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Among the rankings we’re tracking, the Kansas City Chiefs are unchanged in Week 9. Some national writers seem to want to move the Chiefs into the top spot, but Bill Parcells is holding them back; for some, Parcells’ famous quote “You are who your record says you are” is all that appears to stand between the Chiefs moving ahead of the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers. So mad props to Dan Hanzus, Vinnie Iyer and Frank Scwab, who continue to speak the truth.
Here’s our weekly sampling:
NFL.com: 1
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A Week 8 home date against the winless Jets profiled as an ideal get-right game for Patrick Mahomes’ stat sheet. The game played out as expected: Mahomes was casually dominant in a 35-9 win, throwing for 416 yards and five touchdowns without a turnover. This game will be remembered as the return of Mahomes in the role of mad bomber: He completed five passes of at least 25 yards to four different pass-catchers. Four of those completions resulted in touchdowns. The Chiefs didn’t rely much on Clyde Edwards-Helaire or Le’Veon Bell because Mahomes could attack the Jets however he wished. Sometimes it’s best not to overthink things when you have the best quarterback in the world.
— Dan Hanzus
ESPN: 2
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Reason for optimism: Top five in scoring offense and defense
The Chiefs are ranked higher in scoring defense (third) than they are in points scored (fourth). They lead the league in average scoring differential at 12.6 points per game. If that trend continues against a second-half schedule that includes games against five teams currently in the top 14 in scoring, they’ll wind up as the AFC’s No. 1 seed and a strong favorite to make a repeat appearance in the Super Bowl.
— Adam Teicher
Sports Illustrated MMQB: 2
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Last week: Win vs. New York Jets 35–9
Next week: vs. Carolina
The Chiefs have won games in myriad ways this season, but against the Jets we got to see Patrick Mahomes the gunslinger again. The Chiefs QB passed for more than 400 yards and five TDs, both for the first time this season. The fact that we hadn’t see this kind of typical Mahomes performance until midseason is a reminder of how multi-dimensional Kansas City is.
— Jenny Vrentas
CBSSports.com: 2
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They finally got the passing game cranked up again with gaudy numbers, which is good to see. They will only go as far as Patrick Mahomes takes them with his right arm.
— Pete Prisco
Yahoo! Sports: 1
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I’ll make this simple, to sum up the words at the top of this post: the Chiefs are the best team in football and I’d still pick them to win the Super Bowl. That’s why they’re No. 1.
— Frank Schawb
The Sporting News: 1
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The Chiefs had a free Bingo space against the Jets at home, but they used it to rev up Patrick Mahomes and their big-play passing offense. The pass defense also has imposed its will the past two weeks.
— Vinnie Iyer
USA Today: 2
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More impressive – QB Patrick Mahomes posting an unprecedented 21-1 TD-to-INT ratio to start this season or whipping underhand passes for six to TE Travis Kelce? I’m not sure, either.
— Nate Davis
The Washington Post: 2
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It’s not even that surprising anymore when Patrick Mahomes throws for 416 yards and five TDs in a game. It was only the Jets, after all. Did the Chiefs really need to use that fake punt? That seemed unnecessarily cruel.
— Mark Maske
Mile High Report: 2
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Not much has changed overall in the NFL. The Green Bay Packers got Delvin Cook’d last week and there are some worrisome issues with the Baltimore Ravens. Overall, you can still see which teams are likely going to make the playoffs. Any team in the Top 10 here is likely going to be around in the playoff discussion in December.
— Tim Lynch
Bleeding Green Nation: 2
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They covered a 20-point spread against the NFL’s only winless team. Patrick Mahomes threw five touchdowns to bring him up to 20 on the year … and just one pick. Turns out he’s still kinda good.
— Brandon Lee Gowton