Kansas City Chiefs enter NFL season as favourites!

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face tough road to repeat as champs.

Another long offseason is nearly over. The National Football League is set to return one week from today.

The Kansas City Chiefs enter this new season with the best odds to win the Super Bowl, at 5.50 on PlayNow.com, despite losing in the championship game last February to the seemingly ageless Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, the championship window remains open for the Chiefs. Since the start of the 2018 season, the Chiefs have lost a total of 10 regular season games, earning an AFC Championship berth in each of the last three seasons, and getting to the Super Bowl in consecutive years. As impressive as their run has been, with a championship in 2020, it’s difficult to see it slowing down this season.

In fact, a sizable portion of PlayNow Sports players are backing the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl. As of Tuesday, 22.4% of money wagered on the outright market was on Kansas City to win it all.

The Chiefs remain preseason favourites to win the AFC Championship, with odds of 3.20. They’re also the overwhelming favourites to capture the AFC West Division, even with the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers building intriguing programs ahead of this season.

Who could challenge the Chiefs in the AFC this season?

The Buffalo Bills, led by quarterback Josh Allen, seem to have overtaken the Baltimore Ravens as the No. 1 contender for the AFC throne, with odds of 6.50 on PlayNow.com to win the conference. They’re followed closely by Baltimore, at odds of 7.50, and the Cleveland Browns at odds of 8.50.

The Bills have the third best Super Bowl odds, at 13.00 on PlayNow.com. At quarterback, Allen took tremendous strides last season, throwing for a career best 4,544 yards, 37 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. Despite Allen becoming a premier playmaker in the NFL, bettor confidence in the Bills as a whole isn’t nearly as high as it is toward the Chiefs.

Only 5.8% of money wagered is on the Bills to win the Super Bowl, following a 13-3 season and a trip to the AFC title game last January.

That said, PlayNow Sports players are starting to look Allen’s way when it comes to the MVP market. Mahomes has been the favourite with bettors for a while, however, Allen is gaining momentum. On Aug. 13, only 3% of money wagered on the MVP market was on Allen to win. Three weeks later, 18.1% of handle is now on Allen to win MVP at odds of 13.00.

On the NFC side, what more can we say about Tom Brady?

The Buccaneers quarterback just turned 44 years old on Aug. 3 – just over six months after winning his seventh Super Bowl title. Brady is tied with Allen for the third best MVP odds on the board. Brady’s odds shifted from 17.00 in May, to 13.00 at the end of August.  

The Tom Brady Era in Tampa Bay may have started out as overhyped in the minds of some. But doubt Brady at your own peril. Tampa Bay lost to Kansas City in Week 12 last season, dropping their record to 7-5. The Buccaneers then proceeded to win eight straight games, including three post-season games and finally the Super Bowl in a rematch with the Chiefs.

Can the pieces come together to form that perfect fit once again? No team has been able to repeat as Super Bowl champs since the Patriots did it in 2004 and 2005.

The Buccaneers have the second best odds to win the Super Bowl, at 7.50 on PlayNow.com. Almost 20% of handle is on Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay will start its title defense on Sept. 9, as they host the Dallas Cowboys. The Buccaneers were favoured by 7.5 points as of Tuesday. In year’s past, PlayNow Sports players betting on the season opener would’ve had to parlay their NFL wager with a bet on another game, or look for a bet with multiple outcomes. That will not be the case anymore.

On Aug. 27, Bill C-218 took effect, allowing single-event betting, as well as wagers on fighting and racing, on PlayNow.com.