This week’s NFL power rankings are out and the Kansas City Chiefs after two losses in a row are no longer ranked No. 1 in any of the rankings. The Chiefs are as high as No. 2 in one ranking and as low as No. 7 in a number of other rankings.
The Chiefs lost two in a row so they’ll have to take their medicine with this week’s power rankings and watch the drop. It’s fair to drop them a few spots after two losses, especially after losing to the Raiders who are not very good (yep).
The Eagles and of course the Patriots are among the teams listed at the top of most of these. I would give it to the Eagles who have the best record in the NFL at 6-1.
Let’s look at this week’s power rankings...
The Patriots are tied for the best record in the AFC again.
88.7 percent. FPI might be singing a different tune if the Chiefs lose a third straight game in Week 8 to the Broncos, but for now, the Chiefs are an overwhelming favorite to win the AFC West. Despite the recent losses, they still have the second-most points per game and third-best point differential.
Don't let back-to-back losses sour you on this team. Kansas City is really good. There are six or seven wins left on the schedule.
The 5-0 beginning has given way to losses to the Steelers and Raiders. The defense failed to come through in crunchtime Thursday night in Oakland. This remains a very good team. But the Chiefs are no longer the Super Bowl favorite in the AFC. They probably never were, realistically, even when their record suggested they might be.
NESN: 2
Two straight losses have brought the Chiefs back to the pack in the AFC, but we still aren’t worried about Alex Smith and Co.
On the top end of things, the Philadelphia Eagles remain up top, while the Kansas City Chiefs drop following their Thursday Night Football loss to the Oakland Raiders. After the one-loss and two-loss teams, there are a host of three and four loss teams. It’s hard to sort through a lot of them. A quality team this week will look bad next week, and a team looking bad this week will bounce back next week. It’s hard to figure out what to make of the NFL outside of the top few and bottom few teams.
7. Kansas City Chiefs (5-2): The Chiefs seemed invincible a couple weeks ago, but following two straight losses, it’s clear injuries have caught up to them. A Monday night game against the Broncos awaits.
The defense gives up too many long plays, plain and simple. The Raiders found too many easy completions, and it's almost inexcusable that the Chiefs weren't able to pressure Derek Carr. Kansas City is too talented up front to finish a game in which the opposing quarterback attempted 52 passes with zero sacks.
The other question for the Chiefs moving forward involves the offense. Can the Chiefs find other ways to win when the offense isn't getting chunk yardage with big runs, speed sweeps and trick plays? Can the Chiefs win games with pure drop-back passing?
It’s hard to ding the Chiefs too much when they lose a game that was as close as last Thursday’s thriller, especially with all the extra chances the Raiders got at the end. A lot of games in the NFL are coin flips and the coin isn’t always going to land on your side. The Chiefs are still a very good team, though it’s a bit disappointing for them that their lead in the AFC is gone already.
Last Week’s Rank: 1
Points in MMQB Power Poll: 423
First-Place Votes: 1 (Feldman)
Lowest-Place Vote: Fourth (4)
The Chiefs seemed invincible a couple weeks ago, but following two straight losses, it’s clear injuries have caught up to them. A Monday night game against the Broncos awaits.