Chiefs fans might want to save these receipts after latest Super Bowl odds

Offseason narratives are usually all hype. Until teams square off between the white lines, fans and analysts alike can spew out takes that seem wild. For the Kansas City Chiefs, many have begun to describe them as overrated or lucky over the last few years. Despite people wanting to see them fail, the Chiefs won back-to-back Super Bowls and still got to the big game last year before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles.

But if you look at items outside of hot takes on social media, it appears that Kansas City is not necessarily being viewed as the hunted team in the AFC. The conference hierarchy is always going to be crowded at the top. And just in the AFC West alone, the Chiefs are battling against deep rosters and superb coaching staffs.

Which team(s) are being viewed as the top dog in the AFC initially after the NFL Draft? Plus, would the Chiefs perform differently if they were not viewed as the conference's best?

Current Super Bowl odds place Chiefs behind two other AFC contenders

If you look at the current betting odds for the winner of Super Bowl LX, the Kansas City Chiefs are not listed as the top team in the AFC. They do not even have the second-best odds in the AFC currently. On both DraftKings and FanDuel, the Chiefs are seen as the third-best option in the conference to take home the next Lombardi Trophy.

Each of the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills are viewed as having slightly better odds to win it all. DraftKings places Kansas City at +750 to win the Super Bowl next year. That sportsbook has both the Ravens and the Bills at +700 right now. As for FanDuel, they have Baltimore (+700 odds) staggered just ahead of Buffalo (+750 odds). Eventually, they put the Chiefs at +800 to be Super Bowl LX champions.

Exorcising playoff demons

The Chiefs are coming off a crushing Super Bowl loss. Kansas City was denied the chance to become the first-ever NFL team to three-peat. But time and time again, this team has elevated its play in the postseason while still proving doubters wrong. As for the Ravens and the Bills, exorcising playoff demons has been a continually excruciating mountain to climb.

With Lamar Jackson, Baltimore has had the AFC's number one seed a couple of times. But in those two particular postseasons, the Ravens went just a combined 1-2, while scoring 22 combined points in the two playoff losses. Jackson has a career playoff record of 3-5.

Meanwhile, the Bills have seemingly been in control of conference championship games at a few various points. Most of their playoff demons have been in matchups with Kansas City. But of course, the home Divisional Round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals after the 2022 regular season was still mind-boggling.

Until those teams actually win the AFC Championship Game, the pressure will only grow stronger for them to finally get it done. And as difficult as it is to reach the Super Bowl, Baltimore and Buffalo have squandered multiple juicy chances in the playoffs over the last handful of years.

Chiefs facing different kind of pressure after Super Bowl defeat

As long as Patrick Mahomes is still playing, the Chiefs will likely still receive different levels of treatment. The national narrative will be to deflect any success that they may have. Opposing teams will still treat a matchup with Kansas City as one of the biggest on the calendar. Yet, this most recent Super Bowl defeat places the Chiefs into an intriguing sort of reset entering the 2025 season. It includes a different kind of pressure than that of other teams viewed at the top of the AFC.

Kansas City is seemingly looking to evolve each season with Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid. But due to factors like underperformance, injury, and a lack of depth in specific spots, the heavy lifting has been more trying and challenging during parts of the last few seasons. The Chiefs did not make anything easy for themselves last year. So much so that a large chunk of last season's games came down to the final play.

There will still undoubtedly be pressure on the Chiefs in 2025. Kansas City places just as much of that on themselves. Though Kansas City's recent success still places a greater burden on other teams at the top of the AFC to finally come through. The Chiefs are still the most accomplished team in the last handful of seasons. Until another conference contender comes through in the postseason, the weight of expectations will only reach heightened levels for those looking to finally top K.C.