The first set of 2017 NFL power rankings are in after we’ve finished up one week of football. KC Chiefs fans are probably looking forward to this because the Chiefs have a legitimate argument they should be ranked No. 1 after going into New England and beating the Patriots on opening night.
Not all power rankings are out yet. We haven’t seen ESPN or some of the others. We have found a few various power rankings out there that I’ve collected. We’ll plan on updating this post as more come in.
For now, Week 1 power rankings ...
Andy Reid's offense stitched a clown suit on Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia in the league's lid-lifter. Anyone that racks up a ridiculous 537 total yards against a Bill Belichick team deserves the top spot in our coveted rankings. The new and improved Alex Smith might keep rookie Patrick Mahomes on the sideline all season. What will rookie running back Kareem Hunt do for an encore against the Eagles this week?
They've probably been unfairly overlooked until now. Alex Smith, Kareem Hunt and Justin Houston ensure they won't be any longer after statement win.
The Chiefs shocked the NFL during the opening game when they beat the brakes off the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Quarterback Alex Smith outplayed Tom Brady, while running back Kareem Hunt shredded the Patriots’ defense en route to a 42-27 win.
At the top, it was the narrowest margin of victory in the storied history of The MMQB Power Poll. O.K., it’s only The MMQB Power Poll’s second week in existence. But with 18 voters, the top-two teams were separated by just two points in the AP-poll style vote (teams get 32 points for a first-place vote, 31 points for second, down to one point for a 32nd-place vote).
No team ever put up as many points or yards on a Bill Belichick Patriots team as the Chiefs did in Week 1. Andy Reid has this program rolling, but the injury to Eric Berry is a big problem.
We’re back with 2017 NFL power rankings following the first week of the season. There are some intriguing questions.
Huge win for the Chiefs over New England, although it shouldn't have been considered a huge upset in retrospect.
If the offense keeps it up, the Chiefs are the team to beat in the AFC. FPI currently agrees, giving them a league-best 90 percent chance of making the playoffs.
The offense was dynamic and the defense was solid during the upset Thursday night at New England. No one was calling QB Alex Smith merely a game manager, at least for one night, and WR Tyreek Hill and rookie RB Kareem Hunt were superb. The loss of safety Eric Berry to a season-ending torn Achilles’ tendon is significant. But it might be time to rethink the Chiefs’ potential to go deep into the AFC playoffs, provided that Coach Andy Reid allows the offense to keep this aggressive, attack-down-the-field approach.
The Chiefs manhandled the Patriots in the second half on Thursday, and are well deserving of their quick rise up the rankings. Whether they can maintain their spot after the Eric Berry injury is another story, but for now, they can enjoy the fact that rookie running back Kareem Hunt looks like a potential star.
Pump the brakes on first-round pick Patrick Mahomes taking over and lighting up the offense. Alex Smith can deliver fireworks, too.
What a performance. If we’re just looking at the NFL in a Week 1 vacuum, they were the best team. What we need to see now is Alex Smith continue to be as aggressive as he was in the season opener. There are some really good targets around Smith now. Let’s see how they follow up this week against a good Eagles team.