[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbwa53mtds520q2 player_id=none image=https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
The Kansas City Chiefs managed back-to-back wins for the first time this season, and they’re steadily rising in USA TODAY’s weekly power rankings because of it.
The Chiefs fell as far as the No. 14 spot after their dreadful loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 7 and their win over the New York Giants in Week 8. With a win over the Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers in Week 9, they did enough to stop the freefall in the power rankings. They’re now the No. 11 team in USA TODAY’s latest power rankings after starting the season as one of the two best teams.
Here’s what Nate Davis had to say this week, focusing on the disparity between the Chiefs’ NFC and AFC success.
“The good news? They notched franchise’s 500th win by improving to 4-0 this season against NFC. The bad news? K.C. is 1-4 against the AFC, which will serve up seven of their final eight regular-season opponents.”
It’s true that Kansas City has a lot of AFC opponents coming up, but they also have a lot of AFC West opponents in the second half of the season. The team has a 16-3 record against AFC West opponents since Patrick Mahomes’ first start for the Chiefs in Week 17 of the 2017 NFL season.
The Chargers (10) and the Raiders (11) are both ranked ahead of Kansas City in the power rankings, but in the real standings, all three teams have a 5-4 record. A win in Las Vegas in Week 10 could put this team in a perfect position to climb back into the playoff picture through the AFC West division.
As for the power rankings, not everyone has the Chiefs on the outside looking in. Our friends over at Touchdown Wire are a bit higher on K.C. after their win over Green Bay in Week 9. They’ve now moved back into the Top-10 over on their rankings, which you can check out here.
[listicle id=108850]