Three weeks in and the Kansas City Chiefs are looking pretty good in the 2017 NFL power rankings around the internet. Let’s see what they’re saying this week ...
Weekly disclaimer: These aren’t your average power rankings and are instead an attempt to measure the current state of mind — or “hope” — for each team.
There will be weeks when a bad football team can come away feeling good about its future, or a good team will show serious weaknesses that damper spirits — like the Broncos and Raiders this week.
The NFL’s best and most balanced team at this point, ranking ahead of the Falcons on style points. Alex Smith, league MVP candidate? Really? Yes, really. Rookie RB Kareem Hunt and WR Tyreek Hill continue to provide big plays on offense and the defense intercepted Philip Rivers three times and sacked him twice in Sunday’s triumph over the Chargers. Kansas City is the best of AFC West’s trio of contenders.
At this point there’s nothing to nitpick. They have two good road wins. They’ve played three capable teams and won two of the three by double digits. The defense looks good and the Kareem Hunt-led offense has serious big-play capability. I’m not sure this is the best team in football, but they have played the best so far. They deserve the top spot.
Even when things don't go smoothly, the Chiefs find a way to win. This team has now won 23 of 25 regular season games dating back to 2015. That's dominance.
We’re back with 2017 NFL power rankings following the third week of the season. There are some intriguing questions.
The Chiefs are one of two remaining undefeated teams in the NFL. Andy Reid’s team has the strongest resume through three weeks of the season.
They've got to endure the difficult AFC West, but the Chiefs look better than anyone right now. And Kareem Hunt (401 rushing yards, best in the NFL) looks like an absolute steal.
Alex Smith: 51.7 Total QBR. Smith is completing a league-best 77 percent of his passes and leads the NFL with three touchdowns on passes thrown 30 or more yards downfield. The Chiefs will need that efficiency and deep passing to continue, as their next seven games are against teams that finished last season above .500.
The Chiefs got an ugly win against the Chargers, but they got it because they have playmakers. When games are in doubt, it's usually up to game-changers to pull something out of it. The Chiefs have guys who can do that in Kareem Hunt, Justin Houston, Marcus Peters and Tyreek Hill.
Wait a second. How did Kansas City drop one spot AND get leapfrogged by a team that lost to them in the season opener? Come on. How many times do you think Kansas City would beat the Evil Empire in a best of seven series? The correct answer: Two. Tops. The Chiefs handled their business against the winless Chargers. Hooray!