NFL power rankings Week 3 roundup: Chiefs up and down

After the Kansas City Chiefs’ 17-9 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon, the team is largely unchanged in the national power rankings — and the outlets that did move the the team this week were evenly split between those that moved the Chiefs up and those that moved them down. “A 17-point performance in a win over the Jaguars is a win. Nothing more than that,” said Sports Illustrated.

Here’s this week’s sampling:

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NFL.com: 2

(unchanged from 2)

I heard some chirping about my decision to drop the Chiefs only one spot in these rankings after they lost in Week 1. My defense of that move started and ended with Travis Kelce and Chris Jones. They were back on the field in Week 2, and they each made their imprint on the gutsy win at Jacksonville. Kelce scored on what looked like a blowing-off-steam drive, and Jones had multiple huge plays: a fourth-down sack, another half sack and a batted pass, in addition to multiple pressures against the Jaguars’ Anton Harrison. Having those two playing allowed Patrick Mahomes to have a merely mortal game, and the Chiefs secured a big win. They aren’t going anywhere for now.

— Eric Edholm

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ESPN: 5

(down from 3)

Player: DT Chris Jones
Current contract situation: Under contract through the 2023 season

Jones could be in his final season with the Chiefs. After holding out of training camp looking for a raise, Jones received incentives in a new contract that would allow him to earn more than the $19.5 million he was scheduled to make this season under his old contract, sources told ESPN. The sides were never close to an agreement on a long-term extension. Unless Jones is willing to accept less from the Chiefs to remain in Kansas City next year, it’s difficult to picture them coming to an agreement. The franchise tag is a possibility but would probably be too pricey for the Chiefs.

— Adam Teicher

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The Athletic: 6

(up from 17)

Travis Kelce is back, and the Chiefs almost are. Kansas City almost hit 400 yards on Sunday (399) and is ninth in the league in yards per game (357.5) through two weeks. A good, if subtle, sign for Kansas City is Kadarius Toney had five catches, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson had three apiece and Rashee Rice had two Sunday. Patrick Mahomes is bringing them along slowly, but he’s bringing them along.

— Josh Kendall

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Sports Illustrated: 3

(unchanged from 3)

At this point we can attribute the Chiefs’ repeated early season offensive struggles to whatever nebulous September syndrome we labeled Tom Brady and the Patriots as having. Remember during the height of the Patriots’ dynasty how Brady and Bill Belichick would tool with their offense over the course of a few weeks, and emerge in November with the exact scheme that would razor opponents down the stretch? Let’s assume the Chiefs are in the same neighborhood. A 17-point performance in a win over the Jaguars is a win. Nothing more than that.

— Conor Orr

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Pro Football Talk: 5

(unchanged from 5)

The offense still needs to get back on track.

— Mike Florio

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CBSSports.com: 4

(unchanged from 4)

The offense didn’t do a lot in beating the Jaguars, but the defense came up big, especially in the red zone. We need not worry about Patrick Mahomes and gang. They will be fine.

— Pete Prisco

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Fox Sports: 5

(unchanged from 5)

You can tell the Chiefs are victims of their own expectations, because people don’t find a 17-9 win in Jacksonville to be particularly impressive. Travis Kelce and Chris Jones both showed up in their first game back, and Kansas City held the Jaguars without a touchdown. This was an impressive, if not attractive, win.

— David Helman

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Yahoo! Sports: 4

(down from 3)

The Chiefs’ defense hasn’t gotten a ton of attention yet, but it will if it continues to play well. Kansas City has allowed 23 points, if we remove a pick 6 the Lions got in Week 1, through two games. And it’s not like Detroit and Jacksonville are bad offenses. If the Chiefs are good on defense this season, that’s a big development. We know the offense will eventually come around.

— Frank Schwab

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The Sporting News: 4

(up from 5)

The Chiefs didn’t turn on the jets with their offense yet against the Jaguars, but Travis Kelce and Skyy Moore helped settle Patrick Mahomes as a 1-2 punch. They also had to be thrilled by Chris Jones’ immediate literal huge impact on the defense.

— Vinnie Iyer

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USA Today: 4

(unchanged from 4)

The reigning champs retain top billing amid AFC teams that have generally sputtered out of the gate. But 1-1 looks pretty good with TE Travis Kelce and DT Chris Jones back and performing well and MVP QB Patrick Mahomes financially secured (again). However continue monitoring the new tackle tandem after RT Jawaan Taylor was flagged five times Sunday and briefly benched.

— Nate Davis