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The Kansas City Chiefs secured their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years by beating the Tennessee Titans in the AFC title game and will face the San Francisco 49ers on the final stage at Hard Rock Stadium in two weeks. It’s not surprising that the Chiefs made it this far given their talent and the the run they made in 2018. We’ve broken down Kansas City’s Super Bowl odds took en route to the top.
Tip of the iceberg
Most people had high hopes for the Chiefs ahead of 2019. They opened up the year at +800 Super Bowl and only trailed the New England Patriots (+700) — who eliminated them from the playoffs last season — ahead of Week 1. Kansas City had Patrick Mahomes under center and dynamic offensive weapons in Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and Damien Williams. They won their first four contests and reached a regular season peak of +500 ahead of Week 5, before it fell to the Indianapolis Colts. Kansas City’s odds remained strong after the loss and only dropped to +600. But its chances reached would reach a season low a few weeks later when Mahomes suffered an unfortunate knee injury.
Down goes Mahomes
Mahomes dislocated his kneecap during a Week 7 win over the Denver Broncos and was expected to miss three to five weeks because of the injury. The Chiefs lost two of their next three games and bottomed out at +1400 by Week 9. But Mahomes threw for a season high 446 yards against the Tennessee Titans in Week 10 before going on a run that helped his team claim the top spot in the AFC West and a first-round bye.
A strong finish
Mahomes closed out the regular season by winning six straight games. The streak began with a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers and included the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Broncos, and Chicago Bears before looping back to the Chargers in the regular season finale. The Chiefs odds climbed from +1200 to +750 ahead of the playoffs.
The postseason
Heading into the Wild Card round, Kansas City’s odds clocked in at +450 and trailed the Baltimore Ravens (+220) and 49ers (+400). That number improved to +350 by the Divisional Round and +135 by the AFC title game. Strong offensive performances in both playoff performances helped the Chiefs become the favorites to win the Super Bowl at -135. They’ll face one of the most physical defensive lines in football and an organized secondary capable of shutting down high-flying offenses. There’s only one game to go, and Draftkings Sportsbook favors Kansas City.
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