San Diego Chargers vs Kansas City Chiefs: betting odds, preview, trends, pick

San Diego is 8-2 SU in its last 10 meetings with the Kansas City Chiefs and they are favored by nine points to do it again Thursday night.

The Chargers opened as 7.5-point chalk at most sportsbooks but it was bet up to -9 at Bovada, where the action was split almost perfectly down the middle.

“It’s a 50-50 split right now at -9,” said sportsbook spokesman Kevin Bradley. “The NFL betting on the total is about 65 per cent favoring the OVER 42.5.”

With a 1-6 SU and 2-5 ATS record this season, it is pretty clear that the Kansas City Chiefs are having an awful season. But the most telling stat of how bad things have been for the Chiefs this year is that through seven games they’ve never held a lead in regulation, getting their only win with a score in overtime against New Orleans.

Kansas City switched to Brady Quinn at quarterback last week, but he suffered a concussion against Oakland so it is back to Matt Cassel here in Week 9.

The San Diego Chargers are just 3-4 SU and ATS after losing three straight games both SU and ATS, and many are wondering how much longer Norv Turner can keep his job. After coughing up a 24-0 lead at home to the Denver Broncos two weeks ago, San Diego had a bye week to make corrections but came out flat in a 7-6 loss at Cleveland last Sunday.

[ Score predictions on every Week 9 game - see what the computer says ]

A game against Kansas City could be just what the doctor ordered for the Chargers. San Diego is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games against the Chiefs and 7-1 SU in its last eight home games against the Chiefs. The total has gone UNDER in four of the last five games between these two teams, but went OVER in their one game this year.

It is hard to feel good about taking San Diego -8.0, but the Chargers have proven they can beat bad teams big with wins by eight or more points against Oakland, Tennessee, and Kansas City.

Considering how bad Kansas City is, and how awkward it is for the Chiefs to have Matt Cassel back under center just one week after disowning him, San Diego seems like the right side.

PICK: The OddsShark.com Prediction computer says 24-10 Chargers and PickShark.com says Take the Chargers.