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Unsurprising: every power ranking we checked (except one) dropped the Kansas City Chiefs a spot or two after their 35-32 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Surprising: the one outlet that gave the Chiefs a higher ranking was the the our sister SBNation site covering the Denver Broncos — Mile High Report. Go figure.
Here’s a sampling:
NFL.com: 10
(down from 8)
Patrick Mahomes returned to action and looked close to himself, the most important thing that could come out of Sunday’s matchup with the Titans. But ... what a disastrous finish to a game that the Chiefs controlled for the majority of four quarters. A quick rundown of the setbacks starting at the 1:36 mark in the fourth quarter: 1) A failure to convert on a third-and-short followed by 2) a botched snap on a field-goal try, which led to 3) an intentional grounding call on the holder, which set the stage for 4) a defense-wide collapse on the Titans’ four play, 61-yard go-ahead touchdown drive, which was followed by 5) a blocked field-goal attempt to end it. Titans win, 35-32. If the Chiefs end up missing out on a bye or find themselves in a dogfight with the Raiders in the AFC West, remember what happened in Nashville — Dan Hanzus
ESPN: 9
(down from 5)
Most important game left: Dec. 1 vs. Raiders
The following game against the Patriots once loomed large, but after losing four of their past six games, the more reasonable goal for the Chiefs is to hold on to their lead in the AFC West. The match against the Raiders could well determine which team wins the division. — Adam Teicher
Sports Illustrated MMQB: 7
(down from 5)
The special teams unit punted not one, but two opportunities for KC to win this game. Patrick Mahomes looked absurd (36-of-50, 446 yards, 3 TDs), but the problem with this team all along reared its ugly head again as the defense gave up 35 points to a mediocre offense and allowed Ryan Tannehill to go 61 yards in under a minute for the win. Pat’s knee might be the least of this team’s concerns.
CBSSports.com: 12
(down from 10)
At 6-4, they still lead the division. But they have to get things fixed on defense. The run defense was awful against the Titans. — Pete Prisco
Yahoo! Sports: 9
(down from 8)
The Chiefs are 2-4 in their last six games. Some of that is due to the Patrick Mahomes injury, but Kansas City doesn’t look like a Super Bowl team right now, and that was the goal this season. Two special teams mistakes late really hurt them against the Titans, as did a fumble returned for a touchdown in the first half, but the Chiefs have a lot of issues to fix. — Frank Schawb
The Sporting News: 9
(down from 7)
The Chiefs forgot to set up good end-game coverage and remembered how bad Andy Reid is with clock management in that last-gasp collapse against the Titans. Their defense is still bad all-around, meaning there’s zero margin for error with Patrick Mahomes — Vinnie Iyer
USA Today: 9
(down from 7)
Patrick Mahomes now owns most passing yards (8,007) and TDs (68) in any quarterback’s first 25 NFL starts... but it may not be enough to save Kansas City when it counts. — Nate Davis
The Washington Post: 9
(down from 7)
Patrick Mahomes threw for 446 yards and three TDs in his return to the lineup after missing two games with a dislocated right kneecap. It still wasn’t enough, as the Chiefs lost to the Titans. That’s an ominous development. — Mark Maske
Mile High Report: 6
(up from 7)
Yes they just lost, but it was one of those wild losses that probably doesn’t happen as Patrick Mahomes gets back to health. — Just_JoRo
Bleeding Green Nation: 7
(down from 5)
Patrick Mahomes’ return couldn’t stave off a classic Andy Reid letdown loss. KC may have blown their opportunity for a first-round bye. — Brandon Lee Gowton