The Kansas City Chiefs have kept busy since ending a lengthy 50-year drought with their victory at Super Bowl 54. After taking steps to ensure the core of players that brought them to glory will return next season, the Chiefs have emerged as the +250 favourites to repeat as AFC champions on the NFL futures at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Chiefs endured their fair share of adversity on their way to a fourth straight AFC West title last season. The team was plagued by injuries, most notably to star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. However, Kansas City finished the campaign on a dominating run, posting nine straight victories, capped by their 31-20 Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Kansas City has made some key personnel moves like placing the franchise tag on defensive tackle Chris Jones and re-signing receivers Sammy Watkins and DeMarcus Robinson. The Chiefs should also benefit from competing in the middling AFC West, and they are set as heavy -425 favourites to once again close out the season as divisional champions.
However, the Chiefs are expected to face some AFC conference competition from the Baltimore Ravens, who closely trail as +300 second favourites at sports betting sites. Winners of an NFL-best 14 games in 2019, the Ravens will have a lot to prove in the upcoming campaign after making an early playoff exit in a stunning 28-12 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
The Ravens’ top-ranked offence will once again be led by quarterback Lamar Jackson, who sits second to Mahomes as a +750 wager to claim NFL MVP honours for a second straight year. Baltimore is also expected to benefit from a 2020 schedule that features opponents that compiled the lowest combined win percentage in 2019, making them a -115 wager to win OVER 11.5 games during the upcoming season.
Further down the AFC championship odds, the Buffalo Bills sit deadlocked with the AFC East rival New England Patriots at +1100, just ahead of the Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts, who are knotted at +1200 on those NFL odds.
The Bills have been busy beefing up for a Super Bowl run. In addition to trading for receiver Stefon Diggs, the team has also signed veteran cornerback Josh Norman and defenders Mario Addison and Quinton Jefferson. Buffalo also hopes to benefit from the departure of quarterback Tom Brady, who left the Patriots to sign in Tampa Bay in the offseason.
The Steelers will be bolstered by the return of veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, while Indianapolis hopes to have found an upgrade under centre in veteran passer Philip Rivers and narrowly edges out Tennessee as a +135 bet to win the AFC South division title.
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