NFL power rankings: KC Chiefs take step forward in Week 11

Heading into week 11 of the NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs are considered a top two team in most Power Rankings. Who has the #1?

What a long strange trip it has been for the Kansas City Chiefs and the weekly Power Rankings. For nearly the entire season, the Chiefs have consistently been ranked as the third-best team in the league.

As I’ve noted in previous stories, this was understandable given their loss to the Buffalo Bills – but I was a little skeptical about the Chiefs being ranked behind the Philadelphia Eagles. Unbeaten records, even against questionable teams, tend to do that.

Well, the truth finally revealed itself ten weeks into the season. The Bills lost their second straight game, no thanks to Josh Allen. And the Eagles dropped their first game of the season as well. As for the Chiefs? They easily defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Good teams beat the teams they are supposed to beat. And the Chiefs did that. The Bills are suddenly third in their division, and the Eagles lost to an inferior team (unlike the Chiefs.) All that leads us to what we knew all along: The Kansas City Chiefs are the #1 team in the NFL.

In the words of Dennis Green, “They are who we thought they were!”

Frank Schwab at Yahoo! Sports put the Chiefs at #1 this week thanks to a big game by new Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney.

“Toney looked good. Even though the Chiefs have options at receiver, they have to keep expanding Toney’s role,” said Schwab.

Pete Prisco at CBS Sports also had the Chiefs at #1 this week, noting that the defense continues to get better. Anyone who has watched the Chiefs this season, or the last few seasons, knows that’s a huge development.

"They have taken over the top spot in the AFC, which they might not give away. They have adjusted well to not having Tyreek Hill on offense and the defense is getting better by the week."

Fansided’s Matt Verderame also slotted the Chiefs at #1 in his Power Rankings.

However, not everyone was in agreement that the Chiefs are the number #1 team going into Week 11. Both PFT and NFL.com have KC as their #2 team. Curiously, both sites have different #1s. NFL.com has the Eagles as their top team, and PFT has the Minnesota Vikings as #1.

I would tend to agree with Mike Florio’s (PFT) choice here more than Dan Hanzus (NFL.com). The Vikings look legit, and after their big win over the Bills, they look like serious contenders. The Eagles on the other hand? Not so much.

I’ve alluded to their cupcake schedule a few times already, but it’s true. The Eagles have been good, but their competition hasn’t been great. Losing to the Commanders solidified my thinking on that. They remind me a lot of the 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers, who started off 11-0 before losing (ironically) to Washington. They would finish the season 1-5 and lose in the Wild Card Round that season. Philly might end up the same way.

This is why I just cannot see the Philadelphia Eagles being ranked higher than the Kansas City Chiefs any longer.