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Chiefs Still Given Second-Best Odds to Win Super Bowl 54 After Week 5 Loss

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in NFL Football

Updated Apr 22, 2020 · 7:39 AM PDT

Andy Reid going over his plays
Despite a home-field loss Sunday to the Indianapolis Colts, the Kansas City Chiefs are still the second betting choice to win Super Bowl 54. Photo by Jeffrey Beall (Wikimedia).
  • The Kansas City Chiefs (4-1) fell from the ranks of the NFL’s unbeaten in Week 5
  • KC lost 19-13 to the Indianapolis Colts at home
  • Their Super Bowl odds fell from +400 to +700, but they remain the second betting choice

If the Kansas City Chiefs are going to be a Super Bowl team, quarterback Patrick Mahomes is going to need to put up MVP-like numbers again this season.

The last two weeks, he hasn’t, and the Chiefs have paid the price.

World beaters for the first three weeks of the season, in the past two weeks, the Chiefs are 1-1 and have been outscored in those two games 49-47.

It hasn’t cost Kansas City the slot as the second-betting choice to win Super Bowl 54, but it has cost them in terms of how the sportsbooks view the Chiefs’ chances of winning the big game.

The Chiefs are now at +700 in their Super Bowl odds.

Super Bowl 54 Odds

Team Odds
New England Patriots +300
Kansas City Chiefs +700
New Orleans Saints +900
Green Bay Packers +1200
Philadelphia Eagles +1200

Odds taken on 10/07/19. 

Prior to Sunday’s 19-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Arrowhead Stadium, the leading sportsbooks gave Kansas City average odds of +400 to win Super Bowl 54.

Is That Mahomes Or Marino?

It’s evident that the Chiefs will go as far as reigning NFL MVP Mahomes can carry them. He’s thrown just one touchdown pass in the past two games.

Hampered against the Colts by a mid-game ankle injury, Mahomes was limited by his lack of mobility and the Chiefs’ lack of a ground game. Both the Colts and Detroit Lions opted to go man coverage against KC’s receivers. It was effective at shutting down the Chiefs’ explosive passing game.

Veteran NFL watchers will recall another AFC team that went as far as their Hall of Fame QB could take them. From 1984-99, Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins led the NFL in passing yardage five times and in TD passes on three occasions.

Marino’s arm carried the Dolphins to nine postseason appearances and one Super Bowl appearance. But there was never a Super Bowl victory.

Andy Isn’t Dandy

Speaking of harboring a resume of playoff failure, let’s not overlook Chiefs coach Andy Reid.

In 20 seasons as an NFL head coach, Reid’s teams earned postseason berths 14 times. He’s been to one Super Bowl, and lost. He’s 1-5 in conference championship games.

He’s .614 as a regular-season coach and .462 as a playoff coach. Reid’s reputation is as a coach who builds teams that are good but not quite good enough.

Why Are Chiefs Still #2 For Super Bowl?

This season, the NFL is looking very much like it has for most of this millennium. There’s the New England Patriots, and then there’s everybody else.

The Chiefs clearly have flaws. They don’t run the ball well. Defensively, they struggle desperately to stop the run and aren’t’ much better at preventing the pass.

But every other contender also waves red flags. The New Orleans Saints are without QB Drew Brees (thumb surgery). Dallas is 3-0 against losing teams and 0-2 when facing winning teams. The Rams lost to the Buccaneers. The Bears lost to the Raiders. The Eagles lost to the Lions and then beat the Packers.

KC should still win the AFC West handily. The Chargers, the only serious challenger to the Chiefs a year ago, are a 2-3 tire fire.

The Chiefs will be a playoff team but that’s it. If you’re thinking about betting KC to win the Super Bowl, a word of advice: Don’t go there.

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