Opening AFC West Division Odds Heavily Favor the Chiefs, Chargers Listed at +400
- The Kansas City Chiefs have opened as heavy favorites to win the AFC West title again in 2021
- The Chiefs cruised to their fifth consecutive division title this past season
- A look at the AFC West opening odds along with analysis can be found below
The Kansas City Chiefs are overwhelming favorites to win a sixth-straight AFC West title in 2021.
The Chiefs have opened at -400 in the AFC West odds. Those are easily the best odds of any of the NFL’s eight division favorites.
At this time last year, coming off a win in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs were even bigger favorites to win the AFC West when they opened at -450. They then went 14-2 in the regular season to easily outdistance the second-place Las Vegas Raiders (8-8).
2021 AFC West Championship Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | -400 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | +420 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | +1400 |
| Denver Broncos | +1800 |
Odds taken Feb. 10 from FanDuel
Another Outstanding Season
The Chiefs’ season ended with a thud this past Sunday when they were routed 31-9 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55. However, Kansas City had another great season as they finished 16-3 overall and won a second straight AFC championship.
Patrick Mahomes finished second to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the NFL MVP voting after throwing for 4,740 yards and 38 touchdowns while leading the league with 316.0 yards passing a game. Mahomes was also intercepted just six times in 588 attempts.
"Yo, he is a magician. I am convinced."
The Bucs were amazed by Patrick Mahomes.
(via @NFLFilms) pic.twitter.com/0BE4hULRw0
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 9, 2021
The Chiefs were 14-1 in the regular season with Mahomes as the starter. He sat out the meaningless finale in Week 17, a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in which most of the regulars were rested.
Travis Kelce’s 1,416 receiving yards were an NFL single-season record for a tight end. He also had 105 receptions and 11 touchdown catches.
Kelce is filthy with the routes 🤧 @tkelce @Chiefs pic.twitter.com/4gqcCBrlQY
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) February 5, 2021
The Chiefs showed the ability to win close games. They had a streak in which they posted seven straight victories by no more than six points.
Can Chiefs Sustain Success?
General manager Brett Veach did a masterful job of working the salary cap so the Chiefs could return their 2019 championship team almost intact.
Veach’s job becomes tougher this offseason as the cap will be smaller following a COVID-19 pandemic-affected season in which revenue fell significantly across all professional sports.
Unheralded safety Daniel Sorensen and center Austin Reiter head the Chiefs’ list of unrestricted free agents. Others whose contracts are expiring include cornerbacks Bashaud Breeland and Charvarius Ward and wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson.
🚨 Daniel Sorensen seals it for the #Chiefs #KCvsLAC | #MNF
(via @NFL)
— PFF (@PFF) November 19, 2019
The Chiefs might move on from Pro Bowl left tackle Eric Fisher, who tore an Achilles tendon in the AFC Championship Game and may not be ready for the start of next season. He would cost $12 million against the cap in 2021 but just $3.1 million in dead money if released.
Chargers Top Challengers
The Chargers are the second choice in the division with odds of +420. Los Angeles went 7-9 last season, but seven losses were by eight points or less and it finished the year with four consecutive wins.
There is plenty of reason for optimism after quarterback Justin Herbert won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He is surrounded by such playmakers as running back Austin Ekeler and wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
WHENEVER YOU FEEL DOWN WATCH EVERY SINGLE JUSTIN HERBERT TOUCHDOWN AT AGE 22 🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/g7dCGuej3D
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) February 8, 2021
Brandon Staley replaces Anthony Lynn as head coach. Staley established himself as one of the top young coaching minds in the NFL following his stint as the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator. He inherits a defense that includes two standouts in end Joey Bosa and safety Derwin James.
The Other Teams
The Raiders and Denver Broncos, who were 5-11 last season, are longshots to capture the division title.
Las Vegas needs to fix its defense after an overhaul of that unit last offseason did not work. The Raiders gave up 29.9 points a game in 2020, ranking 30th among the league’s 32 teams, and costing defensive coordinator Paul Guenther his job after Week 13.
Raiders Defense all year. pic.twitter.com/yMuu7mjTyo
— Angel Hernandez (@Angel_559_) February 8, 2021
The Broncos have a new general manager in former Minnesota Vikings assistant GM George Paton as John Elway will now serve as president of football operations. Paton’s first order of business is deciding whether to stick with Drew Lock at quarterback.
Lock struggled in his first full season as the starter in 2020, throwing only one more touchdown pass (16) than he did interceptions (15).
Will Chiefs Six-Peat in AFC West?
The Chiefs certainly deserve to be favorites in the AFC West, but they are not so much of a lock as to provide value at their opening odds.
The Chargers look like a decent value play. They have a quarterback on the rise and a much-heralded new coach, which gives them a fighting chance to unseat the Chiefs.
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
