Week 2 Power Rankings Roundup: Chiefs Remain On Top After Close Win

Following a win over the Baltimore Ravens, not much changes for the Kansas City Chiefs in major outlet power rankings.

Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) greets fans as he leaves the field after the win over the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs didn't dominate in Week 1, but they didn't need to. Following a close win over the Baltimore Ravens, Andy Reid's squad remains in a good spot entering the second week of the 2024-25 NFL season.

Where do the back-to-back Super Bowl champs slot in compared to their peers? Let's take a look at some Week 2 NFL power rankings from major outlets as Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals approaches.

The 33rd Team: 1

No change in this set of power rankings. The Kansas City offense was inspiring enough to keep Patrick Mahomes and company at the top.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Kansas City Chiefs took care of business in Week 1 against the Ravens. The real story coming out of that contest was the play of Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, who have revamped this passing attack. Once Hollywood Brown returns to the lineup, watch out. – Marcus Mosher

Bleacher Report: 1

Echoing the same sentiment as Mosher, Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport thinks the Chiefs will be even more dangerous once Brown returns from his sternoclavicular injury.

Giving Patrick Mahomes this many options in the passing game is just unfair. Defenses have to respect Rice and Worthy, which leaves light boxes for running back Isiah Pacheco and the underneath wide open for that Kelce guy, who I hear is a pretty good tight end. Mind you, the Chiefs were rather sloppy Thursday and Hollywood Brown didn't even play, and Kansas City dropped 27 on the NFL's No. 1 scoring defense from last year. – Gary Davenport

Sports Illustrated: 1

How much of an adjustment period will this year's Chiefs team have? If Week 1's win was any indication, it may be the briefest in a while with Mahomes under center.

How terrifying for the Chiefs’ opponents that Rashee Rice has matured (on the field) into an incredibly dangerous and lengthy receiver who looks to be a yards-after-the-catch monster. Xavier Worthy is terrifying on a whole different level, giving the Chiefs an all-of-a-sudden set of legitimate stylistic complements who can mix speed and power. Travis Kelce, as he gets older, can evolve more comfortably into a role as a table setter for completions elsewhere. Every year, it seems Patrick Mahomes is having to “break in” part of a team and, certainly, having one of his anchor tackles be a rookie second-round pick is a challenge, but this already looks like the most complete Chiefs team we’ve seen in a few years. – Conor Orr

NFL: 1

Consecutive games against AFC North foes set the table for the Chiefs to send a statement to open the season.

Xavier Worthy had a brilliant debut, bringing the big play back to Kansas City's offense, and Rashee Rice had one of his best games as a pro. There’s plenty of room for improvement, but the Chiefs should be getting Marquise “Hollywood” Brown back from a shoulder injury in the next few weeks, and the Ravens will be one of their tougher matchups all season. K.C.'s defense held Baltimore to 10 points through three quarters but also benefited from a lot of self-inflicted errors from the Ravens. Still, the champs remain the champs, and you better believe they’ll get up for the Bengals coming to town, even after Cincinnati’s shocking loss to the Patriots at home. – Eric Edholm

The Athletic: 1

Analysts around the football landscape are collectively trying to avoid overreacting to Week 1. With that said, the Chiefs' performance makes it hard to not be positive regarding their future outlook.

Is it too early to start talking about a four-peat? Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy touched the ball three times and gained 68 yards and scored twice. Second-year receiver Rashee Rice opened the season with the fourth 100-yard game of his career. Eight Chiefs skill-position players touched the ball, and Travis Kelce had only 34 yards, so there’s plenty more there for the Chiefs, who could be the first team to three-peat in the Super Bowl era if they keep this up. – Josh Kendall

FOX Sports: 1

Oftentimes, teams that come away with narrow wins prove that the formula can't be repeated over time. Kansas City, on the other hand, consistently seems to come away with clutch victories over good opponents. The Ravens game served as yet another example of that.

Winning is winning — it doesn’t matter if it’s by an inch or a mile. Dom Toretto’s immortal words rang in my ears as I watched the defending champs hold off the Ravens by a literal toenail. Dramatic as the opener might have been, the Chiefs revamped offense looks just as explosive as we thought it might. That’s a scary thought. – David Helman

CBS Sports: 1

This week's CBS Sports power rankings kept things short, sweet and to the point: Kansas City's receivers are in a better place this season.

We won't be worrying about their receivers this season. Xavier Worthy can fly and Rashee Rice is taking his game up a notch. Patrick Mahomes will light it up again. – Pete Prisco

Read More: Insider Gives Update On Chances of Chiefs Facing Tee Higgins in Week 2