Note: This story updated Dec. 27, 2024
The Kansas City Chiefs are 15-1 this season, the best record in the NFL, as they pursue an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title. Coach Andy Reid's team also clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a Christmas Day victory in Pittsburgh, beating the Steelers 29-10.
But the Chiefs have not always dominated their opponents. Eleven of Kansas City’s 15 wins have been decided by one-possession margins. So how often is Kansas City proving the saying, “Good teams win, great teams cover” with operators offering Kansas sports betting promo codes?
We look at the 2024-25 Chiefs, how often they cover, and how they compare to the past 10 Super Bowl champions against the spread (ATS). That list includes the Kansas City teams from the 2019, 2022 and 2023 seasons. This list only includes regular-season games.
This BetKansas.com story uses data from The Sports Odds History website, with BetMGM Kansas Sportsbook to track odds through the years.
Team | Actual record | ATS record | ATS win pct. |
2023 Chiefs | 11-6 | 9-7-1 | .559 |
2022 Chiefs | 14-3 | 7-10 | .412 |
2021 Rams | 12-5 | 8-8-1 | .500 |
2020 Buccaneers | 11-5 | 9-7 | .563 |
2019 Chiefs | 12-4 | 10-5-1 | .656 |
2018 Patriots | 11-5 | 9-7 | .563 |
2017 Eagles | 13-3 | 10-6 | .625 |
2016 Patriots | 14-2 | 13-3 | .813 |
2015 Broncos | 12-4 | 8-7-1 | .531 |
2014 Patriots | 12-4 | 9-7 | .563 |
This year's Kansas City team was 4-8-1 ATS against the spread at one point, according to SportsOddsHistory.com statistics. But despite the offense's average output (more on that later), the Chiefs have now covered in their past three games to improve to 7-8-1 ATS.
The Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl odds are still strong whether they win by one or win by 41. But they have some ground to make up this season, at least as far as folks making spread wagers are concerned.
Early in the season, the Chiefs covered in victories against the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers. Then in the past three weeks, K.C. has paid off for bettors with a 21-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 15 (when the Chiefs were a 4-point favorite), a 27-19 win over the Houston Texans on Dec. 21 (-3) and finally Wednesday's triumph over the Steelers (-2.5), which assured the Chiefs of a first-round bye in the playoffs.
BetKansas.com provides you with a guide to point spread betting in Kansas.
Before this current three-game run, Kansas City had failed to cover in seven consecutive games, ending with a 19-17 victory on Dec. 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chiefs entered that one as a 4.5-point favorite. The game on Sept. 29 against the Chargers, which the Chiefs (-7) won 17-10, ended in a push.
One interesting aspect to all of this is that the Chiefs have usually not had huge spreads to cover at Kansas sportsbooks. Never in their first 10 games were they a double-digit favorite. That streak ended when Kansas City was favored by 11 points against Carolina on Nov. 24, but the Chiefs won 30-27. On Nov. 29, the Chiefs were laying 13.5 (their biggest spread this season) and didn't come close to covering, winning 19-17 over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Last season, on their way to a second Super Bowl title in a row, the Chiefs were favored by 10 or more points four times. They covered twice and failed to do so once, with one game ending in a push.
This year's Chiefs are relying less on their normally explosive offense. Kansas City is one of four teams that has not scored 31 points in any game this season. The others are among the league's dregs: The Raiders (3-12), New England Patriots (3-12) and New York Giants (2-13).
Who was the only Super Bowl champion in the past 10 years that failed to cover in more than half of their regular-season games? That would be the 2022 Chiefs, who were 7-10 ATS. This year's Chiefs can get to .500 in spread betting in their regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos in Week 18 (no time has been set for that game yet). But as a veteran team with the No. 1 seed, K.C. could use the last game to rest some starters in preparation for the playoffs. So the Chiefs have pretty much no incentive to win, much less cover. That thought will be baked into the oddsmakers' thinking, so underdog status likely awaits the Chiefs against Denver. Even if the Broncos clinch a playoff spot this weekend, they likely still would be trying to get the best seed they can for the playoffs.
The 2019 and 2023 Chiefs teams that brought a Vince Lombardi Trophy back to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium had a better rate at rewarding spread bettors – especially since last season’s team paid off those wagers for those able to use legal, regulated Kansas sports betting apps inside the Sunflower State.
Last season’s Chiefs were 9-7-1 against the spread, a .559 winning percentage for bettors. Reid’s first championship team, in 2019, was 10-5-1 ATS (a .656 percentage).
The best team ATS over the past 10 years, at least among Super Bowl champions, was the New England Patriots in the 2016 season. That team steamrolled to a 14-2 record and covered in 13 of those 14 wins, for an .813 percentage. That was tied for the second-best ATS percentage since the advent of the Super Bowl in the 1966 season. Only the 2003 Pats (14-2, .875 ATS) covered more often.
As of Dec. 27, the Chiefs have +360 odds at FanDuel Kansas Sportsbook to win their third consecutive Super Bowl, making them the favorite. Weeks ago, Kansas City clinched its ninth consecutive AFC West title. Only the AFC East’s Patriots (2009-19) had a longer streak, at 11 straight division titles.
USA Today photo by Denny Medley
Author
Jim Tomlin edits and writes about sports, gambling and the intersection of those two industries. He has 30 years of experience with companies such as the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition. He now lends his expertise to BetKansas.com, among other sites.
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