The 2026 NFL regular season’s Week 6 featured the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Los Angeles Chargers to push their unbeaten record to 5-0.
Let’s see how the national media tweaked their opinion on the Chiefs over the weekend in this week’s sampling of power rankings:
ESPN: 2
(No change)
Biggest issue on offense: Offensive tackle health
The Chiefs have done an admirable job protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, especially since left tackle Josh Simmons, their 2025 first-round pick, has been out because of
a bulging disc in his lower back. Coach Andy Reid suggested Simmons won’t be ready for Sunday’s showdown against the Seahawks. Plus, right tackle Jaylon Moore sustained a concussion against the Chargers. Reid might have to continue altering the Chiefs’ playbook if undrafted rookies Kahlil Benson (left tackle) and Joshua Ezeudu (right tackle) are the starters.
— Nate Taylor
The Athletic: 2
(No change)
Fantasy focus: Kenneth Walker III
The Chiefs won six games last year. They signed Walker to a three-year, $43 million deal in the offseason. On Sunday, they won their fifth game. Walker is second in the league in fantasy points per game (27.6) after being drafted 16th on average. He had 19 carries for 128 yards against the Chargers and leads the league with 665 rushing yards.
— Chad Graff and Josh Kendall
Pro Football Talk: 2
(No change)
Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III is the NFL MVP so far.
— Mike Florio
CBSSports.com: 2
(No change)
Coming out of the bye, they dominated the Chargers. The same formula worked: Run it with Kenneth Walker and timely throws by Patrick Mahomes, who is doing more and more each week.
— Pete Prisco
Yahoo! Sports: 2
(No change)
It’s hard to believe that an offense with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback has been turned over to another player, but Kenneth Walker III’s impact on the Chiefs can’t be understated. Walker had another 128 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as the Chiefs easily beat the Chargers 22-6. Walker leads the NFL with 665 rushing yards, even though Kansas City has already had its bye. His 133 rushing yards per game puts him on pace for 2,261 rushing yards. Since 1984, Eric Dickerson has held the NFL’s single-season record with 2,105 yards.
Walker’s candidacy for MVP will be discussed, but it’s still a long shot because voters have turned it into a quarterback award. Adrian Peterson was the last non-quarterback to win and that came in 2012. The MVP has gone to a quarterback 18 of the last 19 seasons. But if Walker can get to 2,000 yards, it might give him a chance.
— Frank Schwab
USA Today: 2
(No change)
Andy Reid is now 23-5 in the regular season following bye weeks. Sure looks like he might get the opportunity to coach after another bye a few months from now.
— Nate Davis
Sports Illustrated: 2
(Up from 3)
Asking this seriously: Kenneth Walker is the best free agent signing through six weeks of an NFL season since…Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos? Walker is averaging one hundred and thirty three yards and more than twenty attempts per game. That’s just wild stuff.
— Conor Orr
Sporting News: 1
(No change)
Kenneth Walker III is now averaging 133 rushing yards per game and is up to 6.3 yards per carry with his 8 TDs. He’s on pace 2,261 yards, which should already put him in the MVP discussion as one of the best-ever free-agent pickups.
— Vinnie Iyer
FOX Sports: 2
(No change)
Is it possible that the Chiefs are actually under the radar for most of the NFL? Or maybe we just all take their greatness for granted? But there sure isn’t a lot of chatter or hype about what might be the best team in the league. And Patrick Mahomes, just 10 months removed from tearing his ACL, is quietly on pace for his best season since 2022 — when he won league MVP and the Chiefs won the Super Bowl. Maybe Mahomes belongs in the early MVP conversation, too? The Chiefs play at Seattle and at Denver these next two weeks, so the noise about K.C. is about to get a lot louder.
— Ralph Vacchiano
