Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl 61 odds are still looking good heading into Week 1

After seven months with no NFL football that genuinely matters (my apologies to those who actually enjoy the preseason), the long wait is over, as the 2026 regular season is upon us. Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs will have to wait a little longer than most to get rolling, as their Week 1 matchup doesn't come until Monday Night Football against the rival Denver Broncos, but you get the point.

The 2025 campaign, of course, was one to forget, as not only did the Chiefs fail to reach at least the AFC Championship Game since Patrick Mahomes took over as QB1 in 2018, but they missed the playoffs altogether for just the second time since Andy Reid took over as head coach, the other instance coming in his second season in 2014. And at 6-11, they posted their first losing record since going 2-14 in 2012, which was the lone full season under Romeo Crennel before Reid came to town.

It'd be nice to blame the season on the fact that Mahomes went down with a torn ACL, but as that didn't happen until late in Kansas City's Week 15 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers, which just happened to be the loss that eliminated the club from playoff contention, that excuse doesn't work.

Besides, even heading into that game, they were just 6-7, so the writing was already on the wall. It's worth mentioning that six of those seven losses came by seven points or fewer, and the other came by 10 to the Houston Texans, but a loss is still a loss.

But what's done is done, and the Chiefs are obviously looking to bounce back in 2026. And NFL oddsmakers seem to like their chances to do just that.

The Kansas City Chiefs have the third-best odds among AFC teams to win Super Bowl 61

Here's a quick look at the list of odds to win Super Bowl 61 for all 32 teams, as well as the odds for each team to represent its respective conference in the Big Game, which will take place at SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, on February 14, 2027.

As you can see, Kansas City heads into the new year at +1600, good for the fifth-best among all teams and third-best among AFC squads, trailing only the Los Angeles Rams (+500), the Buffalo Bills (+1000), the Baltimore Ravens (+1000), and the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (+1200).

Some might be surprised by this placement, but things have actually been like this for quite some time.

Now, in the way-too-early odds for Super Bowl 61 that were released in the immediate aftermath of the Seahawks' win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60, the Chiefs actually had even better odds at +1500. At that time, though, that was only good for a tie for ninth overall and a tie for fourth among AFC squads. But given that nobody had any idea what Mahomes' real recovery timeline looked like then, it was still quite the compliment.

We took another look following the first wave of free agency, which saw the team add Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III but also lose a plethora of players on the defensive side of the ball, and they had those exact same +1500 odds. But at that time, those odds were good for a tie for fifth overall with the Green Bay Packers and solo third in the AFC, trailing only the Ravens (+900) and Bills (+900).

We looked again just after the draft, and the Chiefs still sat at +1500, putting them in solo fifth overall and solo third in the AFC, again behind only the Ravens (+1000) and Bills (+1000) in the latter category.

So, the +1600 odds are actually the worst the Chiefs have had this entire offseason, at least all the times we looked. We kid, of course, but it's technically true.

Whether Kansas City is able to live up to this standing obviously remains to be seen. Mahomes being ready to go for the start of the season is naturally good news, but this football team is far from perfect and may still be another year away from genuinely becoming a legitimate Super Bowl contender again.

The addition of Walker helps, but the offensive line being a top-10 unit is a lot to ask of this current group. And while the receiving corps didn't really get any worse, it also really didn't get any better. Defensively, Steve Spagnuolo has proven time and time again over the years that he can make just about anything work, but losing both Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, among others, could be a little too much to work through this quickly.

It certainly doesn't help matters that Kansas City has one of the toughest overall schedules in the NFL.

But, all this said, we now simply have to wait and see how this 2026 campaign plays out. Because no matter the odds or strength of schedule or anything else, we just have no idea what'll happen until the Chiefs take the field. And the beauty is that we don't have to wait much longer.

All betting odds courtesy of DraftKings. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. The content in this article should not be considered betting advice. Gambling involves risk, and one should only gamble with funds that one can comfortably afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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