The Kansas City Chiefs’ 22-19 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 11 felt like a dagger to the Chiefs’ hopes for a division title. It also made a significant impact on the perception of them across the NFL:
every site moved Kansas City down in the latest power rankings ahead of Week 12.
Here’s this week’s sampling:
NFL.com: 15
(Down from 7)
Hearing Patrick Mahomes almost acknowledge that the AFC West is gone was downright shocking. Yeah, he’s speaking reality, and of course Kansas City could make the playoffs as a dangerous wild-card team. But to hear Mahomes all but admit defeat in the Chiefs’ quest for a 10th straight division title was jarring to my ears. They’re ninth in the AFC playoff picture, and they’re staring at four straight pretty tough games, starting with the Colts at Arrowhead and the Thanksgiving game in Dallas four days later. We’re so used to the Chiefs coming out of the bye week razor sharp, but they never looked completely dialed in against Denver, even after taking the lead early in the fourth quarter. There’s still a playoff-caliber roster here, but multiple losing streaks in a single season is an identity crisis for Kansas City.
— Eric Edholm
ESPN: 13
(Down from 12)
Who’s under the most pressure: Coach Andy Reid
The Chiefs have plenty of talent on their roster, and this season was supposed to be about the offense returning to a dominant unit. But Reid’s game plans in the past two games, losses to the Bills and Broncos following a bye week, have been perplexing. Reid needs to get quarterback Patrick Mahomes in rhythm quicker, and his playcalling needs to be more balanced and diverse to outwit opposing defenses over the second half.
— Nate Taylor
The Athletic: 16
(Down from 12)
A suggestion: Start sweating
The three teams currently in the AFC wild-card positions — the Chargers, Bills and Jaguars — have a win over Kansas City this year, and Sunday’s loss dropped the Chiefs four games behind the Broncos in the AFC West. Plus, the 8-2 Colts — coming off a bye, no less — are up next. The streak of 10 straight trips to the postseason is in jeopardy.
— Josh Kendall
Sports Illustrated: 15
(Down from 11)
Column on the Chiefs being at .500 and possibly missing the playoffs…and why that’s all a good thing.
— Conor Orr
Pro Football Talk: 18
(Down from 13)
Forget about the AFC West. That Week 6 Monday night loss to the Jaguars could be the thing that keeps them out of the playoffs entirely.
— Mike Florio
CBSSports.com: 14
(Down from 10)
The division title is probably out of their reach, so it’s time to focus on winning games and getting into the playoffs. Right now, they would be out.
— Pete Prisco
Yahoo! Sports: 10
(Down from 5)
The Chiefs still aren’t getting enough big plays. They had one 61-yard gain to Tyquan Thornton but no other play of more than 21 yards. It would be nice to have a running back who could make a big play, but all they have are plodders. Maybe getting Xavier Worthy involved would help.
— Frank Schwab
The Sporting News: 16
(Down from 12)
The Chiefs don’t need to be in full panic mode yet, but they can probably say good bye to their shot at 10 consecutive division titles and may need to run the table, starting with the mighty Colts in Week 12, just to ensure a wild card.
— Vinnie Iyer
USA Today: 9
(Down from 8)
Their luck had to run out at some point. There’s a case to be made that this year’s K.C. roster is better than last year’s. But last year’s Chiefs were 12-0 in one-score games, while this year’s squad is 0-5 in such scenarios. Those rested Colts come to Arrowhead on Sunday.
— Nate Davis
FOX Sports: 16
(Down from 13)
They are still loaded with talent and experience and every one of their losses has been to a playoff-bound team by one score. But the reality is they are what their 5-5 record says they are.
— Ralph Vacchiano
