Ricky Dimon
In 2025, the annual Week 1 assignment in Brazil belongs to the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers. It’s an AFC West battle south of the border at Corinthians Stadium in Sao Paulo. Kansas City is coming off another Super Bowl appearance, but the last game did not go as planned – getting blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles. Los Angeles secured a wild-card spot in the playoffs only to lose right away against the Houston Texans.
Here is my Same Game Parlay for the festivities, which get underway at 8:00 pm ET on YouTube TV. Also be sure to check out our full Chiefs vs Chargers predictions.
Chiefs -3 (-115)
Isiah Pacheco to record 50+ rushing yards (-102)
Justin Herbert to throw 2+ passing touchdowns (+122)
Parlay odds: +593
Part of the value in a Same Game Parlay, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is some of the plan here, as Kansas City running back Isiah Pacheco rushing for his fair share of yards would obviously work well with a win and cover by the Chiefs. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with backing Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert to toss multiple scoring strikes. But even if he does, there is no reason why the Chiefs can’t take care of business. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Chiefs -3 (-115)
Kansas City was the best team in the regular season last year, but it ended on a sour note in the Super Bowl. Anything less than the Lombardi Trophy is a disappointment for the Chiefs, so you know they will come out firing in 2025. Patrick Mahomes is arguably the best player in the league under any circumstances; an angry Mahomes is perhaps even more dangerous. Los Angeles will look largely the same as it did in 2024 aside from just a couple of additions and subtractions. In other words, mediocrity could once again ensue. That may be enough to snag a wild-card spot, but it won’t be enough to seriously compete with Kansas City. The Chargers got swept in the 2024 regular-season series and have lost 7 in a row overall to the Chiefs. Regardless of how good K.C. has been in recent years, that’s still an alarming drought.
Isiah Pacheco to record 50+ rushing yards (-102)
After Pacheco was mostly irrelevant last season – especially down the stretch – in part due to injuries, I think the Chiefs will make a point to get their RB1 involved early and set the tone for the 2025 campaign. It should also be noted that Travis Kelce is obviously past his prime and Kansas City is without a suspended Rashee Rice to begin the season. Head coach Andy Reid’s squad will have to rely on Pacheco to a considerable extent. The Rutgers product is certainly capable of delivering on such an opportunity. He rushed for 55 yards in his lone outing against the Bolts last season and torched them for 107 yards in 1 of 2 meetings as a rookie.
Justin Herbert to throw 2+ passing touchdowns (+122)
Don’t be surprised if the Chargers sling it around early and often, especially in the red zone. They have a rookie at running back in Omarion Hampton and #2 RB Najee Harris is a question mark following an eye injury sustained in a Fourth of July fireworks snafu. Even when healthy, it’s not as if Harris is particularly reliable. Herbert wrapped up the 2024 regular season with at least 2 touchdown passes in each of the final 4 games. There is no reason why the former Oregon standout can’t do similar damage against the Chiefs.
