Can KC Chiefs win out the rest of the way?

The first half of the 2022 regular season is in the books, and the KC Chiefs currently sit atop not only the previously flaunted AFC West but hold the #1 seed for the entire conference. Chiefs fans should be incredibly pleased with where the team currently sits at 7-2, especially considering that the Chiefs faced the toughest half-schedule stretch in NFL history, as their first 8 opponents all held winning records the previous year. As the postseason draws closer with every game, let’s look down the road and see what chances the Chiefs have to win out in the back half of the regular season.

A look at the next three games

Despite facing a challenging first half of the season, the Chiefs aren’t out of the woods yet. The next three opponents that the Chiefs face include the Chargers, Rams, and Bengals, all of whom finished with winning records last year. Though this presents a daunting lineup of games, it also marks the season’s final stretch in which the Chiefs will face teams that finished above .500 in back-to-back weeks.

The Chiefs will begin their sweep of the remaining schedule in LA as they face up against the Chargers for the second time this year. After emerging victorious during their first bout the odds-makers once again predict a similar result as the Chiefs are currently slated as 6.5-point favorites against a Chargers team decimated by injuries. KC has currently won 26 of their last 30 matchups against AFC West teams and they look to continue on this trajectory this coming Sunday.

The following week the Chiefs face another LA team; the Super Bowl champion Rams. This matchup will take place in Kansas City which bodes well for the Mahomes and company. Despite hoisting up the Lombardi trophy last season the Rams have struggled immensely this year, and currently hold an unimpressive record of 3-6 after suffering their most recent defeat from the Cardinals.

Week 13 should present the Chiefs’ most difficult undertaking of the remaining schedule as they head to Cincinnati seeking revenge against the Bengals who upset the Chiefs in the AFC Championship last year. The Bengals have had a slow start to the season, though currently hold a record of 5-3. Additionally, it should be noted that star receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who suffered a hip injury last month, is expected to be back in action during this matchup. Despite falling short against this opponent twice last year, the Chiefs are the better team. Payback should and will be the goal of the players and coaches as they seek to bury the Bengals for spoiling their Super Bowl hopes of last season.

The schedule’s home stretch should be a cakewalk

The final five games of the season present matchups that shouldn’t worry Kansas City. The final opponents the Chiefs will face include the Denver Broncos (twice), Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks, and Las Vegas Raiders. The combined record of these teams is a pitiful 12-24-1. An argument could be made that the Chiefs’ biggest concern revolves around them not overlooking any opponent and falling victim to a trap game as they did against the Colts.

Admittedly, the Broncos do have the best scoring defense in the league, allowing opponents only 16.6 points per game. However, the high-powered offense of Kansas City has faced similar challenges before and ultimately found success against the Bills, Buccaneers, and 49ers, all of whom are top defenses. Furthermore, the Russ Wilson experiment in Denver continues to flounder with Denver accounting for the league’s lowest-scoring offense with only 14.6 points per game. Mahomes hasn’t lost to the Broncos in his career and will look to continue that trend in Week 14 and Week 17 this season.

The Texans are currently the worst team in the league and only have a single win this season. It seems that the one bright spot for them is rookie running back Dameon Pierce who leads all rookies with 772 rushing yards. As long as the Chiefs show up focused and ready to play in Houston it should be a dominant performance put forth by Kansas City and a game in which Mahomes seeks to build upon his impressive numbers in hopes of securing the MVP award.

The Chiefs are set to face the Seahawks in Kansas City in Week 16, a matchup that is particularly noteworthy as Seattle is the only current team with a winning record that the Chiefs will play in their final five games of the season. In fact, the Seahawks have surprised everybody by leading the NFC West, a division that many considered to be among the best in the league. Their success is due in no small part to the emergence of Geno Smith, a longtime journeyman that has shocked the world by playing the best football of his nine-year career. Nonetheless, and despite Seattle exceeding expectations, the Chiefs possess a superior roster and quarterback which should prove too much for the Seahawks to leave KC with a win.

The Chiefs will face the Raiders in the final week of the regular season. Sure, the Raiders played the Chiefs tough during their Week 5 bout and even held a 17-point lead at one point. However, the Raiders’ playoff hopes are all but dead and it’s highly doubtful that they will be playing for anything other than pride this time around. The only way Las Vegas could escape with a victory is if the Chiefs have already guaranteed their seeding in the AFC and hope to rest most of their starters. On the other hand, if K.C. has seeding motivation to secure a win then the Raiders will most likely fail to prevent it.

Division, conference, and Super Bowl odds

The Chiefs clearly have an identifiable path if they hope to finish out their remaining schedule undefeated. But what do the odds-makers have to say about their chances of winning the AFC West? Despite all the inflated uproar about how much improved the Chiefs’ rivals would be this offseason, the script has returned to normal. The Chiefs are the team to beat and everyone else isn’t close to dethroning them. Subsequently, the Chiefs’ odds of winning the division currently sit at -1200.

The media sure do love the Buffalo Bills, even if they’ve lost in back-to-back weeks. The Bills are only ranked third in their division, yet are oddly still given the best chance of winning the AFC at +190. However, the current #1 seed in the AFC isn’t close behind as the Chiefs have the second-best odds at +225. Seems like easy money.

The Super Bowl odds tell a similar story, as the Bills have the best odds at +400. KC finds themselves tied with the Eagles for the second-best odds with +500. Of these teams, the Chiefs stand out. They have the most accomplished coach and the only quarterback of this group to both appear in and win a Super Bowl. Chiefs Kingdom should like those odds.