Super Bowl odds update: Chiefs priced as shortest title favorite this season

Entering November, the Chiefs had a losing record and looked closer to missing the playoffs than winning the Super Bowl. But after a perfect 8-0 run since then, they enter January with the shortest title odds (+350) any team has seen all season at theScore Bet.

The Chiefs nudged past the Packers (+450), who had wrestled front-runner status away from the defending champion Buccaneers (+650) ahead of Week 16.

Kansas City proved it deserves the top spot with a 36-10 win over the Steelers despite missing three starters - including Travis Kelce - and losing leading rusher Clyde Edwards-Helaire (collarbone) early in the contest.

The Chiefs scored points on each of their first four possessions and forced three turnovers in a dominant showing. They extended their winning run to eight games, with an average point differential of 16.3, which is by far the league's highest over that stretch.

Patrick Mahomes and Co. have finally rediscovered their offensive magic, scoring the third-most points per game (29.1) of any team since the start of November. Yet the key has been the team's resurgent defense, which leads the NFL in points allowed per contest (12.9) and total turnovers forced (21) in that period.

They've been fortunate in a few of those wins - catching the Packers without Aaron Rodgers in Week 9 and the Cowboys without many of their offensive stars in Week 11. Still, their opponents combined for a 65-54-1 record (54.6%) in those eight weeks. Crucially, Kansas City has the inside track for the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Since Mahomes took over in 2018, the Chiefs are 5-1 at home in the postseason and 6-2 overall, and this season is shaping up to be an awful lot like AFC title seasons of years past. In a season without any truly dominant teams, this group may be as close as we can get - even if it comes at a steep price.

C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at [email protected].