Loser of the Baltimore Ravens-KC Chiefs matchup faces difficult road to Super Bowl contention

The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens entered the season with Super Bowl-or-bust goals. One of them will be 1-3, unless they tie this week.

Coming off a 38-30 loss at home to Detroit on Monday night, Baltimore will travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs on Sunday in a matchup that's critical for both teams.

The 2001 New England Patriots are the only team to start 1-3 and win the Super Bowl.

It'll be a difficult challenge for the losing team to rebound.

"I feel like the way we performed was a hole; a huge hole, but it's still the beginning of the season," Lamar Jackson said after the Lions sacked him seven times. "We have a lot of work to do, and we just have to execute."

Per NFL research, the Jackson-Mahomes matchup will be the first between multiple-time MVP QBs in which each enters the game with a losing record that season. It will also be the first matchup between multi-time MVP QBs with a combined record under .500.

Overall, the AFC is off to a poor start.

Only six teams in the conference have a winning record, including just three playoff teams from last season: Bills (3-0), Chargers (3-0) and Steelers (2-1).

In the NFC, all seven 2024 playoff teams have winning records plus three other clubs.

It's too early for any team to panic except for the two-time defending AFC South champion Texans (0-3). Houston is in a tough spot with Indianapolis (3-0) and Jacksonville (2-1) both playing well.

Despite a daunting road ahead, Baltimore still has the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl behind Philadelphia, according to Bet MGM Sportsbook.

The Bills currently have the best odds, while the Eagles (3-0) and Packers (2-1) are tied for third. Somehow, Philadelphia's odds dropped even though the Eagles are undefeated.