The Kansas City Chiefs opened at +600 odds to win Super Bowl 55 back in February.

Seven months later, Kansas City was a +375 favourite to go back-to-back when the regular season kicked off in September.

After a 32-29 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, the Chiefs odds to win it all shortened to +175.

Kansas City has now won nine straight to improve to 13-1, setting a single-season franchise record for wins with two games to go while matching the best 14-game start by a defending Super Bowl champion.

The bottom line: it’s still the Chiefs and then everybody else.

Here is the Morning Coffee for Monday Dec. 21, 2020.

Mahomes Closes In On MVP

In his first four NFL seasons, Patrick Mahomes has faced nine opponents that had a top-five scoring defence entering the week that he played them.

He’s 9-0 in those games.

Mahomes solidified his case for NFL MVP by throwing for 254 yards and three touchdowns in a win over New Orleans, which entered this week with the fourth-ranked scoring defence.

He went from -240 to -400 odds to win MVP for the second time in his career.

The Chiefs had the ball for a total of 41 minutes and 14 seconds of game time, which was their highest mark in any game including playoffs since all the way back in 2012.

Kansas City’s ability to put up 32 points, dominate the possession battle and force Drew Brees and the Saints to play from behind with limited opportunities to respond was incredible to watch.

It was yet another reminder that the Chiefs are still in a class of their own.

Bills Stock Climbing Fast

For the first time in 25 years, the Buffalo Bills are division champions.

Buffalo clinched the AFC East title with a 48-19 win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday night.

The Bills opened the season as a +2500 long shot to win the Super Bowl, but are now the fourth choice on the board at +1000 odds to win it all behind only Kansas City, the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans.

Last week, I wrote the following when I pushed Buffalo up to No. 2 in my power rankings:

The Bills have the firepower to keep up with Kansas City, which I think will be the most important factor in any potential head-to-head playoff meeting with the Chiefs.

That firepower was on display in Denver. Josh Allen threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 33 yards and another two scores.

His top weapon Stefon Diggs, who has made the biggest impact of any player traded this year, had 11 catches for 147 yards.

While Mahomes is the obvious favourite to win MVP and Aaron Rodgers remains the second choice, Allen has certainly forced his way into that conversation as the third choice at +800 odds and Diggs is a big reason for it.

For as impressive as Rodgers and the Packers have been, Allen and the Bills offence has been even better of late.

I’d also give Buffalo the slight edge over both Kansas City and Green Bay defensively at this point.

A lot can happen over the next two months to change my mind. However, if I had to choose right now, I’d still take the Bills as the team I think has the best chance to take down the Chiefs in a playoff game.

 

Browns On Verge Of Clinching Playoff Spot

The Cleveland Browns inched closer to locking up a playoff spot with a 20-6 win over the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football.

Cleveland improved to 10-4, its best record through 14 games since returning to the NFL in 1999.

Baker Mayfield set a franchise record for the highest completion percentage in a game in Browns history by connecting on 84.4 per cent of his attempts for 297 yards and two touchdowns. 

With Cleveland on the verge of clinching a playoff berth for the first time since 2002, it brought an interesting question to mind: Are the Browns ready to sign Mayfield long term?

The first-overall pick from the 2018 NFL Draft has one more year left on his rookie deal before he is due a significant extension. It’s only a matter of time before management in Cleveland will have to make that decision.

Meanwhile, the Giants fell to 5-9 with a loss.

Thanks to the fact that they play in the NFC East, New York is in a very unique spot.

The Giants are still just one game back of the Washington Football Team for the best record in the division and a playoff spot.

At the same time, they are currently on pace to finish with a top-10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Right ow, losing might very well be the best thing that could happen to New York.

While they have somewhat overachieved in Joe Judge’s first year as head coach, the Giants still have a lot of holes to address.

Qualifying for the postseason as the best team in the worst division in football really isn’t worth missing out on a top-10 pick.

 

Jets Win Is Their Biggest Loss

Speaking of the 2021 NFL Draft, the New York Jets emerged from their first win of the season as the biggest loser of the day.

Adam Gase’s squad stunned the Los Angeles Rams with a 23-20 win as 17-point underdogs on the road.

In the process, they might have conceded the opportunity to draft the top prospect in next year’s NFL Draft.

The Jets win moved the Jacksonville Jaguars into the top position in the draft order. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Jaguars now have a 71 per cent chance to end up with the first-overall pick.

For as bad as this season has been for the Jets and their fans, it’s an absolutely cruel twist that their first win of the year has actually left the franchise in a worse position overall.

An 0-16 record would have been bad, but at least Clemson star Trevor Lawrence would have ended up in New York.

Going 1-15 and then missing out on Lawrence would be an absolute tragedy as far as Jets fans are concerned.

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