The Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers will do battle during Week 1 of the NFL regular season. Here are the betting odds and trends for the game.
Heading into the 2016 NFL regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs are the favorite to win the AFC West. On Sunday, they will welcome division rival San Diego Chargers to Arrowhead Stadium, where the crowd is sure to be rocking. The Chargers are likely to struggle this season, but like any divisional match-up, anything can happen.
Both teams will be looking to get off to a good start to their 2016 season. The Chargers have one of the better quarterbacks in the AFC in Philip Rivers, and he will be counted on to keep the Bolts in the game. Antonio Gates returns to his tight end position, and Danny Woodhead is expected to play a big role in the offense.
The Chiefs have one of the more solid rosters in all of football, but they will be missing two of their biggest pieces in Week 1. Justin Houston is not ready to return from an ACL injury that he suffered last November against Buffalo. Jamaal Charles is also returning from an ACL, and has likely been ruled out for the San Diego game.
Kansas City is a seven-point home favorite in the opener, as they are slated to win big on Sunday. The over/under is set at 44.5, which seems like a pretty high number for these two teams. In their last five matchups, the Chiefs and Chargers have gone under four times, and that will be the case in Week 1.
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As for trends, the Chargers have been great against the spread in their last six games, covering in five. In contrast, the Chiefs have only covered twice in their last six, so expect this game to be closer than the seven point spread. Divisional games are usually close, and San Diego still has the firepower on offense to hang in.