The Kansas City Chiefs put up a good fight against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 even though they were shorthanded in the secondary. It felt like they were a mistake or two away from turning a 24-20 loss into a victory.
Typically, a defeat to one of the league’s best teams would see Kansas City plummet in the power rankings. In some cases this week, they managed to move up a spot.
Here is a look at where pundits are ranking the Chiefs and what they’re saying about them with Week 6 in the books:
USA TODAY
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Nate Davis
Author’s take:
Even without WR Tyreek Hill, they’re still the league’s top-scoring team. But what about mixing in physical rookie RB Isiah Pacheco just a bit more often, Andy?
Touchdown Wire
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 2
Author: Doug Farrar
Author’s take:
Should we be sounding alarm bells about the Chiefs after their 24-20 loss to the Bills? Not really. This game could have gone either way, the team’s other loss was a “burn the tape” fluke defeat at the hands of the Colts, and Patrick Mahomes has, for the most part, learned to beat the coverages that previously befuddled him. The only lasting effect of the loss to Buffalo is that the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC might now go through upstate New York, and not the nation’s heartland.
The Ringer
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 2
Author: Austin Gayle
Author’s take:
Bills cornerback Taron Johnson secured a game-clinching interception to prevent any final-minute heroics from Patrick Mahomes and hand the Chiefs their second loss of the season, but Kansas City is still a clear no. 2 in the AFC. Mahomes is 1B to Allen’s 1A among quarterbacks right now, and that will keep the teams on a trajectory to the AFC championship game regardless of the supporting cast. Still, if Mahomes is tasked with beating the Bills in Buffalo come late January, he’ll have a tough time doing so—especially when the rest of the team isn’t giving him a ton of help. Kansas City’s offensive line ranks 28th in pressure rate allowed (36.5 percent), and the defense ranks 29th in success rate (52.9 percent) through Week 6.
The Athletic
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Bo Wulf
Author’s take:
The Chiefs will be fine, but their already difficult road ahead — they had the hardest schedule in the league before the season started — is significantly harder following the loss to the Bills. Kansas City is essentially two games behind Buffalo now for the top seed. Football Outsiders projects the Bills to have a 74.5 percent chance of being the AFC’s No. 1 seed, while the Chiefs are all the way down at 5.3 percent.
NFL.com
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Dan Hanzus
Author’s take:
The stage was set for more Mahomes Magic against the Bills at Arrowhead, but this time, it was the visitors celebrating in the end. Patrick Mahomes was pressured by Von Miller — a star playing on the other side of the country when these teams met in January’s Divisional Playoffs — before Mahomes tossed the game-deciding interception late in the fourth quarter. The pick sealed a 24-20 loss against a rival that Kansas City will likely see again come January. “It was a great battle. You love these games,” Andy Reid said. “You just don’t want to be sitting on this end of it. But you love the competition and the way the guys get after it.”
Bleacher Report
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Gary Davenport, Maurice Moton and Brent Sobleski
Author’s take:
The marquee matchup of Week 6 took place at Arrowhead Stadium, where Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen locked horns for the fifth time in a rematch of last year’s Divisional Round thriller. It wasn’t quite as high-scoring as that affair, but the game was a back-and-forth thriller…
And this time, it was Allen and the Bills who came out ahead.
ESPN
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 2
Author: Adam Teicher
Author’s take:
The pass rush, with 14 sacks through five games, is improved. Last season, the Chiefs had 31 sacks over 17 games, leaving them 29th in the league. The Chiefs need to improve their pass rush with their front four other than Chris Jones when they don’t blitz. The Chiefs have eight sacks with their down linemen, including three from Jones. Linebackers or defensive backs have the other six.
Sports Illustrated
Ranking: 2
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Connor Orr
Author’s take:
As strange as it sounds, the Chiefs’ loss to Buffalo did a great deal in cementing them as the No. 2 team in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes, even at his least responsible, is still an incredibly efficient, field-bending quarterback who stresses defenses to their limitations. Had his receiver fought his way into a 50-50 ball touchdown early against the Bills, we’d be talking about a different kind of Chiefs team. I’ll stick with this club.
CBS Sports
Ranking: 4
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Pete Prisco
Author’s take:
There is no shame in losing to the Bills, but they might be heading out on the road now in the postseason for a big game. The defense did limit the Bills to 24 points, which is a good sign going forward.
Pro Football Talk
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Mike Florio
Author’s take:
They’ll need to dig deep to avoid falling to 4-3, with a Super Bowl LIV rematch looming.
