USA Today Sports. Pictured: Philip Rivers, Patrick Mahomes
- The Kansas City Chiefs opened as 3.5-point home favorites against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football.
- Here are trends, weather forecasts and more to know early in the week.
Betting odds: Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
- Spread: Chiefs -3.5
- Over/Under: 56.5
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET on Thursday
- TV channel: FOX
>> All odds as of Sunday night. Download The Action Network App to get real-time NFL odds and track your bets.
Betting market: The Chiefs opened as 3.5-point favorites at home against the Chargers for their AFC West showdown on Thursday Night Football. That’s a slight adjustment from Westgate’s lookahead line, which was Chiefs -4.
This is not a good sign for Philip Rivers, who is 1-7 straight-up as an underdog against the Chiefs, losing the past seven straight.
The over/under opened 56.5. That’s a significant bump from where the Week 1 game between these two teams closed (48). — Evan Abrams
Weather report: The (very) early forecasts call for 15 mph winds throughout the game, which could be a problem for two teams that are top 10 in passing yards per game, yards per attempt and passing touchdowns.
Since 2003, the under is 454-358-10 (56%) in games with winds of 10 mph or stronger. — John Ewing
Trends to know: The Chargers lost their Week 1 matchup against the Chiefs, 38-28, after trailing 31-12 entering the fourth quarter at home.
According to our Bet Labs data, Rivers is only 9-14 (39.1%) against the spread the game after losing to a respective opponent by double digits, failing to cover the spread by 3.1 points per game.
He’s 0-5 straight-up and 1-4 ATS when attempting to avenge a double-digit loss to the Chiefs, failing to cover by 12.6 points per game. — Abrams
Metrics that matter: The Chiefs lead the NFL with 37 points per game. Since 2003, only two teams have played in December or later on just four days rest while averaging 30 points:
- 2015 Cardinals (Carson Palmer) vs. Vikings (-10): Cardinals won, 23-20
- 2013 Broncos (Peyton Manning) vs. Chargers (-10): Broncos lost, 27-20
Teams averaging 30 points per game that are on short rest (six or fewer days) in December or later are 2-5 SU and 1-6 ATS since 2012, failing to cover by 7.7 points per game. — Abrams
Did you know? This will be the Chargers’ second prime-time game of the season. They beat the Steelers, 33-30, as 3.5-point road underdogs on Sunday Night Football in Week 13.
Rivers is 28-17-1 (62.2%) ATS in prime time, covering the spread by 4.5 points per game.
He’s profited bettors 10.5 units in this spot, making Rivers the second-most profitable prime-time quarterback since his first start in 2006, behind only Peyton Manning. — Abrams