Philip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers will enter the 2018 regular season as one of the top picks to take down New England in the quest for superiority in the AFC. The Kansas City Chiefs will have a new look this coming season after parting ways with veteran quarterback Alex Smith in favor of their new franchise signal-caller Patrick Mahomes.
Now, with the two longtime AFC West division rivals set to square off in one of the most intriguing regular season openers on this season’s schedule, let’s find out which team is offering the best betting value against their NFL Week 1 lines.
Chiefs vs Chargers 2018 NFL Week 1 Spread & Prediction
When: Sunday, September 9, 2018 at 4:05 PM ET Where: StubHub Center, Carson, California NFL Odds: LA Chargers -3 / Total: 47.5 (-3, 47.5)
Why Bet on the Kansas City Chiefs?
Why should you consider betting on the Chiefs in this Week 1 divisional matchup? Well, the best reason is because Kansas City has been a perennial double-digit winner under Andy Reid and they’ve still got a bunch of Pro Bowl caliber talent on both sides of the ball. The thing that no one really knows right now is just how good second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes is going to be. Yes, he’s got a much bigger arm than his predecessor Alex Smith, but he’s almost certain to be more mistake-prone that Smith who rarely threw interceptions.
If Mahomes soars, so will the Chiefs. If he struggles to adjust to life as a starting NFL quarterback, the team will almost certainly struggle as well, even though they’ve got a bunch of elite talent on both sides of the ball with guys like Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and linebacker Justin Houston.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 25.65
- Total Yards: 372.47
- Pass Yards: 256.47
- Rush Yards: 116
- Average Score Against: 21.24
- Total Yards: 367
- Pass Yards: 243.94
- Rush Yards: 123.06
Why Bet on the L.A. Chargers?
Why should you consider betting on the Chargers in their regular season and home opener? Well, because the Bolts are playing at home, they’re elite defensively, they’ve got a bunch of talent on their roster and this is a meaningful division contest they know they can’t afford to mess around in.
The Chargers are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, plus veteran quarterback Philip Rivers knows this year’s team represents one of his best chances to finally reach a Super Bowl. I like L.A. head coach Anthony Lynn and the no-nonsense approach he’s brought to the team. The Bolts ranked a stupendous third in points allowed last season (17.0 ppg) and I suspect they’ll be almost as good, if not better on that side of the ball this coming season.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 22.19
- Total Yards: 376.63
- Pass Yards: 276.94
- Rush Yards: 99.69
- Average Score Against: 17
- Total Yards: 328.37
- Pass Yards: 197.25
- Rush Yards: 131.12
NFL Betting Trends for Chiefs vs Chargers
- Kansas City is 3-1 ATS vs LA Chargers over the last 3 seasons
- Kansas City is 4-0 SU vs LA Chargers over the last 3 seasons
- 2 of 4 games in this series have gone under the total over the last 3 seasons
Chiefs vs Chargers NFL Betting Analysis and Prediction
For this Week 1 matchup, I’m going to advise you to back the Los Angeles Chargers to get the home win and very, very narrow ATS cover. Los Angeles looks like the better team in this contest, at least defensively, plus they’re super hungry, while right now, no one really knows what to expect out of the strong-armed, yet, inexperienced, Patrick Mahomes.
Los Angeles will be looking for some revenge after getting swept in their pair of regular season meetings a year ago and now, they’ve got the coach and team to beat the Chiefs.
I know the road team in this division rivalry has gone 5-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings and that the Chiefs are an incendiary 7-2 ATS in their last 9 meetings, but the Chargers are a near-perfect 5-0-1 ATS in their last six regular season openers and they’re super hungry. I like the Bolts to get it done in a thriller to snap a stunning eight-game losing streak against the Chiefs that dates back to 2014.
NFL Week 1 Pick: Chargers 28 Chiefs 23
