Last week, when the Kansas City Chiefs walked off the field in Denver, they held a record of 5-5. That meant the Chiefs lost, were out of the playoffs, sitting in third place, and had effectively lost the division, with the Broncos at 9-2 and owning the tiebreaker.
None of that seemed to matter to sportsbooks around the country. Despite the Broncos’ impressive win, the Colts sitting at 8-2, and the Patriots having just two losses, the Chiefs’ magic somehow remained intact when it came to futures odds.
Kansas City entered Week 12 with the best odds to win the Super Bowl in the entire AFC. They were placed ahead of all the teams mentioned above, with only the Rams and Eagles at +550 above them to lift the Lombardi Trophy this winter. Kansas City sits at 8-1 to win it all, as it appears the public and sportsbooks don’t believe that Mahomes and Reid are truly having a down season.
It further shows how committed sportsbooks are to preseason expectations when we look up and see the Buffalo Bills slotted right behind Kansas City to win the AFC. This is the same Bills team sitting in second place and unlikely to win their division as they chase the Patriots. After them come the Colts at 11-1, which makes sense, but following that is another 5-5 team currently out of the playoff picture: the Ravens at +1200.
The AFC has been ruled by Lamar, Allen, and mostly Mahomes for so long that the public seems reluctant to move off them, but it’s strange nonetheless. For pure value, none of these non-playoff teams seem appealing, but can I interest anyone in a first-place, two-loss powerhouse at a great price? The Broncos and Patriots are currently +1600 if you’re willing to believe.