The Kansas City Chiefs, who have had three close-call victories to open the season, take on their closest pursuer in the AFC West on Sunday when they meet the Chargers (2-1) in Los Angeles (4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS).
The Chiefs are without RB Isiah Pacheco and speedy WR Hollywood Brown, who are both on the injured list, and the Chargers suddenly have major issues on the offensive line and more importantly at quarterback.
The status QB Justin Herbert (high ankle sprain) remained uncertain late in the week.
Chiefs vs. Chargers odds for NFL Week 4: Point spread, moneyline, total
While Johnny Avello, race and sportsbook director at DraftKings, said the line opened at 4 points at his sportsbook, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook dealt Chiefs -9.5 as its opening line last Sunday night. The difference certainly has to do with expectations as to whether Herbert will play.
Here are live Chiefs vs. Chargers odds from top NFL betting sites.
The last time KC was a bigger favorite on the road against the Chargers was in 1997. The Chiefs won 29-7 in San Diego as a 9.5-point choice.
Both teams are 2-1 against the spread this season. KC has covered the spread in eight of its last nine games, dating to Week 17 last season.
The Chargers are 3-0 to the UNDER this season, and 15-3 since Week 3 of 2023. KC is 2-1 OVER in 2024.
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Chiefs vs. Chargers three trends to know
1. Over the past 10 seasons, the Chiefs have gone 17-3 against the Chargers, with one of the losses occurring in a relatively meaningless 2020 regular-season home finale. Their ATS mark is 12-8.
But when KC has played the Chargers in California — San Diego or LA — it is 9-0 straight up and 7-2 ATS. There was one game in which LA was the designated home team in Mexico. KC won that one, too.
2. Chiefs beware!
Heavy favorites have been taking a beating this season. Teams favored by 6 or more points have a straight-up record of 5-9. Worse yet, they are 1-12-1 ATS.
Last Sunday/Monday such heavy choices were 0-5, which included Washington’s 38-33 victory at Cincinnati as a 7.5-point dog. That marked the third straight week the biggest underdog prevailed.
Three things to watch: Chargers’ backup tackles had better be ready
1. LA will be without rookie ORT Joe Alt (knee), and OLT Rashawn Slater left last week’s game with a pectoral injury. Reports indicate Slater will be out, too.
So, how well will the backup tackles perform against a Chiefs defensive line led by DE George Karlaftis and DT Chris Jones?
2. What’s with Kansas City TE Travis Kelce?
In last season’s playoffs, he led all receivers with 355 yards on 32 catches. By contrast, this year, he’s been targeted only 12 times by QB Patrick Mahomes and has eight catches for 61 yards.
It will be interesting to see if he becomes a bigger part of the offense this week, especially with LA safety Derwin James, a two-time first-team All-Pro, serving a one-game suspension.
3. RB J.K. Dobbins has been a bright spot for the Chargers, standing third on the rushing chart with 310 yards.
But he was held to 44 yards on 15 carries last week against Pittsburgh. He had five yards on four carries in the second half, in which LA has zero net yards.
Chiefs vs. Chargers prop bets and anytime TD scorers
For bettors seeking more action on games besides who wins and by how much, many options are available. Here are anytime TD scorer odds from FanDuel.
And here are more prop bets offerings from DraftKings, BetMGM and FanDuel. Caesars and Bet365 also have tempting offerings.
Receiving yards (DraftKings)
- Chiefs TE Travis Kelce 40-plus: -185
- Kelce 100-plus: +850
Winning margin (BetMGM)
- Chiefs 1-6 points: +310
- Chargers 1-6 points: +500
- Chiefs 13-18 points: +400
- Chargers 13-18 points: +2000
Passing stats (DraftKings)
- Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes 300-plus yards: +330
- Mahomes 3-plus TDs: +400
Anytime TD scorers (FanDuel)
- Chargers RB J.K. Dobbins: +135
- Chiefs WR Rashee Rice: +160
Total points (DraftKings)
- Either team scores 40-plus: +850
- Neither team scores 40-plus: -2500
Chiefs vs. Chargers betting predictions
Kansas City has enough depth to make up for its missing pieces. That’s not the case for LA.
If Herbert can’t go, at least the Chargers have a quality backup in Taylor Heinicke, who’s made 29 starts in his career, going 13-15-1. But he might not have time to throw.
Pick: Chiefs -7, UNDER 40
