Today’s top games to watch, best bets, odds: Big NFL showdown, full MLB slate and more

One of the more intriguing storylines heading into the 2025 NFL season is whether the Kansas City Chiefs will maintain their dominance in the AFC West or if they will finally be unseated by the surging Los Angeles Chargers or Denver Broncos.

We’ll get a glimpse of insight into this question Friday night when the teams meet in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET from Corinthians Arena.

The Chiefs have won nine consecutive AFC West titles, the second-longest such streak in NFL history. The record belongs to the New England Patriots, who captured 11 straight AFC East crowns behind Tom Brady from 2009 to 2019.

Kansas City has won seven straight meetings against Los Angeles, including a pair of one-score wins last season. The Chiefs managed a 17-10 road win in Week 4 after overcoming an early 10-0 deficit and prevailed 19-17 at home in Week 14 when reserve kicker Matthew Wright saw a 31-yard field goal hit the upright and go through for the win.

One of the more popular items on the preseason NFL hot-take menu was the prediction from many analysts that either the Chargers or Broncos will break through this year and wrest the AFC West banner from Kansas City. The Chargers won 11 games last year in their first season under Jim Harbaugh before losing in the wild-card round to the Texans, while the Broncos managed a 10-7 mark under Sean Payton and fell to the Bills on Wild Card weekend.

Of course, despite winning three Super Bowls and reaching the AFC title game in all seven seasons with Patrick Mahomes under center, the Chiefs cling to every “disrespect” card they can find, and they have predictably used preseason predictions as motivation.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that are super hungry and want to go out there and put on a show,” Mahomes told the media this week.

The Chiefs are 3-point favorites, and the over/under for total points scored is 47 in the latest sportsbook NFL odds for Kansas City vs. Los Angeles.

The 2025 NFL season kicked off in earnest Thursday night with the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles fending off the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 in a weather-delayed contest that was sometimes compelling but featured just three total points in the second half. The Cowboys covered the closing 8.5-point spread, and the contest somehow stayed under the posted total of 48. 

In addition to the NFL game, Friday’s sporting landscape also features a full MLB slate and a three-game WNBA card. Below is a snapshot of the top viewing options for Friday, Sept. 5. 

NFL best bets today, where to watch

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers 

Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil | TV: YouTube | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks — Model pick: Chargers +140 ML | Expert pick: Chiefs -3 (R.J. White)

The SportsLine Projection Model sees some value in the Chargers pulling the mild upset after they came up short in two close games against the Chiefs last season. The model’s 10,000-game simulation sees the Chargers winning this matchup around 46% of the time, a value position against the sportsbook implied odds of 41.5%. 

However, SportsLine experts are aligned on the Chiefs -3 by a 5-1 count as of Friday morning. Leading NFL expert R.J. White (37-21-2, +1453 on Kansas City picks) sees an edge with the Chiefs taking advantage of a banged-up Chargers line that was weakened by the season-long injury loss of tackle Rashawn Slater.

“The Chiefs come in healthy and should make life difficult for Justin Herbert and the run game up front,” White wrote in his SportsLine analysis. 

More NFL best bets:

• Best Chiefs-Chargers anytime touchdown bets at Caesars
• Best Chiefs-Chargers player props available at BetMGM
• Top Chiefs vs. Chargers picks from NFL analyst Mike Tierney
• Chiefs vs. Chargers betting guide from NFL expert Will Brinson
• Top SportsLine model player props for Chiefs vs. Chargers
• Model’s top plays for Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert props

MLB best bets today, where to watch

Giants at Cardinals

Time: 8:10 p.m. | Location: St. Louis | TV: MLB Network, FanDuel Sports Network | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks — Model pick: Over 8.5 runs | Expert pick: Giants ML +100 (Bruce Marshall)

The SportsLine Projection Model doesn’t have much of an opinion on the winner of this game but loves the Over 8.5 runs. Its 10,000-game simulation sees about 10 runs crossing the plate with an average predicted score of 5.0-4.8 in favor of the Giants. The model sees the Over hitting 61%, nearly 10% higher than the sportsbook implied odds of 51.5%. 

However, SportsLine MLB expert Bruce Marshall (+1819 on MLB for the season) sees the value on a Giants (71-69) club that has heated up of late, and he believes is more serious about contending for a wild card spot. They enter Friday four games out of a National League wild-card berth. He notes prized trade acquisition Rafael Devers has hit .296 with 11 homers in his last 28 games.

More MLB best bets

• Diamondbacks +112 (SportsLine B-rated pick)
• Model’s top home run props Friday
• Model’s top strikeout props Friday

WNBA: Sky at Fever

Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Indianapolis | TV: ION | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine pick — Experts pick: Fever -14 (Calvin Wetzel and Aaron Barzilai)

Caitlin Clark is out for the rest of the season with a groin injury, but the Fever are still fighting for a playoff spot and currently hold the eighth WNBA postseason bid. Calvin Wetzel and Aaron Barzilai see the Fever rolling against a Chicago club that will be without star Angel Reese, who was suspended after picking up her eighth technical foul of the season. The analysts also point out Indiana has simply dominated this series of late, winning five consecutive matchups by at least 15 points. They see this trend holding up and are willing to lay the big number. 

More WNBA best bets

• Kamilla Cardoso Over 9.5 rebounds (Wetzel and Barzilai)