4 good season-long Chiefs bets for 2022

The Kansas City Chiefs’ regular season will begin against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon — so on the latest Arrowhead Pride “Out of Structure” podcast, Matt Stagner and I previewed the season in several different ways. We also answered your Twitter questions.

(Listen to the podcast above or by clicking here. It is also available on Spotify).

One of the ways we looked at the season was by perusing the DraftKings Sportsbook, looking at all the Chiefs-related bets — and picking out a few of our favorites. Here are a few that stood out:

Nick Bolton +3500 to lead NFL in total tackles

For a player who should naturally be near the lead’s league in tackles this season, these are much longer odds (a $100 bet to win $3500) than you’d expect. Despite playing a limited role for most of his rookie season, Bolton was already a tackling machine in 2021, leading the team with 112 total tackles. That was the league’s 28th-highest mark.

In 2022, Bolton is being trusted to play as the Dime linebacker — meaning that he will play on all three downs, staying on the field unless he needs some quick rest. That expanded playing time should lead to his tackle numbers skyrocketing. If he remains healthy, he should have a legitimate shot at leading the league.

George Karlaftis +1600 to win DROY

Out of the two Chiefs who could win Rookie of the Year on their side of the ball, defensive end George Karlaftis is the better bet — even if Skyy Moore’s odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year (+1200) are better.

Karlaftis is going to play a lot of snaps for the defense, but a healthy rotation among the edge defenders should allow him to be fresh on passing downs. Based on volume, he could end up with more sacks than other rookies — and that number alone could win him the award.

Andy Reid +3000 to win COY

In head coach Andy Reid’s storied career, he has been named Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year just once. That was in 2002, which was his third season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

It’s an award that rarely goes to the established head coach; it is usually awarded to the coach that outperformed expectations based on the team’s roster. As we know, the Chiefs are dealing with a lot of change this year — and a lot of competition in the AFC.

If Kansas City (again) repeats as AFC West champion and gets a high playoff seed, I could see that earning Reid some national recognition for going through that transition without a drop-off.

Chiefs’ longest regular-season win streak Over 4.5 games (-110)

The schedule is as daunting as it ever has been for the Chiefs this year — but based on history, this bet should still be almost a guarantee.

Since Reid has arrived in Kansas City, he has had a winning streak of at least five games in every single season. No matter how tough certain stretches of the schedule turn out to be, it’s what he does.

But if you place this bet, you might have to sweat it out. The most likely stretch for it to occur is the last five games of the season, which includes games against the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks.

How to listen to Arrowhead Pride podcasts

Arrowhead Pride podcasts are available on Amazon Alexa, Apple, Google, Spotify and Stitcher. Please rate and review, as this helps us grow AP Radio to reach more Chiefs fans all over the world!

Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.