Are the Chiefs a Good Bet to Win Super Bowl 2020?
It’s hard to believe the 2019 NFL regular season is already over. It feels like only yesterday that the season was just getting underway. An awful lot has changed since the campaign began back in September. Teams that were expected to contend have fallen flat, while others have vastly exceeded expectations.
Lamar Jackson’s rise and the incredible play of the Baltimore Ravens has become the primary storyline of the season. Baltimore has secured the top seed in the AFC playoffs. Whether Jackson and the Ravens can successfully dethrone Tom Brady and the Patriots in the postseason is perhaps the most important question that has yet to be answered.
While Baltimore and New England are understandably getting a ton of attention, let’s not forget about the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs found themselves in a very similar position as the Ravens a year ago at this time. Patrick Mahomes was putting the finishing touches on his record-breaking MVP season, just as Jackson is doing right now. Mahomes won MVP in his first full year as the Chiefs’ starter. Jackson, of course, is in his first full year as the Ravens’ undisputed QB1.
Kansas City nabbed the top overall seed in the AFC a season ago before ultimately falling at the hands of the Patriots in an overtime thriller in the AFC Championship Game. Despite falling short of their goal, most believed the Chiefs would once again emerge as the biggest threat to New England out of the AFC this year, as well.
That hasn’t necessarily been the case. The Ravens have since surpassed the Chiefs in that regard. However, I think all the Baltimore buzz has resulted in the Chiefs going undervalued. This can make a great bet if you enjoy a little action on the game. If you’re new to online betting, you can learn how to bet on Super Bowl 2020 here.
Things haven’t gone as smoothly for Kansas City so far this season. Mahomes’ performance has taken a slight step back, and he dealt with a few nagging injuries earlier in the season. The Chiefs had to go a few weeks without the suspended Tyreek Hill, while Andy Reid has been forced to cycle through a few different running backs.
The Ravens are heavy +225 favorites to win the Super Bowl this year, while the Patriots are now at +1000. The Chiefs are priced at +435, which makes them an excellent value option. Does anybody really want to deal with Mahomes, Hill, Travis Kelce and that explosive offense in a playoff game? Absolutely not.
Would you rather be betting on Mahomes in his third season at +435 or Jackson in his second season at +225? As phenomenal as Jackson is, it’s still fair to wonder whether the Ravens’ offensive style can carry a team all the way to a title. The odds on Mahomes and the Chiefs are just too good to ignore.
While the Chiefs’ offense was outstanding last season, the defense struggled. Kansas City was able to mask one of the worst defenses in football a year ago thanks to Mahomes and the offense putting tons of points on the board. One of the more under-reported stories of 2019 has been the defense’s vast improvement.
The Chiefs held the Bears’ offense to just 1.5 yards per play in the first quarter in Week 16. Chicago tried to spread KC’s defense out by using Tarik Cohen as a receiver, but the Chiefs were up to the task and then some.
Stifling the Bears hasn’t been all that difficult for most defenses this season, but that is a game the Chiefs might have blown with their leaky defense a season ago. The addition of Tyrann Mathieu has proven to be a master stroke, and the former LSU standout has helped exponentially in terms of stopping the run. Mathieu has formed a stellar partnership with Juan Thornhill, and it’s fair to say the Chiefs have one of the more underrated safety tandems in football.
Steve Spagnuolo knows what he’s doing. Upgrading both safety spots has helped transform the entire defense into one of the more fearsome units in football. Key signings like Frank Clark and the newly acquired Terrell Suggs give the defense even more experience heading into the postseason.
A crucial part of being a successful football bettor is timing. You don’t want to take a dive on odds that don’t offer much profit potential. Getting your bets in while the value is there is the best way to turn a profit. The Chiefs’ odds to win Super Bowl 2020 will never be more favorable than they are right now at +650.
The offense speaks for itself. While Jackson and the Ravens’ run-heavy attack is the flavor of the day, it’s easy to forget just how dynamic Mahomes can be. He may not be garnering any MVP buzz this season, but the third-year passer is clearly still one of the top 2 or 3 players at his position in the game. While he’s thrown only half as many touchdowns as he did a season ago, he is still completing 66 percent of his throws. He has the chance to top 4,000 yards in Week 17 along with his 25 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions.
Mahomes has improved his decision-making as his career has progressed. What used to be an area of weakness in his game is now an unquestioned strength.
The Ravens’ 11-game win streak has overshadowed the fact that the Chiefs have been among the hottest teams in the NFL heading into the playoffs. Over the last month of play, the Chiefs are 4-0 with a point differential of plus-52. KC has really not even had to try all that hard to win all of those games over the Raiders, Patriots, Broncos and Bears. KC went into Foxborough and essentially stomped the Patriots, yet nobody seemed to notice.
Kansas City makes for a phenomenal value bet when it comes to winning the Super Bowl in 2020. This is still the same team we saw take the Patriots to the brink in last year’s playoffs, only with a far superior defensive squad. The fact that you can get the Chiefs at +435 after they spent the entire offseason as the betting favorites is somewhat shocking.
Bet on the Chiefs to win Super Bowl 54. Their odds are only going to get less favorable from here, so hop on the bandwagon while you still can.