The Kansas City Chiefs are No. 1 in more and more 2017 NFL power rankings after beating the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday to move to 2-0. The Chiefs are getting the attention mostly because of last week’s win over the New England Patriots but people are starting to notice that this is a really good team.
SB Nation wrote a feature story on Andy Reid and how this Chiefs team could be the one that gets him the elusive Super Bowl ring. So, yeah, it’s not just me who thinks the Chiefs are Super Bowl contenders. SB Nation has them ranked No. 1 as does a couple of the SB Nation team blogs who did power rankings. Sports Illustrated has them at the top and so does Bleacher Report (one of their many power rankings).
The NY Daily News oddly dropped the Chiefs from No. 1 to No. 2 and replaced them with ... the Raiders? Their big win over the Jets? Ha.
This week’s power rankings...
All aboard the hype train.
I talked about the Chiefs last week too after they beat the Patriots, but how can I not talk about them again? Kansas City is the epitome of a team riding high after two weeks.
If Alex Smith keeps playing this way, the Chiefs are going to be near the top of our hope rankings for a while.
If Spencer Ware hadn’t gotten injured, the Chiefs may not be undefeated.
The Denver Broncos launch themselves into the top three this week. I couldn’t quite put them above the Kansas City Chiefs just for the simple fact that it was incredibly impressive to go into Foxboro and put the whooping on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Impressive follow-up to the Kickoff Game surprise, although Sunday's win over the Eagles was a struggle until the very end. Most noticeable was the Chiefs' pass rush, which got after Carson Wentz all throughout the second half. The safeties had a few difficulties early, which was to be expected, given the absence of Eric Berry, who is out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. That's not too problematic, though. Not when the other guys' quarterback is running for his life. Way too early NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Houston. Way too shoved around without getting even one OPI: Terrance Mitchell. I swear, on one play, Philly's Alshon Jeffery must've had Mitchell in a chokehold.
Last Week’s Rank: 2
Andy Reid’s Chiefs have a legitimate case as the best team in the NFL. They don’t turn the ball over, they have explosive play-makers, and their pass rush is pretty good. This team could definitely end up being the No. 1 seed in the AFC, especially since they already have a tie-breaker over the Patriots.
Why they’re ranked here: How was Kareem Hunt not the No. 1 player taken in the 2017 NFL Draft? That’s being written in a half-joking tone, but Kansas City had been talking up the rookie all offseason and now the rest of the league knows why. The AFC West looks like the top division in football, and the Chiefs are the class of it as things stand now.
The Kansas City Chiefs are one of eight teams sitting at 2-0. They might come back to earth, but they beat up New England on the road, and then took care of business against an improving Philadelphia team in Week 2. They have arguably the best pair of wins to start the season, with the third best point differential. I’m willing to give them some time to shine up top.
The Chiefs were expected to be a playoff team at the start of the season, but Kareem Hunt might have Chiefs fans aiming even higher. Hunt's five scrimmage touchdowns are tied for second-most by a player through his first two NFL games.
They traded up in Round 3 to make Kareem Hunt the sixth running back drafted, and he’s the most dynamic offensive player in the league through two weeks.
Andy Reid followed up a lid-lifting beatdown of the reigning Super Bowl champions by edging pupil Doug Pederson. The Eagles trailed by only a field goal after three quarters before Kansas City put it away with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. Kareem Hunt wasn't a one-week wonder, in case you were wondering.
The Chiefs' defensive line was phenomenal against what I consider one of the better offensive lines in football. Going forward, though, Kansas City needs to tighten things up on the back end. It's still a little too easy to pick up yardage through the air against the Chiefs, which is about the only negative to pull from Week 2.
This team is for real, which I didn't expect. They have two victories over two good teams. Watch out in Los Angeles this week.
The offense was very good against the Eagles for a second straight game. Rookie RB Kareem Hunt continued to stand out and QB Alex Smith provided another solid outing. The defense sacked Eagles QB Carson Wentz six times. But covering opposing tight ends will be an issue after safety Eric Berry’s season-ending injury, made plain by the Eagles’ Zach Ertz’s five catches for 97 yards. The Chiefs have probably been the most impressive of the three very impressive AFC West teams, with the Broncos and Raiders also 2-0.
Probably fair to say not enough was made of Justin Houston having a healthy offseason, unlike last year. He has three sacks in two games and should make a strong run at NFL defensive player of the year.