The Kansas City Chiefs started the 2024 season ranked No. 1 in every power ranking we tracked this year. Some are still at the top of the season’s final rankings, but some are not.
This week’s sample is:
(No change from 1)
Kansas City’s reserves were in the mix in Denver, giving the Chiefs the right to play as much as they wanted while giving their big dogs an extended break in hopes of winning their third straight championship. Kansas City, like any team, is in a good position and ready to win. The defense had not allowed more than 19 points in the past five games prior to Sunday. DB Chamari Conner injured his shoulder in Week 18 against the Broncos, but has two weeks to fully recover. The offense is also going well. Patrick Mahomes improved late in the game, posting an 11:0 TD-to-INT ratio since mid-November. Joe Thuney’s switch to left tackle seems to have worked, but the Chiefs may not trust him enough to go back to DJ Humphries in the playoffs. Either way, they should be the favorites to advance past the divisional round and make it to the AFC Championship Game once again.
— Eric Edholm
(No change from 3)
Lesson learned: Patrick Mahomes is the league’s MIP.
It’s the most important player. There’s a tight three-way competition for this year’s MVP between Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson, but given the confessional, any coach in the league would put Mahomes at QB. He went 15-1 as a starter this year (he missed Sunday) and is 103-26 since 2018, winning three Super Bowls and playing in another Super Bowl. Mahomes finished this season 10th in the league in EPA per dropback (.13). He’s still the best guy doing it.
— Josh Kendall
(Increased from 5)
The clock has been reset and Andy Reid has one more week to watch before taking over his first postseason opponent. I can rant all year long about how this team is underperforming statistically and how incredibly lucky they are in close games, but that doesn’t matter. I’m not going to be against them this postseason.
— Connor Orr
Editor’s note: Last I checked, the team ranked second in the postseason has a pick against that team.
(decreased from 1)
They kept the Bengals out but let the Broncos in.
— Mike Florio
(No change from 1)
They enter the playoffs as the top seed. It’s going to be tough to beat them at home with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. They will also become healthier.
— Pete Prisco
(reduced from 2)
The Chiefs had nothing to play for, but other teams in that situation put up a much better effort than the Kansas City game in Week 18. No, the Chiefs weren’t actively trying to shut the Bengals out, they just didn’t. Don’t worry about it. Now the real work begins for them.
— Frank Schwab
(No change from 1)
The Chiefs have pulled off a near-impossible six-game winning streak in the playoffs thanks to Patrick Mahomes’ ability to win close games and never fall into a big hole. To beat them in Kansas City, someone is going to have to beat them on offense, defense and special teams. Hanging out with Mahomes and the current back-to-back champions is the same as hanging out with Field.
— Vinnie Iyer
(increased from 2)
Admittedly, it wasn’t all that impressive when it came to a 15-2 regular season. The Chiefs don’t even rank in the league’s top 10 in point differential (+59) and would have barely made it had they not completely punted in Sunday’s 38-0 loss to Denver. . They are very strong in the middle on both sides of the ball, but with the exception of CB Trent McDuffie, they have a fair amount of issues on the outside, including protection for QB Patrick Mahomes, pressure generation, pass coverage, and even consistency. There is. from the receiver.
But let’s not discount a team that has won three of the past five Super Bowls (and lost another). Remember, last year was a doom and gloom after losing to the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead on Christmas. Still, Andy Reid, Mahomes and others found a way to finish the season with a six-game heater. The average margin of victory was 6.8 points, good enough to lift the franchise’s latest Lombardi Trophy.
The defense is still top notch, although perhaps not as good as the 2023 version. KC is already in what is effectively a two-week rest period for their primary players, but they are already relatively healthy. And when you’re talking about Super Bowl viability, again, there are few things more important than winning one fewer game than your rival…while staying home to do so.
But perhaps nothing is more noteworthy here than the motivation of the championship core to become the first team in history to win three consecutive Super Bowls. Travis Kelce and Chris Jones (who has led Kansas City to the AFC Championship Game once since becoming QB1 in 2018) and Chris Jones have been in the spotlight for nearly a year. Heritage and history are unique motivators for great people.
— Nate Davis
(No change from 1)
The Kansas City Chiefs rested nearly everyone in Week 18, resulting in a blowout loss to Denver. But most importantly, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones got an extra week of rest ahead of the playoffs.
The Chiefs won’t play until Game 2, but they should enter the playoffs as the most rested team in the league.
— Marcus Mosher
