Before the top 10 players of the NFL 100 were released earlier this year, the question was "Where are the Super Bowl champions?" None of the first 90 players revealed in annual player-driven talent rankings were under contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.
As the final set of players came through, listing among them three Chiefs stars, it made sense that the reigning champs would go into the season the favorite among oddsmakers to repeat.
But after a season-opening upset, the Chiefs status as Super Bowl favorites may already be slipping through their fingers like a third-down pass.
Sportsbooks have updated their Super Bowl futures odds following the Lions 21-20 victory over Kansas City. How much of a hit was it to the Chiefs? And how much belief is there in the upstart Lions? Let's break it down.
How the Chiefs' Odds to Win the Super Bowl Changed
Unsurprisingly, sportsbooks responded by downgrading Kansas City from a consensus +600 favorite. BetMGM and and FanDuel dropped the Chiefs odds down to +700 while DraftKings and Caesers took a more measured approach at +650.
The Chiefs loss wasn't totally unexpected, given two of those top 10 players weren't suited up. Defensive tackle Chris Jones, currently holding out for a contract extension, watched from the stands. Tight end Travis Kelce wore street clothes on the sideline due to his injured knee, watching as Chiefs receivers dropped key passes.
"It's unusual for us to drop that many passes," head coach Andy Reid said after the game.
Even Patrick Mahomes, the player voted by his peers as the best in the league, couldn't overcome the void single-handedly. Whether it's a healthy Kelce, more sure-handed receivers or Jones on the field instead of the stands, something has to change or the odds of a Super Bowl will continue to slide.
How the Lions' Odds to Win the Super Bowl Changed
Meanwhile, Detroit received a big boost from most books as of Friday morning. Going into Thursday's opener, the Lions were favored by three of our four tracked books at +2200 to win it all, with just slightly better odds coming from FanDuel at +2100.
Following the win, Detroit's Super Bowl odds jumped to a median of +1650. Both FanDuel and Caesars gave a full 600-point upgrade while BetMGM took a more measured approach, bumping up just 300 points to +1900.
Just don't ask head coach Dan Campbell if he's surprised.
"I didn't learn anything, I got verification on what I already knew, and this is a resilient team," he said.
Are the Lions for real? Were the Chiefs having an off night? We'll likely have to wait until next week for an answer.
What's Next for Lions and Chiefs?
Both teams have a long week to game plan, heal and, maybe, work on contract situations.
Detroit will host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, September 17, at 1 p.m. ET. As of Friday morning, the Lions are a three-point favorite on DraftKings.
Kansas City heads east to face a Jacksonville team that took them to the limit in last season's playoffs. DraftKings lists the Chiefs as 2.5-point favorites to beat the Jaguars. The game starts at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 17.
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