NFL power rankings, Week 5: Chiefs rebound after big win over Bucs

A quarter of the way through the season, the Kansas City Chiefs have finally reached the peak of the NFL power rankings.

How confident were you that the Kansas City Chiefs could beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night? Not very? Very? Somewhere in between? I’ll be honest, I had my doubts, but I still picked them to win in my pick ’em. I watched the game with my family, and they quickly began to tease me as we went up 21-3 on the Bucs. My girlfriend even looked at me and said, “Still think the Chiefs are going to lose?” to which I answered, “I feel better, but it is Tom Brady…” Then just like that, the GOAT marched down the field and scored a touchdown like a knife through hot butter.

Thankfully the Chiefs won, and everything was right as rain, but it was a weird game. The Chiefs felt like the better team all night, and the game actually didn’t feel particularly close. Yet even with garbage time touchdowns, a 41-31 win seems sorta close.

\At any rate, I’m glad the Chiefs proved they aren’t who the Colts said they were and got their season on track. Because of that, they’ve climbed back into the top 5 (or higher) in most NFL Power Rankings this week.

Frank Schwab at Yahoo! Sports has the Chiefs ranked No. 3 behind the Philadelphia Eagles (2) and the Buffalo Bills (1). The Bills are clearly the media darlings of this season, despite losing to the Miami Dolphins last week. The Eagles are a strong team, and they are 4-0, but I personally have my doubts. I think the Chiefs could’ve gone #2 here. Schwab does acknowledge the Chiefs-Bills in Week 6 is going to be the most important game of the regular season.

Dan Hanzus at the NFL’s official site also had the Chiefs ranked at No. 3 this week, with the Bills and Eagles flipped. Hanzus celebrated the ridiculousness of Patrick Mahomes in his review:

"The Chiefs superstar was unstoppable in a 41-31 win over the Bucs, gleefully shredding Todd Bowles’ well-regarded defense. The highlight that will play one day during his Canton-induction sizzle reel? The scramble and acrobatic flip to Clyde Edwards-Helaire for an absurd touchdown in the second quarter."

While most of the outlets had the Chiefs in the top 3, ESPN ranked Kansas City as the No. 1 team in football. This marked the first time all season the Chiefs have been considered the top team in the league in any power rankings. Adam Teicher’s only knock on the team? Forcing turnovers. The Chiefs have only made four all season. But the good news is that they’ve converted every single one into a touchdown.

It’s good to see the Chiefs back on top of the mountain—kind of. It’s hard to argue against them when their quarterback is making ridiculous touchdown passes as he did on Sunday night. Want to see it again?