People keep trying to write the Kansas City Chiefs off, yet the new villains of the NFL continue to keep making people eat their words. While K.C. didn't win a Super Bowl this past season, neither did anyone else in the AFC that has been trying to knock the Chiefs off their throne for the past several years.
Every year people keep trying to say "This will be the year the Bills get to the Super Bowl" or "The Ravens are going to go all the way" but, for the past three seasons, it's been the Chiefs reaching the big game. In two of those Super Bowls, the Chiefs went on to win it all.
Well, in the way-too-early odds for total win totals for 2025, the Chiefs are right at the top along with the aforementioned Bills and Ravens. All three teams were given 11.5 wins for the 2025 season. Behind them in the AFC were the Chargers, Broncos, Texans, and Bengals with 9.5 wins.
Chiefs' main competition in AFC should come as no surprise to anyone
No one would be shocked to see the Chiefs, Bills, and Ravens all battling it out for the top seed in the AFC next year. Each won its respective division in 2025, and the teams looked far and away to be the three best teams in the conference. These franchises have also appeared in the last two AFC Championship Games (with the Chiefs winning both of those contests).
Last season felt like the Bills' time to clinch the top seed and make it all the way to the Super Bowl with 13 regular-season wins. Josh Allen also won the league's MVP award. Well, the Chiefs won 15 games, cementing themselves as the top team in the conference. Meanwhile, the Ravens won 12 games, which, in some years, would likely be enough to earn the top seed in the playoffs.
The Chiefs and Ravens both find themselves in difficult divisions, as the Bengals and Steelers are going to give Baltimore troubles while the Chargers and Broncos have improved in recent years and could make it more difficult for K.C. to cruise to a number one seed. Meanwhile, the Bills have the Dolphins, Jets, and Patriots in their division.
Heading into a new season, the Chiefs are being viewed through a rather negative lens, as a franchise on the same level as other contenders in the conference. Fans might think that representing the AFC in three consecutive Super Bowls might earn a bit more respect heading into a new year.