The Kansas City Chiefs got the week off in Week 8 as they took in the bye week to rest and recharge for the final 10 games of the regular season.
As a result of not playing a game, this team didn’t see much movement in the power rankings. In one case they moved down a single spot, but in the majority they remained just behind the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills.
Here is a look at where pundits are ranking the Chiefs and what they’re saying about them with bye week in the rearview mirror:
USA TODAY
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Nate Davis
Author’s take:
The league’s top scoring offense imports WR Kadarius Toney and will only leave Kansas City once before December.
The Ringer
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Austin Gayle
Author’s take:
Believe it or not, Patrick Mahomes has elevated the Chiefs offense without Tyreek Hill. In a league where total completions on throws of 20-plus air yards was down from 349 to 244 through the first seven weeks of the season as compared with 2021, Mahomes has mastered the NFL’s midrange shot. Targeting 10 to 20 yards downfield, Mahomes ranked first in yards per attempt (12.6) and total passing yards (707) before the team’s bye in Week 8. In his first seven games last season, he ranked 29th (8.1) and 22nd (443) in the same statistics, respectively.
Across the board, the NFL is running more two-high looks to limit explosive pass plays down the field, as evidenced by that steep drop-off in completions deep down the field, and Mahomes needed to adjust to a less explosive passing attack in a post-Hill world. He’s done exactly that, and the Chiefs lead the league in nearly every offensive efficiency metric because of it.
The Athletic
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Bo Wulf
Author’s take:
Just when you think Andy Reid knows how to use all of his weapons, you find out he’s been letting one waste away. The Chiefs have punted just 19 times this season, fewer than every team but the Bills (13 punts). This is despite Tommy Townsend being the best punter in the league, according to the experts. So much for offensive genius.
NFL.com
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Dan Hanzus
Author’s take:
The Chiefs stayed busy during their bye week, pulling the trigger on a trade that sent a third-round compensatory pick and a sixth-rounder to the Giants for Kadarius Toney, a 2021 first-round pick with star potential but plenty of question marks. A hamstring issue has kept Toney sidelined since Week 2, but he flashed elite traits as a run-after-catch receiver in his rookie season in New York. It’s telling how a new Giants regime found a recent first-round pick like Toney so instantly expendable, but it’s also understandable why Kansas City decided to roll the dice. Toney’s talent could translate beautifully in an offense run by Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.
Bleacher Report
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Gary Davenport, Maurice Moton and Brent Sobleski
Author’s take:
The Chiefs were busy over the bye week improving the weapons at Mahomes’ disposal, sending a pair of picks to the New York Giants for 2021 first-rounder Kadarius Toney. It’s a move that could make one of the league’s most dangerous offenses that much more formidable.
But what was true before the Toney trade is just as true after:
In 2022, the Chiefs will go exactly as far as Mahomes takes them.
ESPN
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Adam Teicher
Author’s take:
The Chiefs have three comeback wins after trailing by 10-plus points already this season. Mahomes is 13-9 (including playoffs) after trailing by 10-plus points — he is the only QB since the start of the 1950 season with a winning record after trailing by double digits (minimum 10 games). So they have good reason to believe they’re always in the title hunt as long as they have Mahomes as quarterback. The Chiefs have many other reasons to believe they can win another championship, including an improved pass rush that has 19 sacks.
Sports Illustrated
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 2
Author: Connor Orr
Author’s take:
The Chiefs lose a spot due to the bye week, but something tells me they’re still pretty good. Will Kadarius Toney factor in as more than just a return specialist and gadget player?
CBS Sports
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Pete Prisco
Author’s take:
They come off their bye with a big AFC game against the Titans at home. They better get ready to tackle Derrick Henry.
Pro Football Talk
Ranking: 3
Last week’s ranking: 3
Author: Mike Florio
Author’s take:
Kadarius Toney could be a poor man’s Tyreek Hill. Which is still better than no Tyreek Hill at all.
