Can Anyone Stop Kansas City in the AFC?
At this point, it’s safe to say it’s Super Bowl or bust for the Kansas City Chiefs. After a Super Bowl win two years ago and a loss in the big game last season, the Chiefs are once again looking to bring back the Lombardi trophy.
Although Tom Brady is still in the NFC, there’s plenty of talented quarterbacks in the AFC looking to dethrone Patrick Mahomes and his squad in KC. But will any of those up-and-comers be able to get the job done?
After a 14-2 record last season, BetUs, one of the top sportsbooks at Online Betting Sports , has Kansas City’s over/under of wins set at 12.5 for the 2021-22 campaign.
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Revamped Offensive Line
What do you do when your $500 Million franchise quarterback gets battered and bruised? You go get him more protection. With as good as Tampa Bay played, a healthy Mahomes with time to maneuver in the pocket may not have resulted in a second-straight championship last season.
But Kansas City is not going to take any chances this season. After a beat-up offensive line was exposed in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs’ front office went out and signed Pro-Bowl left tackle Orland Brown and guard Joe Thurney to beef up the line. Although the Bucs’ gave the rest of the league the blueprint on how to handle the Chiefs, don’t expect it to be an easy task this year with the changes.
Chip on their Shoulders?
Even with a banged-up Mahomes and a makeshift offensive line, it’s still hard to believe Kansas City, with all its firepower, could only muster three field goals in a 31-9 blowout loss. Again, don’t expect a repeat of that anytime soon.
Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire make up the best trio of weapons in the league and will be out to prove the production in the Super Bowl was just a fluke. With Edwards-Helaire in his second year in the league, if he can stay healthy, he has all the tools to become one of the top backs in the league. Aside from Mahomes, the LSU product figures to be the biggest benefactor of the Chief’s new o-line.
No Cakewalk
Two teams who look to challenge the Chiefs for supremacy in the AFC will get their shot to make their case in the first two weeks of the season. Kansas City opens the season against the up-and-coming Cleveland Browns before traveling to Baltimore in a Sunday night clash in NFL Week 2.
According to Bovada, another one of the Top Sportsbooks at Online Betting Sports, Kansas City opens as a 6-point favorite against the Browns with -115 odds to cover. Those wanting less risk in the game can take KC on the Moneyline but will have to pay $250 to win $100 with +250 odds. Cleveland bettors can get the Browns to cover the +6 at -105 odds, and the odds at the upset on the ML are +210.
In the NFL Week 2 matchup, this will be what many expected to be last season’s AFC Championship game before Buffalo wrecked those plans. This matchup has a little added flair to it as Orlando Brown will be squaring off in the trenches against his former mates.
Other Marquee Games
According to MyBookie, Buffalo has the second-best chance at unseating the Chiefs in the AFC this season. Buffalo has the third-shortest odds among AFC teams to win the Super Bowl at +1200 — Baltimore (+1100) has the second-best odds in the AFC.
The two teams square off in NFL Week 5 at Arrowhead Stadium in a rematch of last season’s AFC title game.
In NFL Week 7, KC travels to face Tennessee, and in NFL Week 9, the Chiefs welcome Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to Arrowhead.
Green Bay (+1000) has the second-best Super Bowl odds among NFC squads, behind only Mr. Brady and the Bucs (+550).
Divisional and Misc. Odds
Aside from +500 odds of winning the Super Bowl, Betonline has Kansas City as the heavy favorites to win the AFC West at -250. The Los Angeles Chargers are second in the division at +500.
In more future bets at BetUs, Mahomes is the odds-favorite to have the most passing touchdowns (+275), yards (+300), and MVP (+350).
Hill (+1100) and Kelce (+1200) are sixth and eighth, respectively, in odds to finish with the most receiving yards.
As a team, BetUs has the Chiefs as the favorite to finish with the best record in the regular season with +300 odds.
Prediction
Facing five of the top 10 teams in the league all within the first nine weeks of the season is no joke. KC will most likely be the favorite in all of those games, but as most teams would, you can expect a hiccup or two along the way.
The team should not get much resistance from AFC West foes, although Los Angeles may pose as the biggest threat led by the charge from Justin Herbert. The team still should have the division wrapped up well before the last couple of weeks of the regular season, so a NFL Week 18 matchup in Denver may be a pointless game and one they could drop.
