Week 13 NFL Power Rankings Roundup: KC Chiefs Remain Squarely in Top 5
The Kansas City Chiefs were in desperate need of a get-right game, and that's exactly what they had in Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Taking the field against a divisional opponent, Andy Reid's group didn't commit a single turnover and finally snapped its second-half scoreless streak. Steve Spagnuolo's defense bounced back from a slow start and held Las Vegas to just 17 points, continuing its dominance on the year. With the win, Kansas City still controls its own destiny as far as securing the top overall seed in the conference is concerned.
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 13 NFL power rankings to see where some major outlets rank Kansas City among its peers in the AFC and NFC.
NFL.com: 4 (last week: 5)
NFL.com highlights the Chiefs' ability to respond on offense on Sunday, not only overcoming an early double-digit deficit but also sparking some development on that side of the ball. Citing good games from Rashee Rice and Skyy Moore, the site bumps Kansas City up one spot in this week's rankings:
The offense got back in rhythm after the early 14-0 deficit to the Raiders, scoring four touchdowns in a five-drive span to build a two-score lead, and using more than three minutes of clock on the late field-goal drive that helped ice a 31-17 win. The Chiefs got a big game Sunday from rookie receiver Rashee Rice and the most they’ve gotten from second-year wideout Skyy Moore since September. It was a start, and a mostly encouraging one, considering that the Chiefs committed zero turnovers, allowed just one sack and had only one clear dropped pass on Patrick Mahomes’ 34 pass attempts. Defensively, Kansas City was bad for the first 20 minutes and great for the final 40. It wasn’t a perfect effort, but it was a more-than-satisfactory bounceback after the emotional loss to the Eagles.
ESPN: 4 (last week: 3)
This week's power rankings focus on the ESPN Analytics Football Power Index, highlighting each team's rankings on offense, defense and special teams. Despite their win, the Chiefs still dropped one spot overall. Adam Teicher places the spotlight on a lackluster special teams grade at the end:
The Chiefs haven't been as dynamic offensively as they were last season -- averaging 5.9 offensive points less per game in 2023 (23.27). But the team showed in Sunday's win over the Raiders that they can be effective when they avoid turnovers (they have 19 this season) and dropped passes (6.8% of passes have been dropped). The defense has carried the Chiefs when the offense struggled, allowing the third-fewest points per game (16.5). They have multiple defenders playing well at all three levels. The special teams ranking is a disappointment since the Chiefs expected more than to be middle of the pack. -- Adam Teicher
Bleacher Report: 2 (last week: 2)
The Bleacher Report weekly power ranking trio of Gary Davenport, Maurice Moton and Brent Sobleski once again isn't moving the Chiefs off their No. 2 spot. Moton had some specific thoughts to share about the Kansas City offense, placing an emphasis on the Rice breakout game and what's to come:
"The Chiefs will go on the road this week to play a surging Green Bay Packers squad, and they'll return home to play the Buffalo Bills the following week," he continued. "If Rice continues to rack up big numbers in one or both of those contests, Kansas City may have found the playmaker who can provide the offense with a boost in the second half of the season.
"The Chiefs remain near the top of our power rankings, and they have a chance to go on a hot streak before the playoffs thanks to their rest-of-season schedule."
The Athletic: 3 (last week: 2)
Another outlet bringing Kansas City down a spot even after a favorable outcome on Sunday, The Athletic has Reid's team occupying the No. 3 slot in its weekly power rankings. The theme of the week is the best-case scenario for all 32 NFL clubs; the Chiefs' is clearly another Super Bowl ring:
It would be the second in a row for the Chiefs. Any worries about the state of Kansas City’s wide receiving corps should be offset by the fact that this team won its last Super Bowl with the same group plus JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has 24 catches this season for 159 yards for the Patriots. Rashee Rice was a bright spot Sunday, catching eight passes for 107 yards. With Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, the best case is a ring. On Sunday, Reid became the first coach in NFL history to become the winningest coach for two franchises.
Yahoo Sports: 3 (last week: 4)
One of the most overwhelmingly positive things from the Chiefs' win over the Raiders was Rice having the best game of his young career. Yahoo NFL/betting writer Frank Schwab is taking notice, hinting at the NFL to watch out if there's indeed more in store:
Rashee Rice's 107-yard game might end up being a big turning point in not just the Chiefs' season but for the entire NFL season. With the Chiefs' defense playing well, KC just needed a spark at receiver. If Rice's big game is a sign he's about to get hot, that's huge for the Chiefs.
