The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a slight setback in the latest round of NFL power rankings but analysts were still impressed in the loss to the Rams.
The latest round of NFL power rankings are out during this Thanksgiving holiday week, and the Kansas City Chiefs are entering their bye week a bit lower than they’re used to after losing in a Monday night shootout to the Los Angeles Rams.
Let’s be clear: the Chiefs are still a top three to five NFL team. The only real setback was suffered at the top, where voters are now going to place the Chiefs lower than their NFC counterparts: the Rams and the New Orleans Saints.
Over at NFL.com, Elliot Harrison pegged the Chiefs at No. 3 overall and said, “Hate moving this group down.” Perhaps that the sentiment of many voters who have to respond in some way to a game in which they lost. Harrison writes:
"Perhaps the largest oddity to emerge from that Monday night spectacle: Patrick Mahomes committed five turnovers, and the Chiefs still scored 51 points. Hate moving this group down."
Harrison’s placement of the Chiefs in third turns out to be a recurring theme among NFL power rankings. Most have the Saints up top, so it makes sense that the winner of two versus three would be, well, placed at No. 2. ESPN has the Chiefs at No. 3, while CBS does as well—making note of their defensive issues as something to watch (insert snarky comment about being obvious). SB Nation also ranks the Chiefs as the NFL’s third best team right now, as does Frank Schwab at Yahoo! Sports. Even the metrics at Pro Football Focus state the same.
For now, the Chiefs will likely sit both this week and next (thanks to the bye) at the very top of all AFC contenders while they wait their chance to take out their aggression from the loss on the Oakland Raiders in Week 13. The NFC reigns supreme in this week’s power rankings, despite K.C.’s best efforts on Monday to stop them.