Here is where Chiefs stand in NFL power rankings after comeback win over Lions
It may not have come as easy as fans would have liked, but the Chiefs rallied to beat the Lions on Sunday and improved to 4-0 on the season.
That makes the Chiefs one of three unbeatens in the NFL, along with the Patriots and 49ers.
Just like a week ago, nearly every national NFL writer had the Chiefs ranked among the top two teams in the NFL. The only difference this time? The Chiefs hold the top spot in one of the rankings.
Here is where the Chiefs, 4-0, were placed in 10 NFL power rankings and what people were writing:
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports bumped the Chiefs up on spot to No. 2. He wrote: “So now they know they can win when Patrick Mahomes doesn’t throw a touchdown pass. The defense needs to be better and the interior of the offensive line is an issue.”
USA Today’s Nate Davis kept the Chiefs behind top-ranked New England. He wrote: “Of next five games, one is on road (Denver) and one is against team above .500 (Packers). This is the time to put AFC West out of reach.”
Dan Hanzus of NFL.com had the Chiefs second and wrote in part: “So much for a dome environment unlocking even greater powers for Patrick Mahomes. The reigning MVP threw for 315 yards, but finished without a touchdown pass against the Lions at Ford Field — ending a 14-game streak in which he’d thrown at least two TD strikes per game, one short of the NFL record. Still, Mahomes made magic when it mattered most for the undefeated Chiefs.”
Sports Illustrated’s Monday Morning Quarterback group jumped the Chiefs over New England and into No. 1. It wrote: “Chiefs vault Patriots for first time this season, thanks to quality of wins and opposition. K.C. and New England could jockey at the top of these rankings until they actually play on Dec. 8.”
ESPN again had the Chiefs second behind New England and looked at how each NFL team can improve its playoff chances. Here is a portion of what Adam Teicher wrote: “Chiefs have allowed opponents to score on 43% of their possessions, which is 25th in the league. The Chiefs are 4-0 despite this, so they’re going to make the playoffs regardless. But cutting down on opponent scoring drives will give them more margin for error.”
Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports kept the Chiefs second: “The Travis Kelce-to-LeSean McCoy lateral might be my favorite play from the first month of the season. The Chiefs are the most entertaining team in the league, and might be as long as Patrick Mahomes is their quarterback.”
Bleacher Report had the Chiefs at No. 2. Gary Davenport wrote: “Down three to a good Lions team on a day when the offense wasn’t its usual buzzsaw self, rallying for the win shows just how good this Chiefs team really is. I still have significant concerns about the defense, but the only team in the AFC that can knock these Chiefs out is the one that did so in last year’s AFC Championship Game.”
Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News had the Chiefs second: Here is what he wrote: “The Chiefs don’t get style points for what they did on the road, either. But in a game where he didn’t have any touchdown passes, dazzling or otherwise, Patrick Mahomes still showed all of his playmaking and toughness in late comeback mode.”
Mark Maske of the Washington Post kept the Chiefs at No. 2. He wrote: “Patrick Mahomes was not at his breathtaking best against the Lions. But it says plenty that he still was quite good and that he and the Chiefs found a way to win.”
Peter Botte of the New York Post kept the Chiefs at No. 2 behind New England. Here is what he wrote: “KC showed it can win a tight game against a good team without any touchdown passes from Patrick Mahomes, who nonetheless led the Chiefs down the field for a go-ahead score in the final minute to upend the Lions ahead of Sunday night’s home game against the Colts.”
This story was originally published October 1, 2019 at 9:46 AM.