We have ourselves an AFC West showdown in Inglewood in the late window on Sunday afternoon as the Los Angeles Chargers will host the Kansas City Chiefs. Both of these division rivals enter Week 4 with winning records.
For the Chiefs, they moved to 3-0 after a road win in Atlanta on prime time. After beginning the first two weeks perfect, the Chargers suffered their first loss of the season to the Steelers in Week 3. To make matters worse, they were also decimated by injuries in the loss, including to quarterback Justin Herbert, who left the game early after aggravating his ankle sprain. Herbert is officially listed as questionable for this matchup, while pass rusher Joey Bosa and offensive tackle tackle Rashawn Slater have been ruled out.
To better prepare for this Week 4 showdown, let’s go over some other key storylines, give our prediction, and, of course, inform you how to watch this game on CBS and Paramount+.
All NFL odds are via SportsLine Consensus.
Where to watch Chiefs vs. Chargers
Date: Sunday, Sept. 29 | Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA)
TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+ (click here)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Chiefs -7, O/U 39.5
One key for each side in AFC West showdown
Chiefs: Will Travis Kelce get back on track?
It’s been a remarkably quiet start for Travis Kelce. The Kansas City Chiefs star tight end has just eight catches for 69 yards through three games. To put that into clearer context, those are the fewest receptions and receiving yards in a three-game stretch within a season in his career. As Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid noted, how defenses have emphasized Kelce has contributed to this slow start. That said, their offense flows most efficiently when Kelce is involved, and this matchup against the Chargers could go a long way in getting him back on track. Historically, Kelce has owned this division rival. In his last five games against the Chargers, Kelce has 40 receptions, 640 yards and six touchdowns.
Chargers: Can the Chargers keep Herbert upright?
The Chargers are down left tackle Rahsawn Slater due to a pectoral injury. Meanwhile, right tackle Joe Alt is questionable with a knee injury, so Los Angeles could be down its two starting tackles on Sunday. As it relates to Slater, Justin Herbert is pressured 31% of the time with the tackle on the field in his career vs. 36% of the time with him off. So, this is a rough recipe for an already ailing Herbert, particularly against a Chiefs defensive front that blitzes at the fifth-highest rate in the NFL over the last two seasons.
Prediction
This line opened at Chiefs -3 but has ballooned to Chiefs -7 due to all the injuries that have befallen the Chargers. On top of Los Angeles’ offense needing to keep Herbert out of harm’s way, possibly with two backup tackles, the Chargers will be without star safety Derwin James due to a suspension. There’s simply too much fighting against the Chargers to expect them to keep this game competitive. With their bye week slotted in Week 5, they may pack it in and live to fight another day.
Projected score: Chiefs 27, Chargers 17
The pick: Chiefs -7
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Author: Tyler Sullivan
September 29, 2024 | 6:35 am
