Chiefs Slide in On SI Power Rankings, AFC West Continues to Rise

Following the Kansas City Chiefs' first loss of the season, where do they land in the On SI power rankings?

Bills Von Miller and Greg Rousseau sack Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes during first half action against the Kansas City Chiefs in Orchard Park, Nov.17, 2024. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs took a short tumble in the vast majority of NFL power rankings following their first loss of the season, a 30-21 defeat suffered at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. The trend continued in this week's edition of the On SI power rankings.

While the Chiefs remained on the proverbial podium, the reigning back-to-back champions fell to the bronze position, slotting in at No. 3 behind the No. 1 Detroit Lions and No. 2 Bills.

On one hand, you could argue that it's a bit reactionary — the Chiefs are still tied with Detroit for the best record in football at 9-1 and have the best head coach-quarterback duo in the sport. On the other, it's easy to see how Kansas City's most glaring flaws were exposed by Buffalo in Week 11. Here's how I summarized the biggest concerns from KC's first loss:

"The Chiefs were never going to go undefeated and a regular-season loss to the Bills is nothing new, but a few of the lessons of Kansas City's first defeat are worth heeding. The Chiefs could not pressure Josh Allen with a four-man rush, and they still haven't found a solution at cornerback following the loss of No. 2 corner Jaylen Watson."

Especially when the concern is extended to the offensive side of the ball, the unit that scored just 21 points in Buffalo and has reached the 30-point mark just once this season, KC's No. 3 ranking is reasonable. While I'd pick the Chiefs to win a playoff rematch in January, there's nothing wrong with giving the Bills the narrow nod after a regular season win.

At No. 1, the Lions are tied with the Chiefs at 9-1, but Detroit has been far more dominant and consistent through their first 10 games.

Just outside the near-consensus top-three, the 8-2 Philadelphia Eagles land at No. 4 while the 8-2 Minnesota Vikings come in at No. 5. While both of those teams have proven (and won) plenty in 2024, I would have a clear tier-break between the top three and the next tier of teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 6 and Baltimore Ravens at No. 7.

The other point of note from the Chiefs' vantage point comes from within the AFC West. The 7-3 Los Angles Chargers land at No. 8 after an important win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football, while the 6-5 Broncos rise to No. 13 after a dominant performance against the Atlanta Falcons. While the division isn't quite in danger yet for Kansas City, half of the West is clearly progressing in a winning direction while the Chiefs have a slightly smaller margin for error for the rest of the season.

The 2-8 Las Vegas Raiders, at No. 28, have more work to do.

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