by Amedeus Mastrangelo
Monday, Dec 13, 2021
Game Time: 8:20 pm ET, Thursday, December 16, 2021
Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Where to Watch: Fox
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Chiefs -3.5, Chargers +3.5; Over/Under: 49.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Chiefs -3, Chargers +3; Over/Under: 50 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Chiefs -3.5, Chargers +3.5; Over/Under: 49.5 points
Season Record
Kansas City Chiefs: 9-4 (1st place, AFC West)
Los Angeles Chargers: 8-5 (2nd place, AFC West)
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Kansas City Chiefs vs Los Angeles Chargers Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Kansas City Chiefs: won at home on Dec. 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders 48-9.
Los Angeles Chargers: won at home on Dec. 12 against the New York Giants 37-21.
Kansas City Chiefs Analysis
The Chiefs are coming into this game with a 9-4 record overall and they are 3-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 5th divisional matchup of the year and they are currently 3-1 in their division games this season. Their last loss was against the Tennessee Titans but they have gone on a 6 game winning streak since then with wins coming against the New York Giants, the Green Bay Packers, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Dallas Cowboys, the Denver Broncos, and the Raiders again in their last game on Sunday. Patrick Mahomes II completed 20/24 passes for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns in that one. Derrick Gore led the team in rushing with 66 yards and 1 touchdown on 9 carries while Clyde Edwards-Helaire had 37 yards and 2 touchdowns on 10 carries. Tyreek Hill led the receivers with 76 yards on 4 receptions while Mecole Hardman had 59 yards on 2 receptions. Darrel Williams and Josh Gordon both caught the 2 touchdown passes in that one with 1 each. Mike Hughes led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 1 assisted one. Alex Okafor led the defense in sacks with 1.5 while Tyrann Mathieu was the only one who came up with an interception for them in that one. They have scored 303 points in their 13 games this season averaging 23.3 PPG and the Chiefs’ defense have allowed their opponents to score 259 points against them allowing 19.9 PPG. Their offense is averaging 361 YPG while the Kansas City defense is allowing 339.4 YPG.
Los Angeles Chargers Analysis
The Chargers are coming into this game with an 8-5 record overall and they are 4-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 4th divisional matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 2-1 in their division games this season, including 1 win over the Chiefs already earlier in the year at Arrowhead Stadium. They have won 3 of their last 4 games and are coming into this one on a 2 game winning streak after another win in their last game. Their last loss was against the Denver Broncos while their 3 wins in that span came against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the New York Giants in their last game. Justin Herbert completed 23/31 passes for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns. Austin Ekeler led the team in rushing with 67 yards and 1 touchdown on 12 carries. Jalen Guyton led the receivers with 87 yards and 1 TD on 3 receptions while Josh Palmer had 66 yards and 1 touchdown on 5 receptions. Mike Williams led the team in receptions with 6 for 61 yards while Jared Cook caught the other touchdown pass in that one. Kyzir White led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 5 assisted ones. Justin Jones and Joey Bosa both recorded the only sacks in that game with 1 each while Nick Niemann came up with the only interception for them in that one. They have scored 314 points in their 13 games this season averaging 24.2 PPG and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 315 points against them allowing 24.2 PPG. Their offense is averaging 352.7 YPG while their defense is allowing 323.7 YPG.
Chiefs vs Chargers Prediction
The Chiefs are coming into this game as a 3.5 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Chiefs have been playing much better coming into this game on a 6 game win streak. Their defense has been playing much better since the beginning of the season and their offense is starting to look like the Chiefs offense again. The Chargers have been very inconsistent this season and even though they have been playing well, they have some questionable losses recently. The Chiefs already lost to the Chargers earlier in the season when the Chiefs were not playing well. Now the Chiefs are playing much better and they will be sure not to lose again and will be out for revenge in this game. The best bet to place in this game is on the Chiefs to cover the spread here.
Chiefs Chargers Prediction: Our NFL Pick for Thursday, December 16, 2021 (8:20 pm ET start time) is Chiefs 38 Chargers 24.
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NFL Betting Trends
Kansas City Chiefs: 7-2 ATS in games where the line is +3 to -3. 7-3 ATS in December games. 4-0 ATS revenging a close loss by 7 points or less to opponent. 3-7 O/U in December games.
Los Angeles Chargers: 8-13 ATS in home games. 12-19 ATS after the first month of the season. 8-14 ATS in the second half of the season. 3-6 O/U in games where the line is +3 to -3. 8-13 O/U in home games. 6-19 O/U in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 49.5.
Key Injuries
Kansas City Chiefs: K. Long (G) day-to-day - Knee injury. L. Sneed (DB) day-to-day - Personal. C. Lammons (DB) Out indefinitely - Hip injury.
Los Angeles Chargers: A. Ekeler (RB) day-to-day - Ankle injury. A. Gilman (S) day-to-day - Quadricep injury. A. Samuel Jr. (CB) day-to-day - Concussion.
Notable Quotes
"You don't want people coming into your stadium and trying to disrespect things you've built. So for us, there was a little more motivation to go against a really good football team that we have a rivalry against." - Patrick Mahomes on their win against the Raiders in their last game.
"There is no flinch. You know, it's the NFL. Teams are good. They're gonna come back and they're gonna do everything they can to get back in the game. I thought the defense did a great job of coming up with that stop, that turnover and turning it into a touchdown." - Justin Herbert after a win against the Bengals 2 weeks ago.
Starting Lineups
Kansas City Chiefs
WR Pringle, Byron
WR Hardman, Mecole
WR Hill, Tyreek
TE TRAVIS KELCE
QB Mahomes II, Patrick
RB Edwards-Helaire, Clyde
FB Burton, Mike
Los Angeles Chargers
WR Guyton, Jalen
WR Allen, Keenan
WR Williams, Mike
TE COOK, JARED
QB Herbert, Justin
RB Ekeler, Austin
FB Nabers, Gabe
Statistical Leaders
Kansas City Chiefs
Passing: P. Mahomes (3642)
Rushing: C. Edwards-Helaire (458)
Receiving: T. Hill (1030)
Touchdowns: T. Hill (8)
Los Angeles Chargers
Passing: J. Herbert (3822)
Rushing: A. Ekeler (730)
Receiving: K. Allen (929)
Touchdowns: A. Ekeler (16)
Coaches:
Kansas City Chiefs: Andy Reid (9th season)
Los Angeles Chargers: Brandon Staley (1st season)
Amedeus Mastrangelo
About the Author:
Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.
