NFL power rankings: KC Chiefs have returned to the summit

In this week’s NFL Power Rankings, the Kansas City Chiefs are the unanimous #1 team for the first time all season.

Last week, the NFL media finally began coming to its senses by ranking the Kansas City Chiefs as the #1 team in their NFL Power Rankings.

There were still a few stragglers—ahem, NFL.com—who still believed that the Philadelphia Eagles were ahead of the Chiefs. However, for the most part, there was consensus about K.C.’s dominance.

Well this week, it’s unanimous. Even Dan Hanzus at the previously mentioned NFL.com knew he had to finally put some respect on the Chiefs’ name.

"Welcome back to the big chair, Big Red. For the first time this season, Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs sit atop the NFL Power Rankings."

Welcome to reality Dan. Maybe I’m being too harsh, but I am still annoyed that he had the Eagles ranked higher than the Chiefs for so long.

Thanks to the Indianapolis Fighting Saturdays nearly toppling Philly, everyone is in agreement that the Chiefs are the best team in the league right now.

Frank Schwab at Yahoo! Sports praised Patrick Mahomes for his “masterful” two-minute drill to end the game against the Los Angeles Chargers and effectively win the division before Thanksgiving.

ESPN only found one fault with the Chiefs: their special teams unit. I can’t blame them there. The Toubites have been unusually undisciplined all season. As Adam Teicher notes in his review, special teams were a major contributor in the loss to the Colts. They certainly haven’t helped in several other games either.

Sunday was the first game all season that Harrison Butker hadn’t missed a kick. That’s an improvement, and very important considering the game was only won by, well, a field goal.

If you want a great opener on the Chiefs, you’ll want to check out Pete Prisco’s Power Rankings at CBS.com. After waxing poetic about Patrick Mahomes and the offense, Pete’s only concern is the Chiefs defense and pass rush.

"The pass rush has been a little concerning this season, but thanks to a 5-sack performance on Sunday night they are now 4th most (!) in the league. The secondary is young and prone to major lapses (see Keenan Allen’s huge catch) but all in all, they have been very good for a group consisting mostly of rookies."

The good news for the Chiefs’ defense (and the team as a whole)? As Matt Verderame points out, the Chiefs only play three teams with a winning record over the next seven weeks. That seems like an easy path to the top 1 seed in the AFC.