geno Atkins, an iffy offensive PI call, and whatever happened that caused all kickers to be as accurate Week 1 as Patrick Beverly is with a corner three, they just fell short.

This Chargers team is trash, and with Gardner Minshew deciding to be the second coming in Week 1, my prediction that this team will be grabbing the first overall pick this year is starting to look more solid.

Sure, the Chargers defensive line is pretty stout, but they get to face off against one of the better offensive lines in the league in Week 2. Ask me how many sacks the great J.J. Watt got in Week 1. Do it. The answer it zero, which is one less then the Chiefs allowed all night.

The Chiefs are going to steamroll the Chargers, especially now that Kansas City has a great new weapon named Clyde Edwards-Helaire (can we get this man a nickname?) who allows them to destroy clocks and dominate the time of possession battle. Take the Chiefs to cover the spread, and while you are there, I would advise betting on the Chargers to get the number one overall pick as well.

Over/Under – 47.5

If the Chiefs cover the spread and both teams achieve the over, the Chiefs would need to score at least 28.5 to the Chargers 19. So essentially 29 to 19, which seems very possible from these two teams, but I am actually quite opposed to the over here.

The Chargers seem to fluster Patrick Mahomes almost every time they play, with Mahomes first game as the starter being the only exception thus far. Clyde Edwards-Helaire may change that by spreading out the Chargers defensive focus a bit more than before, but the Chargers defensive line gives me reason to doubt that.

I honestly see this being one of those 17 to 3 scenarios for the Chiefs, with Tyrann Mathieu and Chris Jones eating all day long. I would pound the under for this matchup, unless it drops significantly in the next few days.

If Chargers pass rusher Joey Bosa, given the injury reports, is out or on a limited snap count on Sunday, take the Chiefs to win by 30, although I would still be skeptical about the over/under. The Chargers are not going to score that much outside of garbage time but I think I would take the over due to the possibility of an early garbage time effort.

BONUS: Daily Fantasy Players to Watch

I live in Oklahoma where Sportsbooks are stuck in this weird legal/illegal grey area, that essentially means in order for me to use a sportsbook, I have to be out of state—Hi Covid-19, I have been a good boy and not traveled, I would like to be ungrounded now—or use an international sportsbook (Mybookie would be great if it did not require a $45 dollar minimum deposit to start). So I have to resort to Fanduel’s fantasy betting, which is not ideal, but for those in the same position, I am here to help guide you for that betting this week as well.

First, do not take Mahomes. He is too expensive and has struggled against the Chargers in the past, so it just is not favorable. Second, CEH is exponentially more expensive this week and his first away game against a divisional opponent with a stout d-line does not sound like a bet I would make. Tyreek Hill could have a good day, however, capitalizing on the already depleted Chargers’ secondary, and his current price is a little high but an expense worth making.

The Chargers special teams tends to struggle against the Chiefs, so grabbing Mecole Hardman, who is super cheap this week, is not the worst idea.

But most notable take is the Chiefs defense, which are extremely cheap this week, despite the fact that they play a miserable offense. I would take this defense over New England (who plays Seattle), 49ers (who just lost Richard Sherman), or the Bills (in Fitzmagic we trust), even if they were more expensive.

My main (Thursday through Monday) lineup this week is:

• QB – Aaron Rodgers (plays Detroit)
• RB1 – Nick Chubb (plays Cincinnati)
• RB2 – Raheem Mostert (plays New York Jets)
• WR1 – Tyreek Hill (If I need to repeat this, I have a right to be angry.)
• WR2 – A.J. Green (plays Cleveland)
• WR3 – Robert Woods (plays Philadelphia)
• TE – Mark Andrews (plays Houston)
• Flex – Ronald Jones III (plays Carolina)
• Def – Kansas City Chiefs (I wanted to slip some easter eggs in, but did not. You are welcome.)