NFL Power Rankings: Kansas City Chiefs start season in top 5

Going into the first week of the season, almost all media power rankings have the Kansas City Chiefs as one of the top five best teams in the league.

Football is back, which means so are power rankings. Every week national media do their best to rank every NFL team based on how good they think the team is. Check back here every Tuesday for a snapshot summary of where the Kansas City Chiefs land in a variety of power rankings.

Because it’s Week 1 (and there hasn’t been any football yet), most media outlets are making their projections based on offseason moves, preseason action, and last year’s results. That’s why most media analysts have the Chiefs inside the top 5 to begin the season.

According to PFF, the Chiefs are the fourth-best team heading into the season, behind only the Rams, Buccaneers, and Bills at No. 1. According to Sam Monson, the Chiefs landed at No. 4 because:

"…it’s tough to argue that the Chiefs won’t take a small step backward initially. Nonetheless, as long as Patrick Mahomes is the quarterback, the Chiefs will be amongst the real contenders."

I respect Monson’s take, and it’s at least better than what some analysts are saying:

Elsewhere around the media world, Yahoo Sports has the Chiefs ranked as the No. 3 team in the league, up one spot from last week (after the end of the preseason). Frank Schwab wants everyone to keep an eye on Chiefs’ rookie Skyy Moore and what head coach Andy Reid does with him early on.

Finally, Pete Prisco over at CBS Sports also has the Chiefs at No. 3 in his Power Rankings, behind only the Packers (#2) and Bills (#1). Unlike other analysts, Prisco is actually concerned with the Chiefs pass rush more than anything:

"They have to get creative to replace Tyreek Hill on offense, but Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes will make it work just fine. The question is whether the pass rush is good enough."

Where do you think the Chiefs rank going into the season?