The Chiefs have won the AFC West for nine consecutive years, but the first-place Broncos are currently the betting favorites to win the division.

That could change on Sunday.

Right now, the 8-2 Broncos' odds to win the AFC West are +120. The 5-4 Chiefs are just behind them in the division odds at +165. The 7-3 Chargers are long shots at +300, while the 2-7 Raiders are effectively no shots at +50,000.

On Sunday, the Chiefs travel to Denver to take on the Broncos, and that could upend the division odds. If the Chiefs were to get a road win against the Broncos, gaining both a game in the standings and the tiebreaker edge, the Chiefs would become the betting favorites to win the division again. Kansas City would still be in third place, but the betting odds are about what's expected to happen for the rest of the season, not what has already happened to this point in the season, and if the Chiefs win on Sunday, the expectation will be that they'll find a way to win their 10th consecutive division crown.

To this point in the season, a major difference between the Broncos and the Chiefs has been that Denver is winning the close games and Kansas City isn't. Denver is 6-2 in games decided by eight points or less. Kansas City is 0-4 in such games. The Chiefs' point differential of +76 is better than the Broncos' point differential of +62, and midway through a season, point differential tends to be a better indicator of a team's overall quality than won-loss record.

Which means there are a lot of reasons for optimism in Kansas City. Right now, the Broncos have earned the status as the AFC West favorites. By the end of the day Sunday, that may no longer be the case.