The Kansas City Chiefs quieted all doubters to kick off the 2022 NFL season and the power rankings show it following Week 1. Everyone questioned how the team would look after offseason departures and they didn’t miss a beat during their dominant Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
In our second week of tracking weekly power rankings from the top NFL media outlets, Kansas City is the consensus No. 2 team in the NFL. They moved up as many as five spots in the power rankings this week and are mostly coming in behind the Buffalo Bills. The Week 6 tilt between the two teams won’t just be one of the best games of the season, but it’ll be for power-ranking dominance for the foreseeable future.
Here is a look at where pundits are ranking the Chiefs and what they’re saying about them with Week 1’s game against the Cardinals in the books:
USA TODAY
Ranking: 2
Last week’s ranking: 6
Author: Nate Davis
Author’s take:
“They haven’t lost in Week 1 since 2014. But now it’s on to the Chargers, who have taken two of the last three from K.C. (And to you non-cord cutters who don’t live in Kansas City or Los Angeles, reminder you’ll need an internet connection to watch this game on Amazon this Thursday night.)”
The Ringer
Ranking: 2
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Austin Gayle
Author’s take:
“No Tyreek Hill, no problem. Patrick Mahomes completed passes to nine different receivers in a 360-yard, five-touchdown performance in the Chiefs’ win over Arizona. And the Kansas City defense followed suit, limiting Kyler Murray and the Cardinals to 4.5 yards per play. Now, no other defense in the NFL will likely show the Chiefs offense as many blitzes and single-high looks as Arizona did in Week 1, so let’s not project an 85-touchdown season for Mahomes just yet. But early returns for the Hill-less offense and an improved defense are abundantly positive.”
The Athletic
Ranking: 2
Last week’s ranking: 2
Author: Bo Wulf
Author’s take:
“No Tyreek Hill, no problem. The Chiefs’ 2.89 EPA per drive, according to TruMedia, was the second-best performance of the Patrick Mahomes era behind only their 42-30 win against the Eagles in Week 4 of last season (which is also the best single-game EPA per drive performance in the league over the past five years). The Cardinals blitzed Mahomes on 51.2% of his dropbacks, per TruMedia, the highest mark in the league in Week 1. You may have heard the Chiefs had an outrageous 33 first downs on 66 offensive plays. Against the Cardinals’ blitzes, Mahomes turned 21 plays into 14 first downs. Gnarly stuff from the offensive brain trust that deserves the most faith in the league.”
NFL.com
Ranking: 2
Last week’s ranking: 7
Author: Dan Hanzus
Author’s take:
“No Tyreek Hill? No problem for Patrick Mahomes, who reminded everyone of his otherworldly brilliance in a blowout of the overmatched Cardinals in Arizona. Mahomes completed passes to nine different receivers and threw five touchdown passes, connecting with four different targets for scores. The heart of the attack remained Travis Kelce (8/121/1 on nine targets), but an eye-opening 2022 debut from Clyde Edwards-Helaire makes you wonder if Andy Reid’s new-look attack will turn the running back into the impact chess piece Kansas City envisioned when it made him a first-round pick in 2020. It took only one dominating performance to put the ghosts of the 2021 postseason in the rearview. The Chiefs are ready to roll.”
Bleacher Report
Ranking: 2
Last week’s ranking: 5
Author: Gary Davenport, Maurice Moton and Brent Sobleski
Author’s take:
“Leading up to the 2022 season, some wondered whether the loss of players like wide receiver Tyreek Hill and safety Tyrann Mathieu might finally put a stop to the Kansas City Chiefs’ dominance in the AFC West.
Then again, maybe not. In Week 1, the Chiefs went into Arizona and destroyed a Cardinals team that seemed like it could be a legitimate contender in the NFC West.
If quarterback Patrick Mahomes missed Hill, it certainly didn’t show. He threw for 360 yards and five touchdowns while finishing with a passer rating over 140. Defensively, the Chiefs dominated the Redbirds until the contest was well out of hand.”
ESPN
Ranking: 2
Last week’s ranking: 4
Author: Adam Teicher
Author’s take:
“Pacheco led the Chiefs in rushing with 62 yards and scored on a 3-yard run. Sixty of his yards came in the fourth quarter, with the Chiefs resting their starters and protecting a 37-7 lead. But he still showed the hard-running style that led the Chiefs to draft him in the seventh round. One negative for Pacheco was a fumble, though he wound up recovering the ball himself.”
Sports Illustrated
Ranking: 2
Last week’s ranking: 4
Author: Connor Orr
Author’s take:
“While the Cardinals will struggle, Patrick Mahomes is developing new tools to diversify Kansas City’s offense. Of course you’ll miss Tyreek Hill, but having five valuable weapons on each snap and embracing multiple tight end formations mean a more efficient machine.”
CBS Sports
Ranking: 2
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Pete Prisco
Author’s take:
“Patrick Mahomes showed against the Cardinals that he can still play at a high level without Tyreek Hill. That offense will be just fine.”
Pro Football Talk
Ranking: 2
Last week’s ranking: 4
Author: Mike Florio
Author’s take:
“Anyone who was sleeping on the Chiefs is now wide-ass awake.”
