What Would It Take for the Kansas City Chiefs to Go 20-0?

Patrick Mahomes told Bleacher Report this weekend that he's got his sights set on making the Kansas City Chiefs the first team ever to post a 20-0 record in a single season (including the playoffs). 

That was technically possible even before the season expanded to 17 games because a team could have theoretically gone 16-0 and failed to secure a bye if other teams did the same thing and had the tiebreaker edge (just as 21-0 is now technically doable).

But realistically, 20-0 is the new 19-0—a mark nobody ever hit in the 16-game regular-season era thanks to the New York Giants' upset victory over the 18-0 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. 

Do the Chiefs have a shot? Obviously, history is not on their side. But DraftKings gives them by far the best odds in the league to go 17-0—they aren't an underdog in any of their games right now—and they're unsurprisingly the Super Bowl favorite as well. 

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Then there's the fact that the 2020 season didn't even feel all that crisp at times for the Chiefs, who were hit hard by injuries along the offensive line but still managed to post a 14-1 record with Mahomes under center before coasting in a meaningless Week 17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Mahomes' only loss before Super Bowl LV came by one score against the Las Vegas Raiders in October. And at this moment, he's won 25 of his past 27 regular-season and playoff starts. 

Now, with additions of two-time Pro Bowler Orlando Brown Jr. at right tackle and veteran stalwart Joe Thuney at left guard and the return of 2020 COVID-19 opt-outs Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Lucas Niang, the line looks stronger and deeper than ever. Plus, they added talented, relatively young defenders Jarran Reed and Mike Hughes on the other side of the ball. 

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

If an apparently hungry Mahomes can remain healthy, the Chiefs have a real shot at this. 

Now, the AFC is pretty stacked with the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns all likely to push the Chiefs for the conference's No. 1 seed. But the strength that exists in the other AFC divisions could actually help Kansas City hit that 17-0 mark. 

It's easier to imagine the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pulling away from the pack in the NFC than it is to envision the Chiefs doing the same in the AFC, especially if the Green Bay Packers trade Aaron Rodgers out of the conference. Remember, the Los Angeles Rams have lacked capital several offseasons in a row and the New Orleans Saints are without Drew Brees now. 

But the Ravens, Bills and Browns continue to build themselves up. If one can make a run at 14 or 15 wins, the Chiefs won't be able to start comfortably sitting starters until we're well into the holiday season, if at all. 

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Kansas City's top challenges will also come well before any potential coasting period. Facing the Browns in Week 1, the Ravens in Week 2, the Chargers in Week 3, the Bills in Week 5 and the Titans in Week 7 will make it very difficult for the Chiefs to start 7-0, especially because their other two games during that stretch (on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Football Team) are potential traps. 

But if they can get over that hump, there's a decent chance they'll be 11-0 at their bye, and their last stretch of games is not nearly as challenging as their initial batch. 

They do, however, face division rivals in four of those last six games and anything can happen under those circumstances. The Raiders and Chargers often play them tough, and the Bolts look stronger after a fruitful offseason. Meanwhile, the Broncos remain the favorite to land Rodgers if the Packers do trade him, and that could impact those dynamics. 

Biggest obstacles to perfection for the Chiefs

Week 1 vs. Browns: Cleveland put up a good fight in last year's playoff meeting and, on paper, is even better now. 

Week 2 at Ravens: Lamar Jackson has never defeated the Chiefs, but he'll likely be fired up to bust out of that slump in Baltimore's prime-time home opener. Kansas City is a mere two-point favorite right now.

Week 5 vs. Bills: In terms of the odds, Buffalo is expected to be the top challenger to the Chiefs in the AFC. 

Week 6 at Washington: If the Chiefs' new-look offensive line hasn't completely gotten it together by now, it could spell trouble on the road against a jacked defensive front. 

Week 7 at Titans: Derrick Henry can hijack any game, especially against a somewhat vulnerable run defense at home. Tennessee also beat the Chiefs in 2019. 

Week 9 vs. Packers: If Aaron Rodgers is quarterbacking the Packers, this won't be easy. 

Week 10 at Raiders: The Chiefs lost to Derek Carr and Co. at home last year.

Week 15 at Chargers: Three days' rest, on the road against Justin Herbert and an improved L.A. team could be a problem. 

Week 18 vs. Broncos: If Aaron Rodgers is quarterbacking the Broncos, this won't be easy. 

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Again, on one hand, better competition means you're less likely to bail on the pursuit of a potential perfect season in order to rest key players late. But on the other hand, it means it's quite simply tougher to win every game before even reaching that point. 

It remains too easy to have an off day, even if you're Mahomes (who posted a mere 83.5 passer rating in that loss to the Raiders), and you've gotta stay pretty damn healthy to win 17 (or 20) games in a row. The Chiefs were 9-1 in one-score games last year, but that might not be sustainable moving forward.

Plus, the added game doesn't help.

That's why a perfect regular season for the Chiefs still pays +3300 at DraftKings (bet $100 to win $3,300). But does anyone feel confident enough to bet against the most accomplished 25-year-old in NFL history? 

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Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012. Follow him on Twitter: @Brad_Gagnon.