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After a 27-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars — and losses by Buffalo and Philadelphia — a reasonable person might conclude that the Kansas City Chiefs should top any NFL power ranking. So we can now say that some writers are just unreasonable.
Here’s our Week 11 sampling:
NFL.com: 2
(up from 3)
It wasn’t the prettiest performance, but the Chiefs had plenty of margin for error against the Jaguars at Arrowhead. Patrick Mahomes threw four touchdown passes, and the running game came to life with 155 yards, including a game-high 82 from Isiah Pacheco. Clyde Edwards-Helaire continued his disappearing act from the offense, playing just four snaps without a touch, while new acquisition Kadarius Toney scored his first NFL touchdown in a promising performance. Kansas City can put a vise grip on another AFC West title with a win over the second-place Chargers on Sunday Night Football in Los Angeles.
— Dan Hanzus
ESPN: 1
(up from 2)
Who was on the hot seat in preseason: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Temperature of seat right now: Hot
Edwards-Helaire played just four snaps and didn’t get the ball in Sunday’s win over the Jaguars, while Isiah Pacheco ran for 82 yards and Jerick McKinnon caught six passes. It’s too early to say Edwards-Helaire won’t again have an impact on the Chiefs, but it seems a foregone conclusion that the Chiefs will decline the fifth-year option on his contract next year.
— Adam Teicher
The Athletic: 1
(up from 3)
It’s wild just how good Kansas City is on offense as Tyreek Hill continues to light up the league on a different team. The Chiefs lead the NFL in TruMedia’s EPA (expected points added) per drive with an astounding 1.23 mark. That’s the best single-season total in TruMedia’s database since the 2011 New Orleans Saints (1.32), who went 13-3 but then lost in the divisional round of the playoffs. The difference in EPA per drive this year between the Chiefs and the No. 2 team (the Dolphins) is the same as the difference between the No. 2 team and the No. 15 team.
Sunday’s emergence of Kadarius Toney makes the offense even scarier. The 2021 first-round pick who was acquired at the deadline in exchange for a 2023 third- and sixth-round pick caught four passes for 57 yards and a touchdown while adding two carries for 33 yards. Taking nothing away from the supporting cast that has helped Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid keep their engine roaring, Toney has more juice than anyone else Mahomes throws to. The notion of this offense getting even better is a scary one for the rest of the league.
— Bo Wulf
CBSSports.com: 1
(up from 2)
They have taken over the top spot in the AFC, which they might not give away. They have adjusted well to not having Tyreek Hill on offense and the defense is getting better by the week.
— Pete Prisco
Yahoo! Sports: 1
(up from 3)
The biggest development for the Chiefs on Sunday might have been that Kadarius Toney was forced into more snaps due to JuJu Smith-Schuster’s head injury, and Toney looked good. Even though the Chiefs have options at receiver, they have to keep expanding Toney’s role.
— Frank Schwab
The Sporting News: 2
(up from 3)
The Chiefs are the team to beat in the AFC (again). Patrick Mahomes is the MVP front-runner (again). Andy Reid has made great personnel adjustments (again). They are becoming hard to stop offensively with new weapons piling on.
— Vinnie Iyer
USA Today: 4
(down from 3)
The rich may be getting filthy rich as newly acquired WR Kadarius Toney’s role in the offense expands. A first-round pick of the Giants last year, he notched his first NFL TD on Sunday while racking up 90 yards from scrimmage.
— Nate Davis
Editor’s Note: Davis’ top three teams were the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills. Could it be that his list was assembled on Friday?
Mile High Report: 1
(up from 2)
The Broncos were also a team that was shot back down to earth, through the crust, and all the way into the mantle (there’s a sentence for all you geography people out there). They once again showed that nothing changes and that they will never be prepared for a game, even if they get an extra week of practice. Nathaniel Hackett is quite possibly one of the worst first-year head coaches the league has ever seen, and he is doing things that haven’t happened since the end of World War II.
— Ross Allen
Editor’s Note: Even though it ranked the Chiefs at No. 1 for the first time this season, Mile High Report’s summary didn’t happen to mention the Denver Broncos’ division rival. Its comment about the Broncos, however, was simply too delicious not to share.
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