After a wild Week 1 of the NFL season that saw a tie and both #1 seeds from last year’s playoffs lose, we begin Week 2 with an epic Thursday Night Football showdown. We’ll break down the game and give you our predictions and favorite bets to help make the game more enjoyable for you.
Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
@ Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO
How to Watch:
- Day: Thursday, September 15th
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- Channel: Amazon Prime
Betting Stats:
Top Sportsbook Promos:
Matchup:
We get another marquee matchup on Thursday night as the Chargers and Chiefs are the two favorites in the AFC West. In fact, in our first episode of the Morning Huddle, I predicted that Los Angeles would win the AFC West this season, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how they stack up against Kansas City in their first meeting of the 2022 season.
The Chargers responded well to their first test of the season, beating the Las Vegas Raiders 24-19 in Week 1. Justin Herbert was 26-34 for 279 yards passing and three touchdowns, but the bigger story was that the defense limited this trendy Raiders offense to 320 total yards, sacked Derek Carr six times, and picked him off three times.
New addition Khalil Mack had three sacks and four quarterback hits on his own, while Joey Bosa added another 1.5 sacks. The two of them form a formidable duo that could give Patrick Mahomes a hard time; however, Kansas City also came into the year boasting a top-three offensive line according to Sharp Football Analysis.
The Chiefs were able to keep a relatively clean pocket for Mahomes, who dissected the Cardinals in Week 1 to the tune of 360 passing yards and five touchdowns. The team didn’t seem to miss Tyreek Hill much as Travis Kelce was up to his old tricks, and JuJu Smith-Schuster hauled in six catches for 79 yards in his first game with the team.
Last week, the Chargers, allowed nine passes of 15 or more yards and had a hard time guarding new Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, who finished with 17 targets for 141 yards.
On the other hand, the Chargers will likely be without Keenan Allen, who suffered a hamstring injury against the Raiders and is unlikely to play this week. That will put a lot on the plate of Mike Williams, who was quiet on Sunday, DeAndre Carter, who filled in admirably for Allen, and new tight end Gerald Everett.
Even without Allen, this Chargers offense still has the pieces to put up points against the Chiefs, who came into the season without Tyrann Mathieu and now will be without cornerback Trent McDuffie who was carted off in last week’s win. However, the Chargers will need their defensive front to keep the pressure on Mahomes and force the Chiefs into a few punts and turnovers to prevent this from turning into a true track meet.
Top Player Props:
If you’re going to be betting on action besides the moneyline, here are three player props we like from Thursday night’s game:
Austin Ekeler tends to be heavily involved in Los Angeles’ passing game, and I expect that to be the case even more so with Keenan Allen out. With this game figuring to be fast-paced and relatively high-scoring, I think the Chargers will need to throw a fair bit, which should open up lots of looks for Ekeler out of the backfield.
Keenan Allen not playing also means I think we get a lot of Joshua Palmer, who is a talented receiver in his own right. Once Allen is officially ruled out, which he will be, I expect this to go up even higher.
On the other side, I expect JuJu Smith-Schuster to be heavily involved for Kansas City, as he was in week 1. Given the Los Angeles’ issues with boundary receivers against the Raiders, I think JuJu will be a factor on Thursday and should see a lot of looks in a pass-heavy gamescript.
Key Injuries:
- Keenan Allen – WR, LAC: Hamstring (DOUBTFUL)
- Donald Parham – TE, LAC: Hamstring (OUT)
- J.C. Jackson – CB, LAC: Ankle (QUESTIONABLE)
- Harrison Butker – K, KC: Ankle (OUT)
- Trent McDuffie – CB, KC: Hamstring (OUT)
- Trey Smith – G, KC: Ankle (QUESTIONABLE)
