Week 18 NFL Power Rankings Roundup: Chiefs Peaking at the Perfect Time

Entering Week 18's play, where do major outlets have the Kansas City Chiefs in their updated sets of NFL power rankings?

Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid leaves the field following their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

With the top playoff seed in the AFC secured, the Kansas City Chiefs have an advantage over their conference peers. That remains the case regardless of what happens in Week 18, setting the scene for Andy Reid's team having nothing to prove before the playoffs.

Where do the back-to-back Super Bowl champs slot in compared to their peers? Let's take a look at some Week 18 NFL power rankings from major outlets as Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos approaches.

The 33rd Team: 1

Another week, another No. 1 ranking for Kansas City from the staff at The 33rd Team. Thanks to a well-rounded game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day, things are looking up for the AFC's top dog.

And just like that, the Kansas City Chiefs are the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and the road to the Super Bowl runs through Arrowhead. It sure seems like the Chiefs have coasted through the first month of the season and are now starting to ramp up toward the playoffs. They played arguably their best game of the season against Pittsburgh, holding the Steelers to just 10 points, even without Chris Jones. It’s hard to imagine anyone going into Kansas City and beating them in the playoffs at this point. – Marcus Mosher

Bleacher Report: 1

Echoing a similar sentiment, the Bleacher Report analyst panel buys into what the Chiefs showed in Week 17. If they do that again in the postseason, they'll be a tough out.

The Chiefs have been winning nailbiter after nailbiter, giving some pause as to whether Kansas City could make it to a third consecutive Super Bowl. But the team we saw on Christmas was dominant on both sides of the ball, with Patrick Mahomes topping 300 passing yards and the defense putting the clamps on the [Steelers]. The Chiefs aren't unbeatable. But when they play like they did in Week 17, Kansas City is awfully close. – Gary Davenport

Sports Illustrated: 5

Conor Orr is the lone writer to drop Kansas City in rank despite a big-time win over the Steelers. He has his eyes set on Sunday's regular-season finale in Denver.

A few weeks back I mentioned that Carson Wentz didn’t look bad in his limited action. If Kansas City does, indeed, decide to rest starters this weekend, it’s a really interesting test to see what the Chiefs look like under similar circumstances faced by teams that have passed them by in the power rankings, like Minnesota and Philadelphia. Can Wentz hang around against a good Broncos defense? We’re constantly moving the goalposts on Kansas City in this forum, but that would shock me out of my unfair bias. – Conor Orr

The Athletic: 3

Kansas City is up from fourth to third in this week's set of power rankings from The Athletic. The theme of the week is what's up next and for the reigning champs, it's a whole lot of rest.

The Chiefs clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed with their Christmas Day win. That means the next time they play a meaningful game, we all will have already given up on our New Year’s resolutions (Jan. 18 or 19). That’s good for Patrick Mahomes’ ankle and 35-year-old Travis Kelce’s energy level. Bad news for the Chiefs haters: Since Week 8, Kelce is fourth in the league in catches (69 for 578 yards). – Josh Kendall

NFL: 1

No change for the Chiefs in NFL.com's Week 18 power rankings. Christmas Day may have been a representation of the Kansas City team the football world will see when it matters the most.

I wasn't nervous about moving Kansas City up to No. 1 last week, but the Christmas Day performance certainly validated my decision. This is the version of the Chiefs we would have liked to see at least once or twice before this season, even as they've rolled to a 15-1 mark that puts them, record-wise, among the best ever. Patrick Mahomes turned in a vintage effort, and the defense racked up five sacks without Chris Jones. Now they can sit Mahomes and Jones and any other veterans they want to rest in the meaningless regular-season finale in Denver.

Well, it's not meaningless for the Broncos, who can clinch a playoff spot and knock out the Bengals, but you get the idea. Honestly, the Chiefs would probably rather the possessed Bengals be dispelled anyway, even if Cincinnati and Denver gave them all they could handle in Kansas City this season. The key thing to remember about those games (in Week 2 and Week 10) as the playoffs near is that they both ended as most Chiefs games do: with Mahomes and Co ahead when time ran out. They have only gotten better since. – Eric Edholm

FOX Sports: 2

David Helman raises the Chiefs two spots in his power rankings. They trail only the Buffalo Bills.

The Chiefs are playing arguably their best football of the year at the perfect time, and now they’re going to have two weeks to get healthy for the run to Super Bowl LIX. It’s going to take a heck of an effort to keep them out of that game. – David Helman

CBS Sports: 1

Pete Prisco, perhaps the most loyal to Kansas City in this year's power rankings, keeps his reasoning short and sweet. There's an advantageous path ahead of the back-to-back champions.

They will rest guys this week to get ready for the playoffs. Win two and they are in the Super Bowl again. – Pete Prisco

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