NFL betting odds: Kansas City Chiefs expected to miss playoffs in 2018
By Matt Conner
The latest betting odds from Oddshark have the Kansas City Chiefs on the outside looking in when it comes to the NFL postseason in 2018.
If you ask the oddsmakers in Las Vegas, the Kansas City Chiefs won’t be playing after the regular season in 2018. The Chiefs are among the AFC teams expected to be sitting at home during the NFL postseason given their preseason odds of making the playoffs of +120.
The Chiefs have endured significant turnover at several positions, including almost every level of the defense, this offseason, which is likely a significant reason why the Chiefs are predicted as outsiders. Patrick Mahomes takes over from Alex Smith which means an unknown variable is now starting at the game’s most important position at quarterback. That’s likely the primary factor leading to Vegas’s hesitancy to expect much from the Chiefs.
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The Chiefs have also traded away Marcus Peters, completely overhauled their linebacking corps and lost the interior leadership of Derrick Johnson. Instead the entire unit is younger and faster, bolstered by young arrivals like linebacker Anthony Hitchens, cornerback Kendall Fuller and rookies Breeland Speaks, Armani Watts and Derrick Nnadi.
Per OddsShark, the AFC teams favored to make the postseason are the Houston Texans (-135), Jacksonville Jaguars, (-140), Los Angeles Chargers (-145), New England Patriots (-1500) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (-550). For the last and final spot, the Chiefs look like the favorite, followed by the Buffalo Bills (+135), Baltimore Ravens (+135), Tennessee Titans (+165) and Oakland Raiders (+165). Essentially this means the Chiefs are the favorites of a middle tier of teams but Vegas is treating them all outsiders.
The way to read such odds, by the way, is to read it as if you were betting $100 on a particular team, the number after the plus sign is how much you would get back if that team made the playoffs. Thus the Chiefs are giving $120 per $100 bet.
At this point, the Chiefs look like a great bet given that Andy Reid is in charge and they’re loaded on offense. This is a team that will get Eric Berry back in the secondary, and let’s not forget they’ve won consecutive division titles. If any team can overcome significant change and maintain their winning ways, the Chiefs can.