Monday Night Football Picks – San Diego Tries to Get It Right

The San Diego Chargers will almost surely be the 2010 AFC West champions. They’re looking at bigger goals, and the journey to pro football’s ultimate event begins Monday. Here’s a preview before you make your Monday Night Football picks.

San Diego Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs 

Monday, September 13th – 10:15 PM ET 
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City 
Broadcast: ESPN 

Monday Night Betting Odds: Chargers -4.5, Chiefs +4.5 
Total: 44.5 

In January of 2007, the San Diego Chargers hosted the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. The Bolts had the NFL at their feet and were poised to get back to the Suepr Bowl for the first time since the 1994 season. Instead, the Chargers made crucial turnovers and fell to the Pats in the final minutes of regulation. Three years later, in January of 2010, San Diego once again hosted a divisional playoff battle and was supposed to reach the AFC title game, but a pancake-flat performance against the New York Jets once again sabotaged what had been a promising season in Southern California. This year, the Chargers – still lacking meaningful opposition within their own division – will try to once again secure a top-two seed for the AFC postseason. They start out in the Midwest, as they pay a visit to the Kansas City Chiefs, who are in full-on rebuilding mode. 

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Monday Night Football Picks: What The Chargers Have To Do To Win 

For San Diego to win against its weakest AFC West foe, the equation is accordingly simple: Don’t screw up. Quarterback Philip Rivers and his skill-position people need to avoid handing the impotent Chiefs any instant scores or very short fields. As long as San Diego plays a relatively clean and mistake-free game, the Chargers should be able to dominate in terms of field position and ultimately steer the game in their direction. One shouldn’t expect the Chargers’ offense to run wild in a season opener on the road at night. It comes down to the most basic and elemental aspects of football for the Chargers. They will have to be very generous and casual with the football if the Chiefs are to have a realistic chance. 

Monday Night Football Picks: What The Chiefs Have To Do To Win 

Because they’re still one of the weak sisters of the NFL, the Chiefs – now with a new offensive coordinator (Charlie Weis) – are trying to establish a new direction and get better coaching for quarterback-in-progress Matt Cassel. Kansas City needs Cassel to emerge this season, and there’s no better setting in which to blossom than on Monday Night Football, at home, against a foremost division rival who also doubles as the clear AFC West favorite. The Chiefs’ offense was absolutely woeful in the preseason; Kansas City fans need to hope that all the excellence was being saved for this season opener.

Outlook & Monday Night Football Picks

There’s no debate. San Diego is a top-tier team while the Chiefs are going to be at the bottom of the AFC West. San Diego does play down to the competition on many occasions, but the memory of another playoff flameout last January has to have the Chargers motivated on the occasion of week one. They’ll pull away in the second half.

Monday Night Football Picks: Chargers -4.5