The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Denver Broncos 34-28 in Week 14, but the fact that they turned a thrashing into a close game was certainly a subject in the power rankings this week.
It’s easy to nitpick with a team like the Chiefs, who have been one of the league’s winningest franchises over the past six seasons. Most are stuck deciding whether the little issues are just that or whether they’ll turn into the team’s fatal flaw come the postseason.
Here is a look at where pundits have placed the Chiefs in their power rankings and what they’re saying about them with Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season now behind us:
Touchdown Wire
Ranking: 4
Last week’s ranking: 5
Author: Mark Lane
Author’s take:
What was a little concerning about their win over the Broncos was the way they let Denver hang around and cut it to 27-21 early in the third quarter after Kansas City led 27-0 late in the second quarter. At least Kansas City’s offense came back to life to add a cushion, and the defense stiffened up in the fourth quarter.
USA TODAY
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 5
Author: Nate Davis
Author’s take:
Maybe it’s understandable that QB Patrick Mahomes gets bored and sloppy against Denver, a team he’s now 10-0 against. And Sunday’s no-look TD toss pairs well with the left-handed throw he made in the Mile High City years ago. But his three INTs are a reminder to clean things up for a team that seems to have an easier path to the AFC’s No. 1 seed than Buffalo does.
The Ringer
Ranking: 2
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Austin Gayle
Author’s take:
Don’t let his three interceptions against Denver trick you into thinking Patrick Mahomes isn’t playing at an elite level this season. He is the top-ranked quarterback in EPA per dropback entering Week 15, and no one else really comes close. As exceptional as Jalen Hurts has been for Philly, Mahomes deserves to be the runaway favorite for MVP right now.
The Athletic
Ranking: 2
Last week’s ranking: 2
Author: Bo Wulf
Author’s take:
*Note: This week’s theme is taking a look at the team’s offseason wishlist.
Watt has quietly turned back the clock in 2022 with 6 1/2 sacks in 12 games for the Cardinals. Here’s how the top free-agent-to-be defensive linemen/edge rushers have produced in terms of hitting the quarterback per pass-rush snap this season. Only Watt’s teammate Zach Allen has been as productive of a pass rusher while doing it as frequently.
NFL.com
Ranking: 5
Last week’s ranking: 5
Author: Dan Hanzus
Author’s take:
The Chiefs opened Sunday’s matchup with the Broncos by scoring the game’s first 27 points, including the latest absurd Patrick Mahomes TD pass for the Canton reel. Then … things got weird. Mahomes threw an interception … then another … then one more, and Kansas City’s defense was left to fight off an unlikely Denver rally. A late third-quarter scoring pass from Mahomes to JuJu Smith-Schuster provided some breathing room, and the improving Chiefs pass rush (season-high six sacks) finished things off. “We beat them in the first half; they beat us in the second half,” defensive end Frank Clark said. “We just won the game. That’s the perfect way to describe it.” Thank you.
Bleacher Report
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 6
Author: Gary Davenport, Maurice Moton and Brent Sobleski
Author’s take:
On most levels, the Kansas City Chiefs are rolling. After outlasting the Broncos in Denver, the Chiefs remain undefeated in the AFC West. Kansas City has now beaten the Broncos a staggering 14 times in a row. Any combination of Chiefs wins and Chargers losses the rest of the way will give Kansas City a seventh straight division title.
But the Chiefs have much loftier goals than just winning the division, and there’s a problem—an issue that let the Broncos back into a game Kansas City led 27-0.
After the game, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid tried to put a positive spin on the three interceptions Patrick Mahomes threw against Denver.
ESPN
Ranking: 2
Last week’s ranking: 2
Author: Adam Teicher
Author’s take:
The Chiefs rank second in scoring at 29.5 points per game. And their defensive ranking is based largely on the strength of the pass rush, which has generated 42 sacks. But opponents still have a QBR against the Chiefs of 57, third highest in the league. Kansas City’s special teams are usually outstanding, but not this season: They’ve fumbled three punts, and their field goal rate of 77.8% is the fourth worst.
Sports Illustrated
Ranking: 6
Last week’s ranking: 5
Author: Connor Orr
Author’s take:
I’m knocking the Chiefs back just a tad because of what they put on film in the second half against a very good Ejiro Evero defense. Not every coordinator is going to be able to show Patrick Mahomes these shape-shifting looks, but their lack of a run game and their O.K. defense is more noticeable when compared to the best teams in the NFL when Mahomes is forced to labor like that.
CBS Sports
Ranking: 4
Last week’s ranking: 4
Author: Pete Prisco
Author’s take:
Despite some big plays, the defense has to be better than it was against Denver if they are going to be a Super Bowl team. They actually made Russell Wilson look good.
Pro Football Talk
Ranking: 4
Last week’s ranking: 4
Author: Mike Florio
Author’s take:
Why do I feel like everything else is details, and that this is the team that will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy?
