The Kansas City Chiefs are trying to do something no team has ever accomplished before: win three straight Super Bowls.

The rest of the NFL is trying to stop them.

These are the key elements of the Chiefs’ success that will once again play a role in their quest — and could provide clues as to how other teams can dethrone the NFL’s kings.

Other stories in this series: How Previous 3-peat Bids Failed | The genius of Steve Spagnuolo | What if Travis Kelce hits the wall? | Rookies who can lift KC | Good luck trying to emulate the Chiefs’ success

The Kansas City Chiefs are favored to win another Super Bowl, which would be their third in a row. But some teams aren’t that far behind in the odds.

While it’s becoming increasingly difficult to believe that Patrick Mahomes and company will lose in the playoffs, it could happen. Which teams have the best chance to end the Chiefs’ quest for a three-peat? The easiest guide is to look at the odds to win Super Bowl LIX. The Chiefs lead the Super Bowl odds at +550, and they’re +300 to win the AFC.

Here are the top six teams with all the odds from BetMGM.

Super Bowl Odds: +600

Their case: The 49ers were actually the favorites when the Super Bowl odds opened for this upcoming season. That didn’t change until after the NFL Draft. The Chiefs added speedy receiver Xavier Worthy in the first round, while the 49ers had to deal with receiver drama between Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel trade speculation.

The argument for the 49ers beating the Chiefs is simple: They were on the verge of doing it a few months ago. The 49ers led twice in the fourth quarter and again in overtime in Super Bowl LVIII before Mahomes finally caught them. If it weren’t for a punt that deflected off a 49ers blocker and was recovered by the Chiefs, or a few other plays that went against San Francisco, this could be a story about whether the 49ers are a budding dynasty themselves. Virtually the entire roster that led a Super Bowl in overtime returns, including Aiyuk and Trent Williams, now that they’ve dealt with their contractual holdouts. The 49ers have the defense to slow Mahomes down and the offense to keep pace with the Chiefs. It’s just a matter of finishing the job, which they failed to do in the last Super Bowl.

Super Bowl and AFC Championship Odds: +1000, +550

Their case: The Ravens were the better team than the Chiefs in the previous regular season. That didn’t matter in a flat AFC championship game, but if Zay Flowers had held on to the ball instead of fumbling just before crossing the goal line, that game might have ended differently.

There can be a strange fascination with saying that players or coaches “can’t win the big one,” and that’s starting to become part of Lamar Jackson’s story. It’s more like Jackson can Winning the big prize, he hasn’t done it yet. He’s a two-time NFL MVP and is likely going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for good reason. The Ravens were great last season, and while they didn’t have a great offseason, they bring a lot back and have a long history of being contenders. In the game against the Chiefs prior to the AFC title game last postseason, Baltimore won 36-35 in a thrilling comeback early in the 2021 season. So it’s not like they can’t beat the Chiefs. Like the 49ers, they just have to finish the job. Maybe this season.

Super Bowl Odds: +1200

Their case: This one’s easy. Less than a year ago, in the opener of the 2023 season, the Lions defeated the Chiefs 21-20 at Arrowhead Stadium. If they can win in Kansas City, they can win on a neutral site in a Super Bowl. The Chiefs will argue that they were without Travis Kelce, who was injured, and Chris Jones, who held on, in that loss, and rightfully so. But the Lions have a formula that works well against the Chiefs.

Detroit has a great offensive line and two effective running backs in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. They can keep Mahomes and Kansas City’s offense off the field. When the Lions trailed in that game in Week 1 last season, they went on an 80-yard drive that lasted nine plays, and six of those plays were runs. The Lions scored a go-ahead touchdown on a Montgomery run, and the Chiefs couldn’t answer after that. Detroit also isn’t afraid of a shootout. The Lions were fifth in the NFL in points scored last season, with 90 more than the Chiefs. The Lions weren’t going to be intimidated by Kansas City, even in a Super Bowl.

Super Bowl Odds: +1200

Their case: Like a few other teams on this list, the Eagles appeared to have the Chiefs beaten in a playoff game, only to have Patrick Mahomes come back and beat them. The Eagles led the Chiefs 24-14 at halftime of Super Bowl LVII and led until the fourth quarter. They simply could not put the Chiefs away. Any game that was decided on a field goal as time expired could have gone either way. It just wasn’t the Eagles’ day.

The Eagles are one of the more complicated teams on this list, because it’s hard to know what to make of them after a terrible end to last season. But if the Eagles can overcome that and new coordinators on offense and defense can fix some of the issues that led to their collapse, Philadelphia has the talent to rival the Chiefs or anyone else. This offseason, Pro Football Focus had the Eagles ranked as the third-best draft pick in the NFL, behind the 49ers and Chiefs, and there’s an argument to be made that Philadelphia could be near the top of that list. This is a team that won 26 of 31 games, including the playoffs, before last season’s strange end. The Eagles went punch-for-punch with the Chiefs in a Super Bowl and could do so again if given the chance, albeit with a different outcome.

Super Bowl and AFC Championship Odds: +1300, +700

Their case: The Bengals are one of the few teams that can boast a playoff victory over Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs. They won in overtime in the AFC championship game three seasons ago, then lost the AFC title game two seasons ago with three seconds left on the clock after a close roughing the passer penalty on Mahomes as he stepped out of bounds. The Bengals haven’t given up on a big stage against the Chiefs. Joe Burrow has started four games, including playoff games, against Mahomes and the Chiefs, and the Bengals are 3-1 in those games.

The Bengals have had a down 2023, and while there are some concerning underlying reasons for that, it’s also possible that Cincinnati could bounce right back with Burrow healthy. Cincinnati’s defense, still led by coordinator Lou Anarumo, has fared quite well against Mahomes. The Bengals’ offense is certainly capable of keeping pace with the Chiefs once Burrow can get back to his old form after a wrist injury. It’s not a stretch to imagine the Bengals beating the Chiefs in a playoff game, even at Arrowhead Stadium. They’ve done it before.