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Kansas City Chiefs win. Pittsburgh Steelers lose. As you might expect, this changes things at the top of NFL power rankings.
But just as last week, the pandemic-disrupted NFL schedule gives us a Tuesday (but at least not a Wednesday) game to consider. Therefore, some of the power rankings we monitor have not yet published their Week 14 editions. So once again, we’ll bring you a few from around the country that we don’t typically cover. The trend still looks pretty clear.
Here is this week’s sampling:
ESPN: 1
(up from 2)
Person with most at stake: Head coach Andy Reid
Despite winning the Super Bowl last season, Reid isn’t yet guaranteed to be an eventual Hall of Fame selection. Winning back-to-back championships would appear to be enough to put Reid over the top. Of the six coaches who have done it, four are in the Hall, and one who isn’t, Bill Belichick, is a lock once his career is finished.
— Adam Teicher
Yahoo! Sports: 1
(unchanged from 1)
There’s a notion that the 2020 Chiefs are unbeatable. They’re very good but beatable. The Raiders defeated them once and almost did it twice. The Chargers should have beat them earlier this season and the Broncos had a shot Sunday night. There’s a difference between being the best team in the NFL and being unbeatable.
— Frank Schawb
The Sporting News: 1
(unchanged from 1)
The Chiefs had a division grind against the Broncos with Patrick Mahomes coming down to earth but it prompted the defense to find closing championship form, an asset for the playoff Super Bowl repeat run.
— Vinnie Iyer
Mile High Report: 1
(up from 2)
The Kansas City Chiefs reclaim the top spot despite a sloppy win over our beloved 4-8 Denver Broncos. The reason is the previously undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers got upset this week by the Washington Football Team, which knocked them down all the way the third on my list.
— Tim Lynch
Bleeding Green Nation: 1
(up from 2)
Biggest gripe with them is that they haven’t been able to cover some sizeable spreads over the past few weeks. But they’re still very much the NFL’s most threatening team with Patrick Mahomes at the helm. And now they have a good chance to get a first-round bye. Super Bowl repeat is very much on the table.
— Brandon Lee Gowton
Pro Football Talk: 1
(up from 2)
Exceptional teams can periodically sleepwalk and still win consistently.
— Mike Florio
New York Post: 1
(unchanged from 1)
Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champions clinched a playoff berth despite scoring only one touchdown — not counting the would-be score Tyreek Hill didn’t realize he’d caught — Sunday night against Denver. Travis Kelce is the first tight end in NFL history with five straight 1,000-yard seasons. Next: Sunday at Miami
— Peter Botte
Bleacher Report: 1
(unchanged from 1)
Even the best NFL teams have “off” games where the offense can’t quite get going and/or the defense is a bit soft. Oftentimes, the difference between good teams and great teams is that the latter find a way to win even when they have one of those down outings.
That’s what happened to the Chiefs on Sunday night against the rival Broncos.
The Chiefs moved the ball well, racking up 447 yards of offense. But they misfired multiple times in the red zone, managing only one touchdown and going 0-for-4 on red-zone opportunities.
The win gets the Chiefs into the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season and was their 11th straight victory over the Broncos. But quarterback Patrick Mahomes said they have their sights set much higher than just making the playoffs.
“It’s the first step,” Mahomes told reporters after the game. “You want to find a way to get into the playoffs. But we have bigger goals.”
The Chiefs now tied with Pittsburgh for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. But with tough matchups looming against Miami and New Orleans over the next two weeks, Kansas City will need to be more efficient offensively than what we saw in Week 13.
— Brent Sobleski, Brad Gagnon and Gary Davenport
BettingPros.com: 1
(up from 2)
The Chiefs didn’t look very good on Sunday night, but they found a way to get the victory and now share the same record as the Steelers with just four games remaining. The defense struggled against the run, giving up 179 yards, and the offense settled for five field goals, but it was enough to win the game and clinch a playoff berth in the process. Next up, the Chiefs will take on the 8-4 Miami Dolphins.
— Phil Wood