The Kansas City Chiefs are going to have to win at least one more game on Saturday before NFL analysts are likely to start buying their stock again.
The latest round of NFL power rankings are out from around the world of NFL media, and it’s clear that many voters aren’t keen on potentially being fooled by the Kansas City Chiefs for a second time. Even after their win on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders in fairly convincing fashion, the Chiefs only moved up a couple spots in pretty much ever NFL site’s latest list.
Over at NFL.com, the Chiefs are still No. 18 overall, moving up 3 spots from the dreaded 20s despite never letting go of the division lead. While the AFC West might be the worst division in football, the Chiefs have never once gone below .500, but that’s what losses to pitiful teams like the New York Giants and New York Jets will get you.
Over at CBS Sports, the ranking is the same for the Chiefs, at No. 18, even if Pete Prisco admits that the team looked “as good as they’ve looked in a long time” on Sunday.
The Chiefs did jump a significant number of spots in ESPN’s power rankings, moving from No. 18 to 13 overall with their win over the Raiders. That sort of leap places them back among the playoff hopefuls and sure bets, although the Chargers are still ranked higher by each outlet (including No. 11 by ESPN).
Over at Yahoo! Sports, the Chiefs only moved up a single spot, from No. 15 to 14, this week, which means that despite the win, they still haven’t done enough to convince voters that they’re better than other teams considered in the top tier of the league. Beating the Raiders will help, but finalizing their run through the division with a win over the Chargers would likely make a much bigger statement, especially if it’s two wins in a row.