Who national experts predict will win Los Angeles Chargers at KC Chiefs game
The Chiefs are dealing with their fair share of injuries as the regular season hits mid-December, but so is their opponent on Sunday, the Chargers.
That includes LA quarterback Justin Herbert, who is playing despite having a broken left hand. Count Chiefs star defensive lineman Chris Jones impressed.
“I have much respect for the quarterback. He’s tough. He’s a tough one,” Jones said. “I think he’s playing with a broken left hand right now and still doing it. So I got much respect for those guys. And the head coach (Jim Harbaugh). That team goes off the head coach. He’s old school and I have so much respect for him.”
Kickoff on Sunday is at noon on KCTV (Ch. 5) in Kansas City. Kevin Harlan and Trent Green will be in the broadcast booth. Here is who 66 national experts think will win.
A 22-20 Chiefs victory is the forecast from Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. This is from his story: “Coming off an overtime win against Philadelphia, the Chargers go for a sweep of a Chiefs team that’s on the verge of elimination. Patrick Mahomes and Co. ran out of margin for error. They need to win out and get plenty of help.”
A 24-18 Chargers win is the outlook from the Los Angeles Times’ Sam Farmer. Here is an excerpt from his story: “The Chargers have had Kansas City’s number at times, but beating the Chiefs in the cold when it matters is another story. This one figures to come down to the wire, but the Chargers should be able to come away with a win and season sweep.”
A 23-17 Chiefs win is the call from the Sporting News’ Bill Bender. This is an excerpt of what he wrote: “We keep picking the Chiefs in these games — and now their playoff fate might be at stake. The Chargers are coming off a short week, and Patrick Mahomes is in desperation mode. The Chiefs have won the last three home meetings in the series.”
A 17-14 Chargers victory is the forecast from the Arizona Republic’s Jeremy Cluff. Here is what he wrote: ”The Chiefs have lost four of their last five games and are hanging on to very slim playoff hopes. Those hopes will take a hit with a second loss to the Chargers this season.”
Taking the Chiefs are all five writers at NFL.com: Ali Bhanpuri (23-20 final score), Brooke Cersosimo (23-21), Dan Parr (24-20), Gennaro Filice (23-16) and Tom Blair (21-18). This is a snippet of what Blair wrote: “We really can’t just shrug our shoulders and assume Patrick Mahomes will conjure up enough brilliance to manifest a win, at least not at this point in 2025. Setting aside the idea of Mahomes as a supernatural force, these two squads seem fairly evenly matched to me, with Kansas City boasting an advantage on offense (sixth in EPA per play, compared to 13th for L.A.) and the Bolts looking stronger on defense (eighth in EPA per play, compared to 16th for K.C.).”
Picking the Chiefs are six of seven CBS Sports writers: Pete Prisco, Jared Dubin, Ryan Wilson, John Breech, Dave Richard and Jamey Eisenberg. Picking the Chargers is Tyler Sullivan. Prisco sees a 23-17 final. This is a snippet from his story: “This is truly desperation time for the Chiefs. They can’t afford another loss. The Chargers beat them in Week 1, but this will be different. Los Angeles comes in on a short week and their offensive line is bad.”
Taking the Chargers are four of seven Bleacher Report writers: Gary Davenport, Ian Hanford, Wes O’Donnell and Brent Sobleski. Going with the Chiefs are Brad Gagnon, Kris Knox and Moe Moton. Here is a snippet of what O’Donnell wrote; “I said it last week, got burned, and now it’s time to pack up my belongings and find shelter. The Chiefs are not magically going to morph into legitimate contenders—they have too many issues this season.”
Picking the Chiefs are four of six Athletic writers: Austin Mock, Zack Rosenblatt, Joe Buscaglia and Nick Kosmider. Going with the Chargers are Chad Graff and Larry Holder. Here is a snippet from J.J. Bailey’s story: “No. Hey. No. Don’t do it. Not yet. These are the Chiefs, and these are the Chargers, and until this number says zero, or you see the ‘E’ next to their name, Kansas City is not dead. It’s like we learned nothing from ‘Game of Thrones.’”
It’s a split decision for SiriusXM’s Bruce Murray and Rich Gannon:
Picking the Chiefs are seven of the 10 Dallas Morning-News experts: Tim Cowlishaw, Dana Larson, Damon Marx, Craig Miller, Kevin Sherrington, Joseph Hoyt and Newy Scruggs. Taking the Chargers are Joey Hayden, Abraham Nudelstejer and Calvin Watkins.
It’s a split decision from the Pro Football Talk writers: Mike Florio sees the Chiefs prevailing 23-20, while Chris Simms has LA winning 23-20.
Going with KC are five of six USA Today writers: Jarrett Bell (27-24 final score), Chris Bumbaca (24-21), Nate Davis (24-20), Tyler Dragon (26-23) and Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (24-21). Picking the Chargers is Nick Brinkerhoff (27-23).
The Chargers are the choice for four of the six Sports Illustrated writers: Matt Verderame, Clare Brennan, Gilberto Manzano and Mitch Goldich. Taking the Chiefs are Conor Orr and John Pluym.
The Chiefs are the pick for nine of the 11 ESPN experts: Stephania Bell, Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Jeremy Fowler, Dan Graziano, Moses Moody, Lindsey Thiry, Jason Reid and Seth Wickersham. Taking LA are Kalyn Kahler and Pamela Maldonado.
This story was originally published December 13, 2025 at 2:34 PM.
