There aren’t enough superlatives for what the Kansas City Chiefs have accomplished, and are still in the middle of accomplishing. The Chiefs are the ninth team in NFL history to win back-to-back Super Bowls, joining a list that includes the Green Bay Packers (1966-67), Miami Dolphins (1972-73), Pittsburgh Steelers (1974-75), Pittsburgh Steelers (1977-78), San Francisco 49ers (1988-89), Dallas Cowboys (1992-93), Denver Broncos (1997-98), and New England Patriots (2003-2004).
Of these back-to-back winners, four of them made it to their conference championship in the third year. Until Sunday night in Kansas City, no one had made it past the conference championship game and back to the Super Bowl. Terry Bradshaw’s Steelers lost in the AFC Championship in 1976. Joe Montana’s 49ers lost in the NFC Championship in 1990. Troy Aikman’s Cowboys lost in the NFC Championship in 1994.
But with two rushing touchdowns — a third through the air, and an offense that converted 55% of their third downs– Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills, 32-29. They now sit one win away from a third straight Lombardi Trophy.
Public Money on the Bills
One bettor got it very right on Sunday. Last week at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas a $1.3 million moneyline bet was placed on the Chiefs.
However, most of the money was bet on the Bills. ESPN Bet reported as many as 71.2% of their bets were backing the Bills, and 68.9% of the bets on the Buffalo moneyline. The spread was +2 for the Bills when most of the wagers were placed, and that moneyline bet was paying +110.
Sportsbettingdime.com reported on Sunday that 76% of the overall ATS handle was placed on the Bills.
DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello explained the discrepancy in betting as a bit of wish-casting. “If you talk to a lot of football people, the people that bet and watch, they’ll tell you they’re tired of the Chiefs. They’re also tired of the Bills losing. The Bills have been in this position before. They’ve had many opportunities over the last five years to win the whole thing, and they haven’t.”
Dave Portnoy, the CEO of Barstool Sports, placed a $1 million wager on the Bills to win the Super Bowl before the Ravens and Bills met in the Divisional Round. At the time of the bet, the Bills were paying +550, and it was the largest NFL futures bet placed at any U.S. sportsbook.
A bet on Kansas City to go to its fifth Super Bowl in six years wasn’t a fun or interesting bet to place. But obviously, it was the smarter bet to place, and it has been that way for quite some time. Last year, the Chiefs covered the spread in all four of their postseason games, and the year before that, they were 2-1 against the spread. And in Patrick Mahomes’ 4-0 record in the playoffs against Josh Allen and the Bills, the Chiefs are also 4-0 against the spread.
Mahomes is now 17-3 as a starter in the postseason, and the Chiefs have won nine straight postseason games. They may make for a boring bet, but you can’t argue with the results.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
