Week 11 NFL Power Rankings Roundup: KC Chiefs Trail Just One Team

Some major power rankings from this week see the Chiefs slotted behind only the team they'll face on Monday night.

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: 

Patrick Mahomes vs. Joe Burrow face off late in the season. This new rivalry game could carry tiebreaking consequences for playoff seeding. It also could be a chance, depending on how Cincinnati fares between now and then, for the Chiefs to nudge the Bengals out of the postseason altogether. -- Adam Teicher

Bleacher Report: 2 (last week: 2)

Bleacher Report's weekly power ranking analyst trio of Gary Davenport, Maurice Moton and Brent Sobleski, like everyone else, has Kansas City second in this week's power rankings. Steve Spagnuolo's defense once again gets praise here ahead of Monday night's game: 

While speaking to reporters after the Chiefs held the high-powered Miami Dolphins to 14 points in Germany last week, Mahomes lauded the defense as a strength of the team in 2023.

"I knew they were going to be good. You look at the end of last year, they played great football and no one really noticed. I knew they were going to be good," Mahomes said. "They brought back so many people, so many young guys, they were going to develop. I mean, the fact they're all developing this fast, I don't know if anyone could have guessed it. I knew they were going to be great as their careers went on. Good to have a lot of young guys that can play like that."

The Chiefs' lack of pass-catching talent outside of Kelce is a legitimate concern. But they're the defending Super Bowl champions and are on the cusp of dynasty status.

To be the best, you have to beat the best.

The Athletic: 2 (last week: 3)

The common theme here: Eagles at one and Chiefs at two. The Athletic isn't straying from that. In this set of power rankings, the outlet takes a closer look at every NFL head coach's status at this point in the season. Andy Reid gets the best mark possible, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone: 

Andy Reid is 254-140 in 25 seasons as a head coach, which puts him fourth on the all-time wins list. He’s had eight straight double-digit wins seasons, and he is the only coach in NFL history to lead two franchises to 10 or more playoff wins. By his standards, this year’s Chiefs are struggling on offense (13th in scoring, 23.11 points per game), and not a single person is worried that Reid and company won’t figure it out.

Yahoo Sports: 2 (last week: 3)

NFL/betting writer Frank Schwab brings the Chiefs back up to the second spot in Yahoo's power rankings, with his analysis having very little to do with football. Travis Kelce enjoyed himself during the bye week; Schwab poked some fun at it:

Nobody should care what players do on their bye weeks, and Travis Kelce going to Argentina to see some Taylor Swift shows isn't a big deal. But if Kelce struggles after the bye, you're going to hear a lot about that vacation. It's inevitable.

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