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After the Kansas City Chiefs fell 24-20 to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, power rankings from around NFL media didn’t mark them down very much. It’s not hard to imagine that if the Chiefs had won — the Philadelphia Eagles notwithstanding — they might have been No. 1 in a lot of them. That just just shows that in their Week 6 matchup, Kansas City had a lot more to gain than Buffalo did. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens when there’s really something on the line.
Here’s this week’s sampling:
NFL.com: 3
(unchanged from 3)
The stage was set for more Mahomes Magic against the Bills at Arrowhead, but this time, it was the visitors celebrating in the end. Patrick Mahomes was pressured by Von Miller — a star playing on the other side of the country when these teams met in January’s Divisional Playoffs — before Mahomes tossed the game-deciding interception late in the fourth quarter. The pick sealed a 24-20 loss against a rival that Kansas City will likely see again come January. “It was a great battle. You love these games,” Andy Reid said. “You just don’t want to be sitting on this end of it. But you love the competition and the way the guys get after it.”
— Dan Hanzus
ESPN: 3
(down from 2)
The pass rush, with 14 sacks through five games, is improved. Last season, the Chiefs had 31 sacks over 17 games, leaving them 29th in the league. The Chiefs need to improve their pass rush with their front four other than Chris Jones when they don’t blitz. The Chiefs have eight sacks with their down linemen, including three from Jones. Linebackers or defensive backs have the other six.
— Adam Teicher
The Athletic: 3
(unchanged from 3)
The Chiefs will be fine, but their already difficult road ahead — they had the hardest schedule in the league before the season started — is significantly harder following the loss to the Bills. Kansas City is essentially two games behind Buffalo now for the top seed. Football Outsiders projects the Bills to have a 74.5 percent chance of being the AFC’s No. 1 seed, while the Chiefs are all the way down at 5.3 percent.
— Bo Wulf
CBSSports.com: 4
(down from 3)
There is no shame in losing to the Bills, but they might be heading out on the road now in the postseason for a big game. The defense did limit the Bills to 24 points, which is a good sign going forward.
— Pete Prisco
Yahoo! Sports: 3
(unchanged from 3)
The Bills are good. I wouldn’t worry too much about Sunday’s loss because the Chiefs are still one of the very few teams this season that clearly is good, and they are capable of winning a playoff game in Buffalo if they have to. The road, however, is tougher after Sunday’s loss.
— Frank Schwab
The Sporting News: 3
(unchanged from 3)
The Chiefs fought the Bills hard with Mahomes, falling just one successful possession short. Mahomes faced the better defense in Buffalo’s, but it’s encouraging for a potential rematch Kansas City’s D hung in there well.
— Vinnie Iyer
USA Today: 3
(unchanged from 3)
Even without WR Tyreek Hill, they’re still the league’s top-scoring team. But what about mixing in physical rookie RB Isiah Pacheco just a bit more often, Andy?
— Nate Davis
Mile High Report: 3
(down from 2)
The best team in football, the Buffalo Bills, overcame a late missed call against the Chiefs and secured a huge win, potentially securing home field advantage come playoffs in the process. Von Miller proved to the league that he is still one of the best, if not the best at rushing the passer. Also, just a reminder that this game was not a “revenge” game. Stop it.
— Tim Lynch
Bleeding Green Nation: 3
(unchanged from 3)
The Chiefs can’t be kicking themselves too hard after losing to a superior opponent while being very banged up in the secondary. They’ll very much be OK moving forward. But potentially losing the No. 1 seed to Buffalo could prove costly in the postseason.
— Brandon Lee Gowton
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