Thursday Night Football odds, spread, line: Chargers vs. Chiefs prediction, NFL picks from expert who is 17-5
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After a wildly exciting opening week of the 2022 NFL schedule, Week 2 begins in earnest on Thursday Night Football. The Kansas City Chiefs will welcome the Los Angeles Chargers to Arrowhead Stadium for an AFC West tilt. Both teams are led by star quarterbacks, with Patrick Mahomes starring for the Chiefs and Justin Herbert emerging as the face of the Chargers. The two teams split a pair of matchups in 2021, with both winning on the road, and each won season-opening tilts last week to begin the campaign at 1-0.
Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. ET in Kansas City. Caesars Sportsbook lists Kansas City as a four-point home favorite, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 54 in the latest Chargers vs. Chiefs odds. Before making any Chiefs vs. Chargers picks or NFL predictions for Thursday Night Football, see what SportsLine expert R.J. White has to say.
White, a Fantasy and gambling editor for CBS Sports, consistently crushes as SportsLine’s No. 1 NFL expert in picks against the spread, and went 445-378-24 on his ATS picks from 2017-21, which returned $2,542 to $100 players. He’s also gone a whopping 17-5-1 on his NFL picks involving the Chargers, meaning he’s well-qualified for this selection.
He’s well-known for cashing out big in the Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest twice since 2015. White also cashed big on his NFL futures in 2021, including nailing Jonathan Taylor as the NFL rushing leader at 10-1. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, White has locked in on Chargers vs. Chiefs from every angle and released a confident against-the-spread pick. You can visit SportsLine now to see his TNF picks. Here are several NFL odds and betting lines for Chiefs vs. Chargers:
Featured Game | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Why the Chargers can cover
The Chargers have enjoyed trips to Arrowhead Stadium with Justin Herbert at the helm. Los Angeles is 2-0 in Kansas City over Herbert’s tenure, with the talented quarterback throwing for 583 passing yards and seven touchdowns in those games. Herbert is an elite option in any context, as evidenced by 279 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1. Dating back to the 2021 season, Herbert threw for more than 5,000 yards and 38 touchdowns and ranks in the top four in NFL history in passing yards and passing touchdowns through the first 33 games of a career.
The Chargers are highly explosive as a result, ranking in the top five of the league in passing offense, total offense, and scoring offense a year ago. Running back Austin Ekeler is not a bruiser, but he compiled more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage in 2021, ranking No. 6 in the NFL. Ekeler also tied Jonathan Taylor for the league lead with 20 touchdowns last season, and the Chargers can also take solace in a defense that produced six sacks in the season-opener four days ago.
Why the Chiefs can cover
Kansas City isn’t known for its defense, but the 2022 season-opener set a strong baseline. The Chiefs held the high-powered Cardinals offense to 282 total yards in Week 1, and Arizona averaged only 4.4 net yards per pass attempt. Kansas City scored the most points in the NFL in the Week 1 with 44, and the Chiefs accumulated 488 total yards and 33 first downs. The Chiefs also racked up a whopping 33 first downs, and Kansas City went 6-for-6 in the red zone while converting more than 60% of third down chances.
Kansas City protected Patrick Mahomes at an elite level, allowing zero sacks in the opener, and the Chiefs also ran the ball effectively against the Cardinals. The Chiefs used 27 carries to accumulate 128 rushing yards and a touchdown with a rotation of running backs, and Kansas City ranked in the top four of the NFL in scoring offense and total offense during the 2021 season.
How to make Chiefs vs. Chargers picks
For Thursday Night Football, White is leaning Under on the point total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. He’s only sharing what it is and which side of the Chargers vs. Chiefs spread to back at SportsLine.
So who wins Chiefs vs. Chargers on Thursday Night Football? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Chargers vs. Chiefs spread you should jump on, all from the NFL expert who’s an amazing 17-5 on picks involving Los Angeles, and find out.