Chiefs vs. Bucs odds: Kansas City opened as 2.5 point favorites

The Kansas City Chiefs have opened as 2.5 point favorites against the Buccaneers.

Yes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a Super Bowl contender. They are also in a good fight for their division title in the NFC South. They are the home team for Week 12, and they are also led by a future Hall of Fame quarterback surrounded by plenty of weapons and a talented defense on all three levels.

The Kansas City Chiefs are still favored by 2.5 points.

As bettors make their wagers for Sunday afternoon’s marquee matchup between Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs visiting Tom Brady and the Bucs, they’ll find the Chiefs opened as 2.5 point favorites in the early odds on the game—that despite the normal three-point shift toward a home team (which insinuates the Chiefs would be 5.5 point favorites at Arrowhead). Since then, the line has even shifted more toward Kansas City.

In this season in which everyone—including the unbeaten Pittsburgh Steelers—has some clear roster concerns and weaknesses to exploit, the Chiefs are no different. The Las Vegas Raiders just put up 71 points on the team’s defense across two games, and less impressive teams like the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers took them to the mat. Still, among all potential contenders, they also look the part of repeat champions.

So far in 2020, Patrick Mahomes is having another MVP campaign with 27 touchdown passes to only 2 interceptions. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill have proven their greatness once again as cornerstone weapons in this offense. The two-headed beast in the backfield known as Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Le’Veon Bell threatens any opponent as dynamic weapons there and the team has done it all with key players—Sammy Watkins, Mitchell Schwartz—on the sidelines.

It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs play against a team so foreign as the Bucs. Sure, they have faced Brady plenty of time over the years, but the Chiefs haven’t faced Bruce Arians since he coached the Cardinals to a 17-14 win in 2014 back when Dwayne Bowe was fading, Albert Wilson was emerging, and Jamaal Charles led the Chiefs offense. The Chiefs haven’t played the Bucs since 2016, when they lost 19-17 against Jameis Winston and Mike Evans. Ramik Wilson was the leading tackler for the Chiefs.

It’s going to be fun watching Mahomes work against such an unfamiliar yet talented team. Arians and Reid both have a lot to coach for on Sunday, but bettors clearly favor the Chiefs at this point by quite a bit given the competitive nature of the Bucs.