This week’s matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs (4-5) and the San Diego Chargers (2-7) will give the Chiefs a chance to add to their three-game winning streak. The NFL’s second-leading passer, Philip Rivers (3,033 yards, 19 TDs), will be on display in this contest. It will begin Sunday, Nov 22 at 4:05 p.m. ET and can be seen on CBS.
This will be the first meeting of the season for the division rivals. Kansas City won both games during the regular season last year. Manti Te’o led the Chargers defense in the last game, registering nine tackles. Justin Houston led the way for the Kansas City defense, totaling six tackles and four sacks.
Kansas City is a three-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 46 points.
Heading into Week 11 of league action, the Chargers are 2-7 Straight Up (SU) and 3-6 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, San Diego is 0-5 SU and 2-3 ATS. San Diego will try controlling the game with its passing attack, which averages a league-best 328.7 yards per game. San Diego finishes home games strong, averaging a league-best 12.4 points in the fourth quarter. San Diego tops most teams in terms of time of possession. The Chargers have an average time of possession of 32:39 per game for fifth-highest in the league.
Moving to the road team, the Chiefs have 4-5 SU and ATS records this season. In the previous five games, Kansas City has a record of 3-2 for both SU and ATS. Offensively, they might be able to exploit a defense that struggles at home. The Chargers give up a whopping 27.6 points per home game. If San Diego’s earlier games are any indication, the Chiefs should lean on a solid rushing attack. The Chargers allow 122.9 rushing yards per game, 26th in the NFL. Switching gears to the Kansas City defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Chargers. Kansas City’s defense ranks in the top half of the league for rushing yards allowed and could have the upper hand this week against the 30th-ranked rushing attack of the Chargers, which averages 85.2 yards on the ground per game. Pass protection will be essential for the Chargers against the tenacious Chiefs defense, ranking fifth in the league in sacks with 2.9 per game. The Chiefs have a habit of picking up points before halftime. They average 9.4 points during the second quarter, ranking fourth in the NFL. With an average of 98.4 return yards per game (fifth-most in the league), Kansas City has had a great deal of success with its special teams.
Predictions: SU Winner – KC, ATS Winner – KC, O/U – Under
Notes
San Diego is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games.
San Diego is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
San Diego is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home.
San Diego is 1-9 ATS in its last 10 games at home.
San Diego is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing Kansas City.
San Diego is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Kansas City.
Kansas City is 4-1 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. San Diego is 1-2 SU when leading at the end of the third quarter.
San Diego is only 1-5 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, and an even 1-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Since the start of last season, Kansas City is an even 4-4 SU against AFC West opponents, while San Diego is just 2-5 SU against division foes.
Kansas City is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 11th-ranked rushing attack will face the 26th-ranked run defense of San Diego, while its eighth-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 30th-ranked run game of the Chargers.
San Diego has given up 27.6 points per contest at home this year, which ranks it only 26th in the league. Kansas City has scored 23.0 points per game on the road (ranked 13th overall).
