Here is who national experts predict will win Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers game
There is nothing on the line Sunday in the Chiefs’ season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
The Chiefs already know they’ll be the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs, while the Chargers will finish last in the AFC West regardless of the outcome Sunday.
But one streak could end.
The Chiefs have had a winning AFC West record in each of the last eight seasons. The last time they didn’t have a record above .500 in division play was 2014 when they went 3-3. Since then, the Chiefs have a 45-8 record against the AFC West.
That includes a 3-2 record this season, and if the Chargers win in the battle of backup quarterbacks, the Chiefs’ streak of winning records against the West will come to an and.
Who will win Sunday? Here are who 67 national experts are predicting will win the game, which kicks off at 3:25 and airs on KCTV (Ch. 5) in Kansas City.
A 17-13 Chiefs victory is the outlook from the Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer. Here is a snippet from his story: “Even with Patrick Mahomes not seeing much work here, that other side of the ball won’t be slumping at all against a Chargers’ offense that simply can’t do much anymore with too many injuries.”
A 23-21 Chargers win is the prediction from the Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi. This is from his story: “Patrick Mahomes and the many starters on the Chiefs (10-6) could rest with the AFC West title already secured. The Chargers (5-11) are better off losing for draft positioning.”
Six of eight writers at CBS Sports believe the Chiefs will win: Pete Prisco, Jared Dubin, John Breech, Ryan Wilson, Tyler Sullivan and Dave Richard. Picking the Chargers are Will Brinson and Jamey Eisenberg. Prisco predicts a 27-20 score. Here is a snippet from his story: “The Chargers are heading to an offseason of change, but with (quarterback) Easton Stick playing here it won’t matter who plays for the Chiefs. They still win it.”
The Chargers are the pick for three of five writers at NFL.com: Dan Parr (17-16), Gennaro Filice (22-17) and Tom Blair (20-17). Taking the Chiefs are Ali Bhanpuri (20-18) and Brooke Cersosimo (20-19). Here is an excerpt of what Filice wrote: “Another snake-bitten season for the Bolts has seen injuries befall franchise cornerstones Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Joey Bosa. Consequently, backups like QB Easton Stick have gotten used to this whole starting thing. So, while Kansas City is incorporating a slew of lineup changes this week, it’s basically business as usual for Los Angeles. In his third game since taking the reins after Brandon Staley’s firing, Giff Smith logs his first win.”
Seven of 12 writers at the Athletic picked the Chiefs: Nick Kosmider, Tashan Reed, Chad Graff, Michael-Shawn Dugar, Mark Kaboly, Zack Rosenblatt and Zak Keefer. Picking the Chargers are: Zac Jackson, Josh Kendall, Ben Standig, Austin Mock and Larry Holder. Here is an excerpt from that story: “The Chargers have lost seven out of eight games down the stretch, while the offense has been a non-factor without quarterback Justin Herbert.”
Picking the Chiefs are five of eight USA Today writers: Jarrett Bell (27-20 final score), Tyler Dragon (24-13), Victoria Hernandez (24-17), Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (24-12) and Nate Davis (21-15). Taking LA are Chris Bumbaca (20-13), Safid Deen (16-13) and Lorenzo Reyes (27-20). Here is what Dragon wrote: “Kansas City’s starters will probably play some snaps in this game as they attempt to jumpstart their offense. The Chiefs can work on their offense, primarily their passing attack, against a bad Chargers defense.”
Six of seven experts at Sports Illustrated are predicting a Chiefs victory: Albert Breer, Conor Orr, Mitch Goldich, Gilberto Manzano, John Pluym and Claire Kuwana. The pick for the Chargers: Matt Verderame.
The Chiefs are the choice for Pro Football Talk’s Chris Simms (17-14 final score), while Mike Florio (21-17) sees the Chargers winning.
Five of eight ESPN experts picked the Chiefs: Jeremy Fowler, Dan Graziano, Moses Moody, Jason Reid and Seth Wickersham. Taking the Chargers are Stephania Bell, Mike Clay and Kimberly Martin.
Six of eight SB Nation writers predicted a Chargers victory: Brandon Lee Bowton, RJ Ochoa, Ricky O’Donnell, Michael Peterson, Mark Schofield and Matt Warren. Picking the Chiefs: James Dator and Jared Mueller.
Picking the Chiefs are five of seven writers at A to Z Sports: Destin Adams, Brandon Little, Mike Payton, John Sheeran and Evan Winter. Taking the Chargers are Charles Goldman and Mauricio Rodriguez.
