AFC Power Rankings: Who are Kansas City Chiefs' biggest competition?
The NFL dead zone is in full effect as fans of every NFL team are counting down the days until the start of training camp. Free agent signings are 99% finished. The NFL draft is not only over, but the picks are all signed and every team's fan base has now examined each of their picks from every possible angle. So what does that leave for us to do? We could talk about Deandre Hopkins some more, but how about we look at how teams compare to each other now that rosters are largely set?
I originally set out to write my own AFC Power Rankings this week, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that my own opinion is less interesting then what the consensus view of the AFC is. So I went out and looked at 12 different power rankings that have come out since the draft and the bulk of free agency concluded.
It was no surprise that the Chiefs were the runaway consensus top team in the AFC. What was really fascinating was how inconsistent what I would call the 2nd tier of the AFC was. I won't spoil the results yet, but the ranking order of the Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets was different in almost every ranking that I looked at.
and I've broken down the results into four tiers: The Big Three, The Likely Playoff Teams, The Long Shot Playoff Teams, The Bottom Four.
For each team I'll list their consensus ranking, their ranking average, their high and low rankings, and a few personal thoughts on that team. Remember, these rankings are out of 16 teams (not 32) since we are just looking at the AFC teams. Let's start with the bottom four and work our way up.
The Bottom Four
16. Houston Texans
Average Ranking: 15.33
High Ranking: 14
Low Ranking: 16
The Texans were in the bottom three of every ranking I looked at and ranked dead last in seven of the twelve rankings. It's hard to argue with ranking the Texans last. I think they added three good foundational pieces in head coach DeMeco Ryans, quarterback CJ Stroud, and Will Anderson on defense. Despite that, the rest of the roster still has a ways to go. I believe the Texans will show some promise this year, even if their final record doesn't show it.
Average Ranking: 14.58
High Ranking: 12
Low Ranking: 16
The Colts ranked either 14th or 15th in ten of the twelve rankings I looked at. Regardless of what you might think about Anthony Richardson's long-term prospects at quarterback, you have to imagine there will be a learning curve in the NFL with him having so few college starts under his belt. If Richardson looks like their future by season's end it will be a successful season for them, even if their final record isn't great.
14. Tennessee Titans
Average Rank: 13.67
High Ranking: 11
Low Ranking: 16
The Titans were 12-5 just two seasons ago, but they dropped to 7-10 last season. The core of their previous playoff teams is getting old and they haven't been able to make any significant moves in free agency to improve things. It's hard to ignore the coaching job that Mike Vrabel has done, but they desperately need some of their recent draft picks like Treylon Burks and Will Levis to break out if they want to avoid finishing near the bottom of the AFC.
Average Rank: 13.5
High Ranking: 12
Low Ranking: 16
If I was making my own personal power rankings, the Raiders would have finished even lower than this. Their defense outside of their pass rushers is a mess, they downgraded at quarterback, and I have zero faith in Josh McDaniels as a head coach. Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams will keep them in games, but I think next offseason they'll be drafting high enough to get a new quarterback and they'll be looking for a new head coach as well.
Next up is the tier of teams that are competitive, but may be just outside the playoffs this season.