Who will cover the spread when the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Los Angeles Chargers in AFC West action from Mexico City on Monday Night Football? It’s a tough call. Neither team comes into this with good momentum. The Chargers, looking good after back-to-back wins, reverted to their old ways last Thursday with mistakes leading to a tough loss to Oakland, 26-24. The Chiefs welcomed back Patrick Mahomes, but couldn’t close escrow, with their wilting defense costing them a 35-32 loss to the Titans. Can they get a win in their second road game in a row heading into the bye? Or will the Bolts strike at home?
Chargers a Mess
It’s gotten really ugly. Granted, before giving away another game against Oakland, they had won two straight. But a 4-6 record speaks volumes. It’s really the typical combo plate when looking for reasons – top guy not performing at their best, partially as a result of an unending stream of injuries that have them compromised across all areas. The real disconnect is on offense. You have a prolific QB in Philip Rivers, a supposed top-ten back in Gordon, a growing tight end in Hunter Henry, dynamic receivers in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, with a ball-catching back in Austin Ekeler. Seems like a great cast, until you see they’re a bottom-half offense. And with three more picks on Thursday in the loss to Oakland, Rivers was again off-target, as mistakes continue to plague this team.
That line is a mess and has undermined the entire offensive operation. It’s tough on an aging QB like Rivers, having to dodge incoming pass-rushers constantly. It got worse on Thursday, with Russell Okung again going down with an injury. After that, it got really ugly. Rivers doesn’t have time to properly connect with Williams and Allen. Often, you can judge how well the line plays by looking at who is getting the most action aerially. If it’s Gordon, Ekeler, and Henry, it means they aren’t giving Rivers enough time to go deeper.
Possible Angles for the Bolts
With Gordon appearing to warm to the task, look for him an Ekeler to make some headway against a Kansas City defense that struggles in the area of stopping opposing backs. After watching the Chiefs fold late against the run and allow a bonanza to Derrick Henry last week, it’s something to ponder. In fact, it’s not a crazy week for the Chargers’ offense as a whole to thrive, facing a KC defense that can never be called bankable in a given week. The Chargers’ pass-rush should make an impact, which will resonate with a Chargers’ secondary that has been commendably stalwart in the face of unending injuries. The Bolts’ defense is by no means a unit that the Chiefs can’t sufficiently exploit, but with some playmaking here and there, along with a stingy pass-defense, perhaps they can tilt things a bit in their favor—at least from an ATS standpoint.
Are the Chiefs Back?
Offensively, it appears to be the case. Last week can be called a warm-up for the final run of the season in the previous six games. Mahomes should be potent from here on out, especially with Tyreek Hill, who will loom large in this matchup. With big plays coming from guys like Mecole Hardman, Travis Kelce, and others, it’s a lot for a compromised Chargers’ defense to contain. With so many different kinds of aerial options, Mahomes can dish off quick and somewhat assuage the Bolts’ pass-rush, which could disrupt things in this game.
When watching the Chiefs’ defense against Tennessee, you see that anything is possible. Nothing is bankable right now for Kansas City. While showing stoutness in the secondary from time to time, the run-defense is officially in shambles, and this could be a bad spot for that. Even aerially, Rivers has a lot of weapons to turn loose against this “D” and he has enjoyed some good games against the Chiefs in recent seasons.
- Get more details: Chiefs vs Chargers NFL Match-up Stats
