Chiefs officially tied for largest underdogs of Patrick Mahomes era in AFC Championship Game vs. Ravens
Don't let anyone tell you that the Kansas City Chiefs have no right to think of themselves as underdogs in the AFC Championship Game. As the AFC title game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium gets underway on Sunday afternoon, the point spread has closed at +4.5 per DraftKings Sportsbook. Why is that particular […]
Don't let anyone tell you that the Kansas City Chiefs have no right to think of themselves as underdogs in the AFC Championship Game.
As the AFC title game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium gets underway on Sunday afternoon, the point spread has closed at +4.5 per DraftKings Sportsbook. Why is that particular point spread significant?
According to the data from SportsOddsHistory, this point spread matches the largest point spread in a Patrick Mahomes start in his 113 career regular-season and postseason starts. The Chiefs were +4.5 point underdogs in 2018 when they went to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road in Week 2. Mahomes went nuclear in that game, throwing for 326 yards and six touchdowns in the game. It became the first time in 32 years that the team had beaten the Steelers on the road.
There are other games where the Chiefs have been more than 4.5-point underdogs since, but those are games during which Mahomes was either injured (Packers and Vikings games in 2019) or not starting in the final week of the regular season. The only time that Mahomes has ever been doubted this much he was hitting the road for the second time as a first-year starter. The disrespect is even more staggering when you they're the defending Super Bowl champions.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has a career record of 29-10 when he's favored at home. The Chiefs have an 8-1 record as underdogs during the Mahomes era, including the postseason.
Mahomes and the rest of the team have embraced the underdog role this postseason, winning their first road playoff game of his career in very hostile territory in western New York.
"Everyone is against you," Mahomes told the media on Thursday. "You’ve got to go out there and come together as a team and find a way to win. It’s just a whole new opportunity for you to go out there and see what you’re really about.”
We'll find out what the 2023-2024 Chiefs are about soon enough.
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