2023 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 7

Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs (5-1)

Sunday, October 22, 4:25 PM ET

It's a very light late-afternoon slate in Week 7 of the 2023 NFL season, and I think most NFL fans will be tuned into this game over the others. The Kansas City Chiefs have bounced back after losing the season opener against the Detroit Lions to now win five straight games, and they haven't all been pretty.

But Taylor Swift has been at most of them, so there's that.

Despite the Chiefs gaining arguably the most famous celebrity in the world right now as a fan in recent weeks, this is a team that feels like it's really missing something offensively. Travis Kelce is hurt, and he's playing through injury. The main reason for that, which we saw in Week 1, is that the Chiefs don't have a go-to threat in the passing game without him.

Patrick Mahomes has done all he can to be the MVP we all know him to be, but the playmakers haven't all stepped up. Yes, we're nitpicking a team that is 5-1, but the Chiefs have had to find ways to win other than relying on their offense to score 35 points every game. Luckily for them, the defense looks elite in the early goings of the season.

They'll be tested against Justin Herbert and the Chargers, who seemingly always give the Chiefs a good game. I think this game ends up being a one-score game with Kansas City finding a way to close it out like they always do.

Prediction: Chiefs win 30-24