Kansas City Sitting Starters in Season Finale

While numerous teams will be fighting for their playoff lives this weekend, the Chiefs aren’t one of them. Kansas City has locked up the AFC’s No. 3 seed for NFL playoff teams. The Chiefs can’t move up or down regardless of what happens here. So the Chiefs will sit some starters and rotate others.

The Chargers have been eliminated from the playoffs for a while now. Los Angeles has really fallen apart down the stretch, losing its last four games and going 1-3 against the NFL odds in those contests. But that hasn’t stopped the Chargers from being named the favorites. The Chiefs vs Chargers betting trends show Los Angeles has moved to a 3.5-point favorite and the total on the game is 35.

Chiefs Working on Player Rotation

Kansas City head coach Andy Reid already announced Patrick Mahomes will not play. Blaine Gabbert will get the start for the Chiefs. It’s not quite as easy with some of the other players, however. Some NFL players are close to milestones or contract performance bonuses.

So Reid will take all of that into consideration when it comes time for the game. Somebody like Travis Kelce needs 16 yards to reach 1,000 receiving yards on the season. He’ll probably get the chance. But do the Chiefs let Isiah Pacheco try to get 65 yards for 1,000 or Rashee Rice get 62 yards for 1,000 receiving yards? That’s something Reid and staff will work on during the week.

Kansas City is likely to run the ball more than it normally does. Mahomes is sitting because the Chiefs don’t want to risk an injury. But you also don’t want your backup QB injured. If Gabbert gets hurt, Chris Oladokun is next on the depth chart. He’s never thrown a pass in a regular season game.

Who carries the ball is a bit of a question mark, however. Still, the Chiefs need to get Gabbert some work, as he has almost as many interceptions as completions this season. He’s 3 for 5 passing but has been intercepted twice.

The Kansas City defense has been solid all season. The Chiefs are allowing 17.6 points per game against teams averaging 21.9 points on the season. Kansas City’s pass defense has been stellar.

The Chiefs allow just 172.9 passing yards per game and hold teams to 1.1 fewer yards per attempt than they average. The run defense hasn’t been that impressive, with the Chiefs allowing 4.5 yards per carry. Kansas City has allowed at least 114 rushing yards in all six defeats this season.

Chargers Spiraling Downward

Los Angeles Chargers is 1-7 in it last eight games and the offense has to shoulder a good deal of the blame. The Chargers have rushed for more than 100 yards just once in that stretch. Los Angeles has just one 250-yard passing game in those eight contests, as well. The Chargers have scored 10 points or less in four of the eight games.

For the NFL season, the offense has averaged 20.9 points per game against teams allowing 21 points. The rushing game hasn’t done a whole lot this season, averaging 95.3 yards per game and 3.8 yards per attempt. The Chargers are averaging 232 passing yards per game. As bad as things have gone for Los Angeles, the team is even in the turnover department.

The Chargers are allowing 24.1 points per game to teams averaging 22.4 points. Los Angeles has done a decent job with its rushing defense. The Chargers allow 4.1 yards per carry to teams averaging 4.3 yards per rush. But the pass defense has been pretty bad, allowing 256.3 yards per game and 7.2 per pass attempt.

What to Expect

For the Chiefs, it’s a matter of getting in and getting out healthy. The game is completely meaningless in regards to their playoff outlook. Kansas City has a few things to work on, most notably getting Gabbert a little work. But not losing anybody to injury is the team’s top priority in this game.

The Chargers could use a home win to give the team a positive send-off this season. Not much has gone right down the stretch and it’s a final opportunity for players to impress the coaches heading into the offseason. It could be the difference between being offered a contract or not next season.

Who to Bet On?

The Chiefs vs Chargers betting trends say to play this one under. Kansas City is 5-11 in totals this season. The Chargers are 5-10-1. But the first game between these two NFL teams saw an over/under of 48.5 points. Now, it’s down to just 35. That’s quite a swing.

The Chiefs vs Chargers betting trends show Los Angeles is just 2-5-1 against the spread at home this year. But those were against teams that were trying to win. Kansas City isn’t worried about the outcome in this one.

Today’s NFL scores won’t be indicative of how the Chiefs measure up right now. But not about to lay 3.5 points with the Chargers, so will follow the trends this season and take the game under 35.

For NFL betting news, NFL Sunday schedule, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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