NFL power rankings: Chiefs moving up
The National Football League is a crazy place. Over the years, it has shown that the hottest teams, not necessarily the most talented, end up holding the Lombardi Trophy come early February.
Over the past nine weeks, nobody is playing better football than the Kansas City Chiefs. Yes, they have their flaws, but the Chiefs are winning every game they play and for that and that reason alone, they belong in the conversation as legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Kansas City needs to get better along the offensive line and Alex Smith must continue to make plays down the field. The Chiefs also need to get Tamba Hali and Justin Houston healthy, because without those two stars rushing the quarterback off the edge, it is all over.
It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs play in Week 17 against the Oakland Raiders, a team that has nothing to play for but still possesses good talent. Does Kansas City take the foot off the gas pedal and rest starters, all but accepting a wild card spot and perhaps the No. 6 seed? Or do the Chiefs go full-speed ahead and play for the small chance of winning the division?
Here is how the nation sees the Chiefs in the latest NFL power rankings:
NFL.com – 4
"Can Kansas City take out any team in the AFC? That’s a question worth pondering as the Chiefs clinched a playoff spot Sunday with the victory over the Browns. Much like the win over the Chargers in Week 14, this deal was nip and tuck all the way, but that’s been the 2015 season in a nutshell. Anybody can beat anybody, and whoever is hot is the team to beat. Well, with the Panthers falling in Atlanta, the Steelers falling in Baltimore and the Seahawks falling to the Rams, no team is hotter than Kansas City right now. What happens when this group gets Justin Houston back at full bore?"
The MMQB – 6
"Last time they lost, the first pitch of the World Series hadn’t been thrown. By beating Oakland, the Chiefs will enter the postseason on a 10-game winning streak."
FanSided – 5
"The Kansas City Chiefs have completed one of the greatest turnarounds in the history of the National Football League. The Chiefs started the season 1-5 and lost running back Jamaal Charles, making everybody and their mother count out the folks with arrowheads adorning the helmets. Yet, Kansas City came roaring back to win nine straight contests, including an ugly 17-13 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon."