Chiefs jump in NFL power rankings: ‘Don’t sleep on them this postseason’
A bump in the power rankings had to be expected when the Chiefs ended the Patriots’ 21-game home winning streak.
That’s exactly what happened for the Chiefs, who have won three straight and currently hold the third seed in the AFC playoff field.
Here is where the Chiefs, 9-4, were placed in eight NFL power rankings and what people were saying about Kansas City:
The Chiefs moved up two places to No. 4 in Yahoo Sports’ rankings. Frank Schwab wrote much about the Chiefs. Here is a snippet: “The Chiefs are on a three-game winning streak, and the offense hasn’t really been the driving force. The Chiefs are averaging 305 yards per game over the last three, which isn’t much for them. But the defense has allowed 17, 9 and 16 points against the Chargers, Raiders and Patriots. That’s a nice streak. And you have to assume the offense will come alive again. It did pretty well against a very tough Patriots defense. ...
“The Chiefs were in a great spot to finally make a Super Bowl last season, and broke the hearts of their fans again. But don’t sleep on them this postseason.”
The Chiefs climbed six spots to No. 4 in the CBS Sports rankings. Pete Prisco wrote: “The way they won at New England bodes well for the playoffs. They did it with the defense.”
Mark Maske of the Washington Post kicked the Chiefs up on spot to No. 5. He wrote: “The Chiefs were very fortunate to get the victory at New England, given the officiating gaffes that went in their favor. But they still went to a place where it’s next to impossible for a visiting team to win, and won. That means something, whether or not good luck was involved.”
The Chiefs jumped from fifth to a third-place tie with the Saints in Sports Illustrated’s Monday Morning Quarterback group. It wrote in part: “With some help from the officials, the Chiefs ended the Patriots’ 21-game home winning streak. Still, take nothing away from the 17-point second-quarter outburst and a third consecutive win for a surging Kansas City team.”
The Chiefs climbed to No. 4 from sixth in ESPN’s ranking. This is part of what Adam Teicher wrote: “Given the way the Chiefs have played offensively and on special teams, they knew they didn’t have to be perfect on defense. Middle of the pack would have been good enough, and according to FPI, that’s about where the Chiefs are on defense.”
The Chiefs moved up three spots to No. 5 in the USA Today ranking. Nate Davis wrote: “Fun to see Travis Kelce rush for TDs, but he’ll make history by catching more balls. He’s now 11 yards from becoming first TE with four straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons.”
The Chiefs jumped three places to No. 6 in the rankings from Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News. This is an excerpt of what he wrote: “Keep in mind they were also able to beat the Ravens earlier in the season. Their once-fading Super Bowl hopes are alive again because, of all things, defense.”
The Chiefs moved up three spots to No. 5 in the rankings from Dan Hanzus of NFL.com. Here is part of what he wrote: “The Chiefs are division champions for the fourth consecutive year — a first in the long and distinguished history of this franchise. They beat the Patriots, ending New England’s 21-game winning streak in Foxborough, because their defense got after Tom Brady and stepped up in a moment of the game where Brady usually works his magic. Bashaud Breeland played hero, batting away Brady’s fourth-down end-zone pass intended for Julian Edelman late in the fourth quarter, the clinching play in a 23-16 Chiefs win.”
This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 10:37 AM.
