Here is where the Chiefs stand in NFL power rankings at midway point of season
It’s hard to believe, but the Chiefs are halfway through the regular season and the good news is they are in first place in the AFC West.
The bad news, of course, is the lengthy injured list. That includes quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, missed Sunday night’s 31-24 loss to the Packers.
While Matt Moore played well in Mahomes’ place, the Chiefs still lost for the third time in four games.
Here is where the Chiefs, 5-3, were placed in nine NFL power rankings and what people were saying about Kansas City:
The Chiefs moved up one slot to No. 9 in the USA Today ranking. Nate Davis wrote: “Crazy to think they’ve lost three straight at Arrowhead, yet, all things considered, you’d have to say they’re in decent spot about now.”
The Chiefs remained ranked fifth by ESPN, looked at one player each team needs to step up. For the Chiefs, it is running back LeSean McCoy. This is part of what Adam Teicher wrote: “The Chiefs benched McCoy on Sunday night against the Packers after he lost his second fumble of the season, this one leading to a Green Bay touchdown. McCoy is too valuable to the Chiefs — particularly when they’re playing without Patrick Mahomes — to be on the bench. He’s their most talented back with the ball in his hands.”
The Chiefs dropped three spots to No. 10 in rankings from Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports. This is what he wrote: “It’s not like the Chiefs want to lose games, but losing Sunday night wasn’t a big deal. The AFC West is putrid. There’s no worry there. There is some concern about not getting a first-round bye, but it’s not like anyone is good enough to run away with it.”
The Chiefs dropped one spot to No. 8 in the ranking from Dan Hanzus of NFL.com. Here is part of what he wrote: “ The most frustrating part of the loss is that the Chiefs didn’t lose because of quarterback play. Backup Matt Moore performed extremely well, completing 24 of 36 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Chiefs back from two deficits, including a 14-0 hole in the first quarter. The regret here is that K.C. didn’t get help from the players it counts on. Running back LeSean McCoy had a key fumble, tight end Travis Kelce dropped a pass in the end zone and receiver Sammy Watkins let a huge potential gain bounce off his hands. The Chiefs had to be razor sharp without the MVP in the lineup ... especially against peak Aaron Rodgers. On Sunday night, they weren’t.”
The Chiefs fell two spots to No. 8 in the rankings from Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News. This is what he wrote: “Mahomes might miss this week’s Vikings game, putting Kansas City in danger of losing a fourth straight at Arrowhead Stadium. Luckily for the Chiefs, most of the rest of the AFC is bad, keeping them positioned in their own division and not far from the No. 2 playoff seed.”
The Chiefs remained at No. 8 in Bleacher Report’s ranking. Brent Sobleski wrote: “The Chiefs are biding their time. Surprisingly, Kansas City’s offense didn’t fall off a cliff with Matt Moore leading the way. Still, Patrick Mahomes could return after missing only one game with a dislocated kneecap, and the Chiefs will be right back among the league’s best upon the MVP’s return. No one wants to watch Moore play any longer than necessary.”
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports dropped the Chiefs three spots to No. 15. Here is what he wrote: “Without Patrick Mahomes, they are just ordinary. The defense isn’t good enough without him. Three home losses are tough to understand for this group.”
Mark Maske of the Washington Post bumped the Chiefs down one spot to No. 11. Here is what he wrote: “The Chiefs showed Sunday night against the Packers, with Matt Moore filling in capably at QB, that they can be competitive against a good team without Patrick Mahomes. But they didn’t show that they can beat a good team without Mahomes. Still, this is about the big picture. The Chiefs need to be very careful with Mahomes, protect him from himself and make certain that he doesn’t put his future at risk by coming back too soon from his dislocated kneecap.”
The Chiefs stayed at No. 8 in the rankings from Peter Botte of the New York Post. This is part of what he wrote: “The Chiefs will maintain first place in the mediocre AFC West for at least another week, even if Mahomes (dislocated kneecap) misses his second consecutive start.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 10:00 AM.
