The Kansas City Chiefs are the reigning AFC Champions having defeated the Tennessee Titans in the 2019 AFC title game. The Chiefs were also able to go on to win the Super Bowl and now come into the 2020 NFL season as the co-favorite with Baltimore to win the AFC this year.
According to most NFL betting sites, both the Chiefs and the Ravens are significantly ahead of the rest of the AFC teams with the Buffalo Bills third in the pecking order.
Will we see the top teams battle it out for the AFC Championship this postseason or will we have a surprise team enter into the equation like the Titans did last year?
Let’s huddle up to examine this NFL futures bet and predict this year’s AFC Champion.
The NFL’s surprise team of 2019 doesn’t plan to be a one-year wonder.
The vibe in Nashville? Last year’s run to AFC title game doesn’t mean squat now.
My latest Football Morning In America column is up: https://t.co/86r9jXtG4C pic.twitter.com/uwBO365wnH
— Peter King (@peter_king) August 31, 2020
NFL Betting Odds
- Baltimore Ravens (+350)
- Kansas City Chiefs (+350 )
- Buffalo Bills (+900)
- Indianapolis Colts (+1000)
- New England Patriots (+1000)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (+1200)
- Tennessee Titans (+1400)
- Cleveland Browns (+1600)
- Denver Broncos(+2500)
- Los Angeles Chargers (+2800)
- Las Vegas Raiders (+3000)
- Houston Texans (+3300)
- Miami Dolphins(+5000)
- New York Jets (+5000)
- Cincinnati Bengals (+6600)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (+12500)
The Betting Favorites to Win the AFC
As mentioned, the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs are large co-favorites to win the AFC Championship this year:
Baltimore Ravens (+350)
The Ravens will have a tougher path into the Playoffs than the Chiefs due to the AFC North being more competitive in 2020 with the Pittsburgh Steelers returning to relevance and the Cleveland Browns improving this offseason.
Last year, the Steelers lost their starting QB in Ben Roethlisberger and were never able to recover from that. The Browns had plenty of hype entering the 2019 season, but fell short of all expectations with erratic play on offense. That opened the door for Baltimore to run away with the AFC North.
This year, the Ravens are still the team to beat in the division, but it won’t be as easy to march through the AFC North as it was in 2019.
Baltimore had the best offense last season as they were 2nd with 407.6 total ypg, 1st in rushing at 206 ypg, and 1st in scoring at 33.2 ppg. QB Lamar Jackson ended up winning the NFL MVP for his historic 2019 season in passing and running with the ball.
This year, Baltimore brings in an offense that’s just as good as the 2019 edition, but also added a few more players on defense which could make the team even better overall.
After their shocking loss to the Titans in the Divisional Round of the Playoffs last year, the Ravens are very motivated to get back to the Playoffs and contending for the conference championship.
Kansas City Chiefs (+350)
Between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Ravens, it’s Kansas City that has the easier path back to the Playoffs and the talent to return to the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs will smash the AFC West division this year as only the Denver Broncos have any hope of finishing with a winning record and that’s not a given as they do have a tough schedule.
The Raiders and Chargers are expected to finish with losing records and be nothing more than speed bumps for the Chiefs who should easily win this division. In fact, when you look at all eight of the NFL’s divisions, no team has an easier chance at winning their divisional crown than the Chiefs.
With a healthy Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City could be the best team in the NFL by time the 2020 regular season is through. He’s the best player in the league and makes the Chiefs a threat to win every game.
BetOnline has the Chiefs favored to be the last undefeated team on the season at +475 odds. They also have KC to finish with the most wins on the year and be the highest scoring team.
It’s a surprise that the Chiefs are not the clear cut favorites to win the AFC considering they are the reigning Super Bowl champs and have a strong supporting cast for the best QB in the league. There’s value with their odds for this NFL prop bet.
The Best of the Rest
The following teams offer betting value as potential spoilers for crashing the Ravens-Chiefs AFC party:
Buffalo Bills (+900)
The Buffalo Bills are in line to win their first AFC East divisional crown since the 1990s. The Bills made the Playoffs last year, but didn’t rest on their accomplishment as they’ve added talent to both sides of the ball this past offseason which makes them an even better team than their 2019 squad.
On offense, they added depth at o-line and traded for #1 WR Stefon Diggs. On defense, they added pieces on all three levels, which makes them the odds on favorite to be the best defense in the league this year.
Of course, Buffalo’s success comes down to QB Josh Allen’s consistency and accuracy on the field. If he can make another step forward in on-field maturity then Buffalo could end up contending with both the Ravens and the Chiefs for an AFC Championship crown. However, that is a big “if.”
With a Top 5 rushing attack, one of the best trio of receivers in the conference, and a Top 3 defense, this Bills team is poised for a big year.
Indianapolis Colts (+1000)
The Indianapolis Colts had the best offseason in the league. Not only did they make some great moves via free agency and trades, but they also had a fantastic NFL Draft.
The Colts signed QB Philip Rivers to lead their talented offense and traded for DT DeForest Buckner to make this defense a Top 10 unit.
The climb begins in two weeks. 🏔 #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/75yYKaGmYf
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 30, 2020
In the draft, the Colts took RB Jonathan Taylor and WR Michael Pittman Jr. despite not having a 1st round pick. Both players add excitement, talent and youth to a stacked offense that features arguably the best o-line in the NFL.
I believe the Colts are poised to win the AFC South as not only did they greatly improve, but the other teams in the division have taken a step back. Indy could give the Chiefs or the Ravens trouble in the postseason. They have the offense to hang with both teams.
New England Patriots (+1000)
The New England Patriots’ dynasty is over. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have taken their talents to Tampa Bay where the Bucs will have a better season than the Pats. But, that’s not the only reason why New England will struggle to even make the Playoffs this year.
The Patriots lost many key players on defense between free agency and opt outs. More than half of the starters from last year’s top ranked defense are gone including all of their linebackers that were at the top of the depth chart.
Offensively, the Pats turn to Cam Newton to lead this unit. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of talent on this side of the ball. If Brady can’t get a Playoff win with this roster then there’s no way Newton will.
I believe New England’s odds of winning the AFC are overvalued. They certainly shouldn’t be higher than the next two teams and there’s a decent chance that the Browns edge them out for the final Playoff spot.
Pittsburgh Steelers (+1200)
Franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger is back and the Pittsburgh Steelers is poised to make some noise in the AFC this year. Last season, they were led by a Top 10 defense. This season, they will have a Top 10 offense to go along with a very talented defense that could improve on their numbers from 2019.
Pittsburgh added WR Chase Claypool in the NFL Draft and TE Eric Ebron in free agency to give Big Ben two more weapons and the offense much needed depth.
Game uniforms were a nice touch last night 👌
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 23, 2020
I think oddsmakers are sleeping on the Steelers this year as they almost made the postseason last season, but fell one game short. I certainly like their chances more than the Patriots.
Tennessee Titans (+1400)
The Tennessee Titans were the surprise team of 2019 as they mauled their way through the second half of the regular season then scored two consecutive upsets in the Playoffs by beating the Patriots and the Ravens on the road.
The magical run ended in Kansas City, but not before the Titans left an impression on the rest of the league. However, it appears that online betting sites forgot about that impression because they have the AFC title game runner-up as the 7th best team according to betting odds.
The Titans did lose a few key pieces on both sides of the ball, but still have the same physical style of play that will make it hard on the rest of the AFC. And, if they get DE Jadeveon Clowney, Tennessee’s defensive front seven will be scary.
Additionally, the AFC South got weaker this offseason and Tennessee should be able to get one of the Wild Card spots this year.
Once in the Playoffs, Tennessee proved last year that anything can happen. I don’t see why they can’t prove that again in the 2020 NFL Playoffs.
Who Will Win the 2020-21 AFC Championship?
The Chiefs, Ravens, Bills and Colts will all win their divisions. I see the Steelers, Titans and Browns or Patriots getting the three Wild Card spots. From there, I believe the final four teams in the AFC will be the Ravens, Chiefs, Bills and Colts.
I can see the Bills or Colts beating the Ravens, but I can’t see any team going into Kansas City and winning at Arrowhead Stadium. I believe the Chiefs will end up with the best record in the AFC and earn the #1 seed in the Playoffs, which rewards KC with the home field advantage throughout the AFC postseason.
With home field advantage and Patrick Mahomes throwing to all of those weapons, this Chiefs team is poised for another trip to the Super Bowl. Take the Chiefs to win the AFC before their odds and value shrink.
Who Will Win the 2020-21 AFC Championship? –Chiefs (+350)
Rick Rockwell
As a longtime freelance writer, avid sports fan, former athlete, and experienced sports bettor, Rick Rockwell has risen up the ranks at GamblingSites.org to become the self-professed “King of the Blog” in his first year with the site. …
