Kansas City Chiefs Still Favored to Win Super Bowl 55 After Losing to Raiders; Are They Still a Good Bet?
- Despite Sunday’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Kansas City Chiefs remain Super Bowl favorites
- KC’s betting line grew from +380 to +450, though
- The Raiders ended a five-game losing streak against the Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs will always being able to say that they were the first AFC West team to lose a game to all three versions of the Raiders – the Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Oakland varieties.
Sunday’s 40-24 loss knocked the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs from the ranks of the NFL’s unbeaten teams. However, it didn’t topple them from their perch as Super Bowl 55 favorites.
FanDuel lists the Chiefs as the +450 chalk to win the 2021 big game in Tampa, so their Super Bowl odds lengthened somewhat.
On average across the leading online sportsbooks entering play Sunday, the Chiefs were the +380 favorites to take back-to-back Super Bowl titles.
Super Bowl 55 Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | +450 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +500 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +800 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1100 |
| New Orleans Saints | +1200 |
Odds taken Oct. 11 at FanDuel.
The Raiders have now claimed victories over two of the top-five contenders in the Super Bowl 55 odds. Las Vegas posted a 34-24 decision over the New Orleans Saints during Week 2.
Raiders Of A Lost Art
On paper, everything pointed to a Chiefs victory on Sunday. KC quarterback Patrick Mahomes was 12-1 lifetime against AFC West teams. The Raiders had lost five in a row and 10 of 11 to Kansas City.
No matter. When these two age-old rivals clash, the records can be set aside. It’s no different than when the Yankees play the Red Sox or the Lakers face the Celtics.
“It’s about time…I’ve had a few kids since we won here, so it’s a good feeling.”
Derek Carr is bringing the game ball home to his kids after the @Raiders huge win at Arrowhead. (@EvanWashburn) pic.twitter.com/s5wV8soQwH
— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) October 11, 2020
Prior to KC’s current 10-2 run, the Raiders held a 9-5 advantage over the previous 14 games.
The setback halted Kansas City’s overall win streak at 13 games.
Rushing Past The Chiefs
Two weeks in a row, teams that have proven able to run the ball have succeeded in keeping Kansas City off balance.
Though they won 26-10 last week at home against New England, the Chiefs needed a late defensive touchdown to make the margin of victory look more significant than it was.
Minus starting QB Cam Newton (COVID-19), the Patriots deployed a ball-control offense. New England rushed for 185 yards against the Chiefs.
Josh Jacobs appreciation post.@IAM_JoshJacobs | #BeGreat28 pic.twitter.com/xLlttYJRfT
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 11, 2020
The Raiders followed a similar blueprint. Even though they were down 21-10 at one stage of the game, they stayed with a running attack.
Sixth in the NFL in rushing yardage, Las Vegas pounded the ball at the KC defense with Josh Jacobs and wore them down. Once they’d gained the lead, the Raiders utilized the run game to control the clock and keep Mahomes on the sideline.
The KC defense is allowing 4.5 yards per carry. That’s tied for 22nd in the NFL.
Too Early To Panic
It’s one loss. On any given Sunday and all that, as the old saying goes.
Other than the 1972 Miami Dolphins, every Super Bowl champion in NFL history lost a game. In fact, during the 1973 season, it was the Raiders who ended Miami’s 18-game win streak. At the end of that season, the Dolphins again won the Super Bowl.
Down go the Chiefs!
The Raiders snap KC's 13-game win streak dating back to last season 😮 pic.twitter.com/fShIZZzJX0
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 11, 2020
Last year, the Chiefs fell four times in the first 10 weeks and still won the Super Bowl.
Last season, after a 4-0 start, KC lost back-to-back home games to the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. The Chiefs played the Texans at home again in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. They crushed Houston 51-31, so maybe don’t try and read too much into one setback.
Reset and reload! #ChiefsKingdom
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) October 11, 2020
Mahomes wasn’t exactly off the mark on Sunday. He passed for 340 yards and three TDs.
KC isn’t going anywhere. In fact, now might be the best time to bet the Chiefs.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
