Both Super Bowl participants from last year’s big game will kick off the NFL season. A day after the Philadelphia Eagles open with Dallas, the Kansas City Chiefs will head to Brazil for a “road” game against the divisional rival Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chiefs have retooled their offensive line for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City traded Joe Thuney to the Bears, replacing him with first-rounder Josh Simmons. Left tackle Jaylon Moore will also be called upon in the Chiefs’ offensive line rotation.
Los Angeles also added support for their offensive attack. The Chargers selected former UNC running back Omarion Hampton in the first round of this year’s draft, following it up with talented wide receiver Tre Harris in the next round. They’ll join tight end Tyler Conklin as new weapons for veteran quarterback Justin Herbert.
Can the Chargers overcome their AFC West foes in Brazil? We’ll cover that and three of our favorite player props for this season-opening Friday night contest.
At 29, Mahomes is positioned to give legendary quarterback Tom Brady a run for his money. The 2017 first-round pick has made five Super Bowl appearances in his nine-year career, and he’s earned three Lombardi trophies since 2020.
Against the Chargers on Friday, there is a stat every bettor should know about Mahomes’ season-opening performances. Since 2018, he’s thrown for more than 241 yards in six of his eight initial outings. Take him to add to that total, and he’ll cover his passing prop bet.
Kansas City’s defensive strength was forcing opponents into one-dimensional attacks in 2024. The Chiefs either sold out to stop the running game or buckled down in the defensive backfield to force the run.
That may not work for them in Friday’s contest as the Chargers have Hampton in the backfield. The rookie is expected to be the starter on Friday night, taking over for J.K. Dobbins this season.
Dobbins had over 900 rushing yards in 2024, averaging nearly 70 rushing yards per outing. Expecting Hampton to finish with 47 rushing yards is an attractive prop despite facing the Chiefs’ strong defensive front four. Take the rookie to cover his rushing prop total on Friday.
We’re not touching Travis Kelce in this final player prop bet because – as you may have heard – he’s off the market.
Bad jokes aside, Los Angeles wide receiver Ladd McConkey isn’t getting his due. McConkey’s rookie season in 2024 was spectacular as he finished with a team-best 1,149 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Herbert will have a few more tools at his disposal, but few are better than McConkey. Bettors should expect these two to hook up early and often as the wide receiver covers this player prop wager on Friday.
The season-opening contest for every franchise is typically a wild affair. Compounding that with a road game for both teams in a foreign country makes this contest even harder to gauge for bettors.
Defenses typically rule the early-season matchups, meaning 46.5 combined points is a big number to cover. Their final matchup last year was the highest combined score in these rivals’ past three games as the Chiefs earned a 19-17 victory. Expect a similar result for Friday night, making the under the best bet in this closely-contested matchup.