Following their bye week, the Kansas City Chiefs are slated to be back in action in Week 11. Ushering in the second half of the team’s 2023 season will be a high-profile matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. This rematch of Super Bowl LVII is shaping up to potentially be one of the games of the season, as both teams remain some of the best in the NFL this year. Philadelphia, too, is coming off a Week 10 bye and is recharged for the stretch run. Kansas City is hosting the Monday Night Football outing, with all eyes slated to be on Patrick Mahomes on Jalen Hurts. The winner of this game very well could be crowned as the best team in the NFL, a position the Eagles currently stake claim to in most power rankings.
With the previous week of games in the books and a new slate on the horizon, where do the Chiefs stand? Let’s look at Week 11 NFL power rankings to see where some major outlets rank Kansas City among its peers in the AFC and NFC. NFL.COM: 2 (LAST WEEK: 3) Trailing only the Eagles this week, the Chiefs rise one spot in NFL.com’s weekly power rankings. Citing elements like record and point differential that are shockingly similar now to what they were at this point a year ago, the argument is that how the Chiefs are winning is what’s catching folks off guard: Through nine games, the Chiefs are in the same spot as they were a season ago, when they’d eventually go on to win the Super Bowl: 7-2 and atop the AFC.
Even the point differentials (plus-64 through nine games last year, plus-65 this year) are nearly identical. Does it feel that way, though? Perhaps it’s the way they’re winning games — without scoring as many points — that’s throwing us off. Patrick Mahomes isn’t a worse quarterback, and Travis Kelce isn’t a worse tight end, but the defense certainly is better. The Ravens’ loss had to be a nice little bye-week surprise, helping the Chiefs’ chances of earning the top playoff spot. They have four very winnable road games remaining, but tougher tests at home. The path to the AFC’s top seed begins now. ESPN: 2 (LAST WEEK: 2) An updated edition of ESPN’s power rankings also has the Chiefs occupying the No. 2 spot. Adam Teicher focuses on the club’s biggest remaining game, picking Week 17’s New Year’s Eve matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.
