No Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid rests several other starters for the Chiefs, who are locked into the AFC's number three seed regardless of the result. Blaine Gabbert thus gets his chance at QB, but we wonder why the Chargers still have to be favored. After all, they're not playing for anything, either, haven't won since Easton Stick replaced the injured Justin Herbert at QB (and Herbert wasn't winning, either, losing four of his last five starts), and this is likely the final game for Bolts interim HC Giff Smith. Even against an under-strength KC, laying points with the Chargers looks an undue risk. Play Chiefs

No team cares less about Week 18 than the defending Super Bowl champs. Three Chiefs starters could see some action to hit milestones: Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco and Chris Jones. But otherwise, Andy Reid and his staff are busy scouting potential playoff opponents. The Chargers are playing hard for interim coach Giff Smith and, Joshua Palmer's return from a concussion will help Easton Stick. Lay the points.

The Chargers will be fired up with hopes to close the year out strong even though they’re 1-7 in their last eight games, half with Justin Herbert and the other half with Easton Stick. Herbert won the lone game, 6-0, at New England. The Chiefs are resting Patrick Mahomes (Blaine Gabbert is starting) and a few other key players, but the Chargers don’t have WR Keenan Allen or DE Joey Bosa. The Chiefs that are playing are a better group than what the Chargers are offering and the SoFi Stadium crowd will be pro-Chiefs. I took the points with the Chiefs.

Blaine Gabbert is set to start for the Chiefs, which has tipped this line through the key number of 3. But are he and the weapons who won't be resting for the Chiefs any worse than who the Chargers offense will throw on the field? Perhaps Joshua Palmer returns, but Easton Stick has led one TD drive in non-garbage time in his three starts, and that was a 27-yard drive following an interception. I can't see this Chargers offense scoring much against a Chiefs defense that can only rest so many people, and Gabbert should do enough to get a cover and potentially win.

No way Andy Reid plays his starters with the Chiefs locked into the No. 3 seed and playing on Wild Card Weekend, which Patrick Mahomes has rarely done. In past instances when the Chiefs had nothing to play for in the season’s final week, Reid has kept his main guys out. The last such instance was in 2020 when KC went with its backups in a 38-21 loss to the Chargers after clinching the No. 1 seed.

The Chiefs cannot move out of their playoff seed (third in the AFC), which makes for the only conceivable scenario in which they would be underdog to a team whose only straight-up win in the last eight outings was 6-0 against the even more lowly Patriots. Coach Andy Reid has been around the block enough to know there is no purpose in deploying K.C. starters. QB Easton Stick prepares for his fifth start in lieu of the injured Justin Herbert and has shown glimpses of promise. Interim coach Giff Smith, with no chance of the permanent job, will strive to go out with a win.