The Kansas City Chiefs are among the favorites to make the Super Bowl this year. That's according to multiple experts who have been weighing in on who they think are the best teams in the NFL as the playoffs kick-off.

Before the season started, the idea that KC is one of the best teams out there was a no-brainer. Then the season kicked off and the Chiefs' defense looked as poor as it did, if not worse than 2018.

Paired with an offense that had trouble getting on track in the early going and there were some Kansas City fans who even doubted whether the team could win the division, let alone the AFC or an NFL title.

Fast forward to the final month of the regular season and concerns over Andy Reid's teams appeared to have been premature. The Chiefs finished sixth in the NFL in offensive yards per game. That's a dropoff from the best offense in the league in 2018, but not by all that much.

Conversely, the Kansas City Chiefs defense finished the 2019 regular season ranked 17th in the NFL in yards per game, allowing 349.6 yards per game. That may not strike Chiefs fans as impressive but it's a rather large improvement from 2018 when the defensive unit finished 31st in the league and allowed 405.5 YPG.

That 17th place finish is belied by how well the team played in the second half the season. After allowing 20 or more points seven times in the team's first 10 games, the Kansas City Chiefs allowed 20 or more just once in its final six contests.

21 points against the Chargers in the season finale can also be dismissed as a team with one eye on getting ready for the playoffs.

It appears the defensive turnaround has convinced the team, which is the number two seed in the AFC is a real favorite for the Super Bowl.

Experts make the pick for Kansas City Chiefs

Mitch Goldich of SI.com is one of those experts who believe KC will topple the New Orleans Saints.

In his column, he pointed to the travails of the 2019 season. "I like that this year they feel a little more battle-tested," he wrote.

Will Brinson of CBS Sports believes the Chiefs will also knock off the Saints, 31-28. "The oft-maligned time manager comes through with a title thanks to Patrick Mahomes and a solid defensive performance," Brinson writes.

USA Today agrees on the matchup, but their writers believe the Saints will squeak out a win over the Chiefs, 27-23.

Defensive showing a fluke?

While experts are sure the Kansas City Chiefs' defensive resurgence is for real, some Chiefs fans are worried about just what teams the turnaround occurred against. Of the team's final six teams, only the New England Patriots finished the season with a winning record. The Chicago Bears, who were held to six points were the only other team to win as many as eight games.

Next weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the winner of the wild card game between the Houston Texans and the Buffalo Bills. The Chiefs didn't play Buffalo in the regular season but did lose to Houston, 31-24 in week six.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED