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After their 31-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, the Kansas City Chiefs are all over the map in the Week 9 NFL power rankings being published on Tuesday — ranging from fifth to 15th.
Here’s a sampling:
NFL.com: 9
(down from 8)
Who would have thought the 2019 Chiefs would suffer three losses at Arrowhead before Halloween? Kansas City couldn’t find a way to get past the Packers in prime time, with Patrick Mahomes stuck on the sideline with that bad knee. The most frustrating part of the loss is that the Chiefs didn’t lose because of quarterback play. Backup Matt Moore performed extremely well, completing 24 of 36 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Chiefs back from two deficits, including a 14-0 hole in the first quarter. The regret here is that K.C. didn’t get help from the players it counts on. Running back LeSean McCoy had a key fumble, tight end Travis Kelce dropped a pass in the end zone and receiver Sammy Watkins let a huge potential gain bounce off his hands. The Chiefs had to be razor sharp without the MVP in the lineup ... especially against peak Aaron Rodgers. On Sunday night, they weren’t. — Dan Hanzus
ESPN: 5
(unchanged from 5)
The Chiefs benched McCoy on Sunday night against the Packers after he lost his second fumble of the season, this one leading to a Green Bay touchdown. McCoy is too valuable to the Chiefs — particularly when they’re playing without Patrick Mahomes — to be on the bench. He’s their most talented back with the ball in his hands. “He’s not a fumbler,” coach Andy Reid said. “That’s not been his deal. ... He’ll work on it. He’s a pro.” McCoy needs to fix the problem fast. — Adam Teicher
Sports Illustrated MMQB: 6
(unchanged from 6)
Matt Moore was good (24-of-36, 267 yards, 2 TDs, 107.1 rating), but Aaron Rodgers was better. The defense couldn’t get off the field late despite having Rodgers pinned against his goal line, and that was that. Now Mahomes watch begins in earnest with the Vikings lurking.
CBSSports.com: 15
(down from 12)
Without Patrick Mahomes, they are just ordinary. The defense isn’t good enough without him. Three home losses are tough to understand for this group. — Pete Prisco
Yahoo! Sports: 10
(down from 7)
It’s not like the Chiefs want to lose games, but losing Sunday night wasn’t a big deal. The AFC West is putrid. There’s no worry there. There is some concern about not getting a first-round bye, but it’s not like anyone is good enough to run away with it. — Frank Schawb
The Sporting News: 8
(down from 6)
Mahomes might miss this week’s Vikings game, putting Kansas City in danger of losing a fourth straight at Arrowhead Stadium. Luckily for the Chiefs, most of the rest of the AFC is bad, keeping them positioned in their own division and not far from the No. 2 playoff seed. — Vinnie Iyer
USA Today: 9
(up from 10)
Crazy to think they’ve lost three straight at Arrowhead, yet, all things considered, you’d have to say they’re in decent spot about now. — Nate Davis
The Washington Post: 11
(down from 10)
The Chiefs showed Sunday night against the Packers, with Matt Moore filling in capably at QB, that they can be competitive against a good team without Patrick Mahomes. But they didn’t show that they can beat a good team without Mahomes. Still, this is about the big picture. The Chiefs need to be very careful with Mahomes, protect him from himself and make certain that he doesn’t put his future at risk by coming back too soon from his dislocated kneecap. — Mark Maske
Mile High Report: 9
(up from 10)
Kendall Fuller intrigues. Darron Lee did last spring, but saw his playing time crater in recent weeks as the Chiefs worked to fit their defense.
So how many points would Joe Flacco score in this Kansas City offense? 10, 14?
— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) October 28, 2019
— Just_JoRo
Bleeding Green Nation: 8
(down from 7)
Matt Moore hasn’t been bad but he’s obviously no Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs might be without their star quarterback for another week or two. — Brandon Lee Gowton