One hero's effort to end Andy Reid's Chiefs underdog narrative is working thanks to Vegas

The Kansas City Chiefs became just the second NFL dynasty in the salary cap and free agency era. Despite winning three of their four Super Bowl appearances in the past five years, they are yet to become satiated by their success. 

Kansas City clinched their ninth consecutive AFC West division title during the regular season, and a divisional-round victory over the Houston Texans secured their place in the AFC Championship Game for the seventh straight year.

The Chiefs will host the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium for the conference championship bout on Sunday, and the winner will advance to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.

Andy Reid’s underdog narrative has been proven wrong by bettors

Teams are always looking to gain any competitive edge they can, but leaning into an underdog mentality is difficult to do for a perennial Super Bowl champion. That hasn’t stopped Chiefs head coach Andy Reid from attempting to play the underdog anyway.

“I presume the Bills will probably be favored, but that’s all right,” Reid said. “We do our thing.”

Unfortunately for Kansas City, the underdog narrative won’t work this time. The Chiefs opened as 1-point favorites to win the conference championship, per Caesar’s Sportsbook & Casino. As bets began to pour in, Reid’s claims of being the underdog were only further disproven.

One bettor placed a $1.3 million wager on the Chiefs money line, Caesar’s shared on social media. If Kansas City wins the game, the bettor would earn a $2.3 million payout. The betting trends have shifted the line further in favor of the Chiefs, who are now 2-point favorites, via Sports Illustrated.

Reid’s attempt to play the underdog caused some mild outrage among NFL fans, but the assumption that his team wouldn’t be favored may have been caused by their odds in the regular season. The Chiefs were 2.5-point underdogs for their regular season matchup against the Bills in Week 11, but that game was played at Highmark Stadium. This time, the Chiefs will play at home, which usually results in a slight edge for betting odds.

The Chiefs are just two games away becoming the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive championships, but the upcoming challenge won’t be easy. The Chiefs suffered a 30-21 loss against the Bills in Week 11. It was Kansas City’s only loss of the season, excluding the Week 18 game in which they rested their starters.