Wow. What a game yesterday! As a few people pointed out last night, this was probably our finest hour as fans since opening night last season. Congrats to the team for never giving up and to the defense for putting forth another very strong effort!
Many of us secretly wished for some kind of miracle streak to make this upcoming Monday Night Football contest meaningful and our wishes have been granted. Chiefs vs. Chargers, week 8, with first place on the line. I cannot begin to imagine what the crowd will be like for that one. With the Chiefs coming off of three straight wins and the Chargers melting down against the Jets yesterday, it seems like the Chiefs are certainly coming in with the momentum. Would that be enough for the folks in Vegas to install us as a small home favorite? Or would San Diego get a break for the West Coast-East Coast trip and the Chiefs still be doubted because of the pathetic display of quarterbacking they faced? Let's find out those things and more in this week's edition of The Opening Line.
The San Diego Chargers enter this game atop the AFC West with a 4-2 record (2-0 division) while the Chiefs enter with a 3-3 record (1-1 division). If you are a weekly visitor to my piece on the Power Rankings you will know what I think of this Chargers team. Their wins? Minnesota, Miami, Denver (Old Testament), and a still emerging Chiefs squad. Aside from the Raiders, the Chiefs have not beaten anyone worth a lick either, so things seem to be fairly even.
If you look at the statistics though, this Chargers team is very much like their 2010 edition. They are very very impressive statistically on both sides of the ball while the Chiefs are still working on getting the offense caught up with the defense. Perhaps this is why Las Vegas has installed the Chargers as 4 point favorites and the total has opened at 44.5. As I write this though, the line has already moved down to 3.5 pretty much everywhere I look.
Let's look at some recent trends in this matchup:
- SAN DIEGO is 2-4 ATS this season
- KANSAS CITY is 4-2 ATS this season (I'll let you guess which two lost)
- KANSAS CITY is 4-1 ATS as an underdog this season
- SAN DIEGO is 1-8 ATS in their last nine road games where the total is between 42.5 and 45
- KANSAS CITY is 3-0 ATS and SU this season against teams who beat them last time they faced.
Nothing earth-shattering there, but still enough to give a slight historical edge to the Chiefs. If this week is anything like last week, we should have some fun getting ready for this one. I'll say this. It's big enough that I am searching for flights, a ticket and a hotel room as you read this! Let's have a great week and let's get ready to get back on top! Thanks for reading this week's edition of The Opening Line!