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Coming out of their bye week — and with a win over their division rival Los Angeles Chargers — the Kansas City Chiefs nudged up in most of Week 13’s NFL power rankings. The majority have the Chiefs ranked seventh or eighth, but our sister SBNation sites for the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles think they know the Chiefs better — and are giving them a bit more credit. Also this week: Pete Prisco gets a clue.
Here’s a sampling:
NFL.com: 8
(up from 9)
The Chiefs got a well-timed bye to heal up after Week 11’s win over the Chargers, and now they gear up for another big division clash against the Raiders. A key to the game will be slowing down Oakland super rookie Josh Jacobs, who could be set up for a big afternoon against the AFC West leaders. The Chiefs’ defense is allowing 143.1 rushing yards per game this season, ranking them 30th in the NFL. A whopping five players have already gone over 100 yards against the Chiefs defense; Jacobs has four 100-yard efforts this season and enters Week 13 as the No. 5 rusher in the NFL. If the Chiefs can limit Jacobs, it will put pressure on Derek Carr to make plays against a Chiefs secondary coming off a game in which it had four interceptions of Philip Rivers. — Dan Hanzus
ESPN: 8
(unchanged from 8)
What they’re thankful for: QB Patrick Mahomes
The Chiefs couldn’t get it right at football’s most important position for most of their history, almost always playing a quarterback who was a discard from another team. With Mahomes, they’re the envy of the league, now and for the foreseeable future. This season hasn’t gone the way the Chiefs had hoped thus far, but it still could turn out well. The biggest reason for that hope is having Mahomes as their quarterback. — Adam Teicher
Sports Illustrated MMQB: 5
(unchanged from 5)
The Chiefs owe the Jets several plates of barbecue after their textbook baiting of the Raiders into a trap game loss. Kansas City can finish the job themselves and summarily ice the division with a win on Sunday.
CBSSports.com: 10
(up from 15)
They come off their bye with a big game against the Raiders. If they win it, the division is over. That’s a big one. — Pete Prisco
Yahoo! Sports: 7
(up from 8)
One fallout from the Ravens’ demolition of the Rams on Monday night is it appears the Chiefs have a long road to the Super Bowl, assuming Baltimore and New England get byes. They should win at home in the wild-card round. Then they might have to win road games at the Ravens and Patriots. Good luck. — Frank Schawb
The Sporting News: 9
(down from 8)
The Chiefs needed a bye to regroup for a tough stretch run with the division and at least a wild-card berth on the line with the Raiders and Patriots as their next two opponents. Patrick Mahomes should be back at 100 percent, and so will Tyreek Hill. — Vinnie Iyer
USA Today: 8
(down from 7)
Complete season sweep of Raiders this Sunday, and they’ll essentially have a three-game lead in AFC West with four weeks remaining in season. — Nate Davis
The Washington Post: 7
(up from 8)
— Mark Maske
Mile High Report: 5
(up from 6)
Considering how things have gone lately, are we suddenly sleeping on the Chiefs? Patrick Mahomes is returning to health and the defense is rounding into something less than embarrassing. Kansas City will need Mahomes to return to his early [form], but if I was looking to bet on an outside contender, the Chiefs are it. — Just_JoRo
Bleeding Green Nation: 6
(up from 7)
The Chiefs return from their week off to host Oakland. We all know how good Andy Reid is coming off the bye. — Brandon Lee Gowton