NFL power rankings: Despite Giants loss, Chiefs still in top 10
By Matt Conner
The Kansas City Chiefs have lost four of their last five and even laid an egg on Sunday against the miserable New York Giants, but NFL power rankings still have them as a top 10 team.
The Kansas City Chiefs still haven’t experienced a steep fall, at least in any list of NFL power rankings, despite the freefall from their post as the NFL’s best overall team through the season’s first five weeks. The Chiefs have lost four of their last five, laid an egg on the road against a team with only a single win in New York and even their lone win of the last month was a giveaway. That hasn’t stopped voters from still believing in the Chiefs for one reason for another.
Over at Bleacher Report, the Chiefs are listed as the No. 9 overall team in the NFL, even above the resurgent Jacksonville Jaguars, who might have the best defense in the league, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions.
"For the Chiefs, 5-0 seems like a distant memory. After a red-hot start, they’ve dropped four of the last five contests, which include an embarrassing loss to the New York Giants on Sunday."
Every week, after yet another loss, it’s become a game to see if the Chiefs have finally fallen from grace in terms of voter perspective. Given the way the Chiefs looked on Sunday, it’s legitimately hard to believe they could beat any team in the NFL, yet a list that puts them top 10 remains convinced they could somehow make noise in the playoffs.
Over at Yahoo! Sports, you’re going to find the exact same ranking with the Chiefs at No. 9. Frank Schwab writes:
"The Chiefs are lucky the AFC West has been far worse than anyone expected. I still think there’s a good team here, but it’s a lot harder to take that stance after they’ve just lost to a Giants team that looked like it didn’t want to play football anymore this season."
That’s a sign that no one quite knows what to do with this team. At one point, they weren’t just dominant. They towered over everyone else. The early schedule worked out perfectly so that any other team who could potentially show they were also supreme was placed in the Chiefs path so that there was only one leader. After five games, the Chiefs were undefeated and had toppled the NFL’s best to get there. There’s no more respect to be earned at that point.
Five weeks later, that memory clearly remains despite the recent streak. Of course, the Chiefs could easily have another win or two if balls don’t deflect off of helmets or if officials don’t call a horrible game (Steelers or Raiders losses), but that really doesn’t matter. Any defensiveness for the Chiefs has been lost after they played so horribly on Sunday.