Since we are only one day away from the start of the 2015 National Football League’s regular season, I thought it would be a good time to go around the web and round up power rankings. Where do other people see our Kansas City Chiefs?
Personally, I have them at No. 6, one spot ahead of the Denver Broncos. So, I’m a massive homer, right? Well, maybe or maybe not, depending on how you view some of these other analysts. Here are some NFL power rankings…
Pro Football Talk – 10th
"Written off last year after a disastrous Week One home loss to the Titans (yes, the Titans), the Chiefs nearly turned it around. This year, their talent on both sides of the ball isn’t getting nearly the credit it deserves."
ESPN – 14th
"Coaches who’ve worked with Alex Smith say he possesses an uncanny filter for avoiding turnovers (second to Aaron Rodgers in INT percentage since 2012). Of course, he rarely passes — 25th in pass attempts per start since 2012 — and when he does, he doesn’t send it far (last in air yards per pass attempt since 2012, with 6.33).Playing it safe with Smith has worked for KC, since its defense allowed 281 points in 2014, the second fewest in the league, and its running game featured Jamaal Charles and his 5.0 ypc. Incoming WR Jeremy Maclin should provide more firepower on those short throws, but it’s unclear whether Smith can take advantage of his improved weaponry. And if so, will that be enough to overtake Peyton and the Broncos?"
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) – 18th
"I think this is a .500 team that will miss the postseason. The passing game will be better, but how much better?"
Yahoo Sports – 13th
"Eric Fisher getting bumped from left tackle to right tackle is not a good sign for the 2013 No. 1 overall pick. But, it’s not like there were any superstars taken high in that draft. It looks like it’s going down as one of the worst drafts ever."
NFL.com – 7th
"Kansas City managed to complete its first perfect preseason since 1969. Usually, these things don’t mean much, but given that the last time the Chiefs did that was back in ’69, the season in which they won Super Bowl IV, it’s kind of cool. Make that really cool, because their last perfect preseason before that came in 1966, when they reached Super Bowl I. Alex Smith was mostly efficient in the preseason. How he fares is key to how the AFC West shakes out this year."
FOX Sports – 16th
"Jeremy Maclin will prove to be a much bigger offensive upgrade than people realize, but the Chiefs’ run defense that gave them issues throughout 2014 could prove to be a problem again in 2015."
The MMQB (Peter King from June) – 4th
"Two things must happen: making Justin Houston contractually happy and finding some answers in the passing game. I like most everything else about the Chiefs’ ability to play in January."