The defending Super Bowl champions entered the 2020 season as the favorite to win a second straight Super Bowl. But as we enter the final month of this most unusual of seasons, are the Chiefs really positioned to win another Lombardi Trophy? Let’s find out so you can get ready to make your bets against their Super Bowl odds.
Do the Chiefs have what it takes to get that 2nd Super Bowl in a row?
The Best Offense in the NFL
The reason this team is a favorite to win the Super Bowl is easy. Patrick Mahomes. The 2018 NFL MVP and Super Bowl LIV MVP is having another MVP quality season. In the five games the Chiefs have played since the calendar ticked over to November Mahomes is averaging 383 passing yards. Over that same stretch he has 15 touchdown passes to just one interception.
Another problem defenses have in shutting down the Chiefs is that along with Mahomes playing great football, tight end Travis Kelce is playing the best season of his career. He is over 1,000 yards for a fifth consecutive season (a record for tight ends) and over the last five games he is averaging 122 yards.
And let’s not forget Tyreek Hill who is also over 1,000 yards receiving to go along with his 13 touchdown receptions, which is tied for most in the NFL.
Playoff Tested
Along with last season’s postseason run, which saw the Chiefs string together three consecutive double digit comebacks, in 2020 this team has fared quite well against playoff contenders.
Kansas City won at Buffalo, the leader in the AFC East, and has wins against wildcard contenders Baltimore, New England, Las Vegas, and Tampa Bay. And by the time playoff football begins (the Chiefs have already clinched their spot) the team will be further seasoned with games against current playoff teams Miami and New Orleans.
Kansas City also finishes the year against the Chargers and Falcons, which, if their playoff seed is already decided, will allow them to rest several starters down the stretch.
Going on the Playoff Road
Even if the Chiefs remain the second seed in the AFC, behind the Steelers at #1, homefield advantage means less this year than in any year before. Only one team gets the bye, so that is important. But with limited to no fans in the stands, being the visiting team comes with far fewer disadvantages.
Kansas City is still in the hunt for the top seed, with the Steelers facing Buffalo, Indianapolis, and Cleveland down the stretch. But Kansas City is 6-0 on the road this year and were 7-1 last year. If the Chiefs have to play on the road in the playoffs, they’ll be ready.
Andy Reid
There is no longer the monkey on head coach Andy Reid’s back. He has gone from the best coach to never win a Super Bowl, to just one of the best coaches ever.
The pressure of failing again is gone and he and the team are playing with more freedom because of it. Inside the intensity of a Super Bowl run, where the margins of error are slim, that can be enough to make the difference.
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