Super Bowl 59 Power Rankings: No Change at 1-2-3 in AFC

Heading into the playoffs, the Chiefs are the No. 1 seed and own home-field advantage, but thanks to a win over Kansas City, Buffalo continues to hold down the top spot in the AFC Power Rankings.

Kansas City, Buffalo, Baltimore and Houston won division titles with the Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos completing the playoff field in the AFC. Kansas City will have a first-round bye and has the shortest odds to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

The BetUS sportsbook lists the Los Angeles Chargers as the road favorite against the Houston Texans while the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens are both favored on the road.

Kansas City is priced at +350 in the odds to win Super Bowl 59 followed by Baltimore and Buffalo at +550. Here’s a look at the rankings of the seven AFC playoff teams.

AFC Super Bowl Rankings: Top Contenders to Bet

 1. Buffalo Bills (+275 to win the AFC)

Last Week Ranking: 1

The Buffalo Bills failed in their bid to earn the No. 1 seed so that could result in a trip to Kansas City with a spot in the franchise’s first Super Bowl since the 1993 season on the line.

Buffalo has lost two of its last three playoff games when listed as a home favorite. Dating back to 1991, the Bills are 7-0 outright and 4-3 against the spread as a home favorite of at least seven playoff games, per NFL betting trends.

The job isn’t finished. 👊

Relive our road to the playoffs: https://t.co/SoukdiQI0s@NorthtownAuto | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/gdaULqZXrY

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 8, 2025

Buffalo is favored by 9½ points against Denver on Sunday with the total at 46.5 points. Per Broncos vs Bills stats, Buffalo is 2-3 against teams in the 2024 playoff field.

Josh Allen threw for 3,731 yards with 28 touchdown passes , third-year receiver Khalil Shakir emerged as the go-to receiver and James Cook ran for more than 1,000 yards. Buffalo finished 11th in scoring defense during the regular season.

Bet on the Bills to win Super Bowl LIX (+550)

2. Kansas City Chiefs (+140)

Last Week Ranking: 2

The Kansas City Chiefs won’t need to play a road game to reach the Super Bowl for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Don’t read too much into a 38-0 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 18 as most of the star players sat the game out for the Chiefs, who had already wrapped up the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

This is not the first rodeo for Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and the other veteran Kansas City players, so having two weeks off before returning to the field may not come back to hurt the Chiefs.

The Chiefs went 11-0 in one-score games during the regular season. Does that mean the Chiefs should be commended for finding ways to win or be on upset alert for not being a more dominant team?

When making NFL picks, keep in mind that Kansas City joins Buffalo as the only team this season with an undefeated record at home.

Bet on the Chiefs to win Super Bowl LIX (+350)

3. Baltimore Ravens (+275)

Last Week Ranking: 3

The Baltimore Ravens head into the playoffs on a four-game winning streak after beating the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns by a combined score of 66-12. Another win came against the Pittsburgh Steelers and that happens to be the opponent this weekend.

Baltimore and Pittsburgh haven’t met in the playoffs since 2015 and the first time that Pittsburgh will be the road team against the Ravens in the postseason. Keep that in mind when making NFL picks.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for 4,172 yards and ran for 915 more while Derrick Henry ripped through defenses for 1,915 rushing yards. There are concerns about the availability of top receiver Zay Flowers. Monitor NFL news for his availability.

Kyle Van Noy speaks on Zay Flowers’ injury

“Knowing Zay, he’s played when he hasn’t practiced. He’s a tough little sucker bro…He’s gonna do everything he can to play. I’m going in expecting to see him…I’m going in knowing I got him in the game” pic.twitter.com/NIuYatcjnY

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) January 7, 2025

There were some defensive issues early in the season but Baltimore allowed just 43 points over the last four games, per Steelers vs Ravens betting tips. The Ravens favored by 10 points against the Steelers. Don’t overlook the fact that Baltimore finished the regular season tied for the NFL lead with 13 games landing over the total.

Bet on the Ravens to win Super Bowl LIX (+550)

3. Los Angeles Chargers (+1200)

Last Week Ranking: 5

While the teams ahead in the top three spotshave plenty of experience, that is not the case for the Los Angeles Chargers. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2018 and when the Chargers hit the road to face the Houston Texans, it will be the first playoff game for some key players.

Rookie receiver Ladd McConkey posted a 1,000-yard season, and having running back J.K. Dobbins being somewhat healthy should help the offense.

It is the defense that has made the Chargers such a tough team to deal – they have allowed fewer than 20 points in 11 of 17 games during the regular season. Los Angeles is 2-5 against teams in this year’s playoffs.

When making online bets, keep in mind that the Chargers have covered in 10 of their 12 games as a favorite this season. The Chargers and Broncos led all AFC teams with 12-5 ATS records during the regular season.

Bet on the Chargers to win Super Bowl LIX (+3500)

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (+3300)

Last Week Ranking: 4

Is it time to get worried about the Pittsburgh Steelers? Pittsburgh has lost its last four games to lose its grip in the AFC North Division race. The Steelers are just 5-4 on the road and as the No. 6 seed, Pittsburgh will need to find a way to win on the road.

The Steelers had won eight of nine games against the Ravens before a 34-17 loss late in the regular season. Quarterback Russell Wilson got off to a strong start for the Steelers but he failed to throw for more than 220 yards in his last five games. An injury to receiver George Pickens didn’t help and the running game has had its issues.

Former Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen led the Steelers in tackles in his first season in Pittsburgh while T.J. Watt had another double-digit sack season. Watt is +750 in NFL futures odds to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Bet on the Steelers to win Super Bowl LIX (+8000)

5. Houston Texans (+2800)

Last Week Ranking: 6

With Houston the only AFC team to be a home underdog in the wild-card round, that speaks volumes about the Super Bowl chances of the Texans.

Injuries to receivers Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell have hurt the passing game. Houston went 5-1 against fellow AFC South Division teams but is just 5-6 against the rest of the NFL.

While the Houston Texans ended the regular season with a win over the Tennessee Titans, it is hard to overlook how much they struggled in a Week 17 loss to Kansas City.

Bet on the Texans to win Super Bowl LIX (+8000)

6. Denver Broncos (+2800)

Last Week Ranking: 7

Denver was the final team to qualify for the AFC playoffs. The Broncos needed to beat the Kansas City Chiefs to punch their ticket into the postseason and the Chiefs held out key players on both sides of the game.

Rookie quarterback Bo Nix had nine touchdown passes and one interception over his last three games and had a quarterback rating over 100 in each of those games. Sean Payton is +2500 in NFL Coach of the Year odds.

Denver hasn’t played a playoff game since winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season. The last time the Denver Broncos played the Bills in the playoffs, the starting quarterbacks were John Elway and Jim Kelly.

Bet on the Broncos to win Super Bowl LIX (+8000)

Questions Of The Day

Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets