Week 3 Power Rankings Roundup: Chiefs' Reign at Top Continues

After their win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Kansas City Chiefs maintain the top spot in many major outlet power rankings lists.

Sep 15, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid watches play against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Two games into the 2024-25 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs have played two formidable opponents and have yet to drop a contest. Following close wins over the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, Andy Reid's team is looking good in the early stages of its title defense.

Where do the back-to-back Super Bowl champs slot in compared to their peers? Let's take a look at some Week 3 NFL power rankings from major outlets as Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons approaches.

The 33rd Team: 1

Despite a rare poor performance from Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs did enough to secure a narrow win at home on Sunday. That's reflected in The 33rd Team's weekly power rankings.

They did it again. Down by two on a fourth and 16, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs found a way to survive against the Bengals. This was not a great performance by Mahomes, as he threw two interceptions, but he made the plays when Kansas City needed them. The Chiefs are 2-0, but neither win has been all that convincing. Yet, they're No. 1. – Marcus Mosher

Bleacher Report: 1

As the injuries continue to pile up for Kansas City, the team simply keeps finding ways to win. The Bengals victory, a classic Week 2 thriller, was enough to keep the Chiefs in the top spot relative to the rest of the league.

This was most assuredly not Kansas City's best effort Mahomes was sloppy. Travis Kelce was quiet for the second straight game. Starting running back Isiah Pacheco fractured his fibula and is out indefinitely. And the team needed a late DPI penalty to set up Harrison Butker's game-winning field goal. But somehow, some way, the Chiefs found a way to win the game. And at the end of the day, that's all that matters. – Gary Davenport

Sports Illustrated: 1

No team in the NFL is invincible and just last regular season, the Chiefs showed that they can lose to just about anyone. With that said, they also have the widest margin for error of any club and can win the ugliest of games thanks to the roster and its leadership.

I’m not sure how many other folks out there saw Kansas City backed up against a fourth-and-16 and still thought there was no way they were losing the game. And while top Chiefs conspiracy theorists will say that is because of some relationship between top pharmaceutical companies, the NFL and a deeply secretive Hollywood talent agency, I just think it’s because good teams put themselves in a position where they can maximize the chances of something good happening. Posting up a receiver on a 2024 seventh-round draft pick is … a good plan. – Conor Orr

NFL: 1

NFL.com's power rankings are just fine with where the Chiefs are as a team, but one analyst is perplexed by a quiet first couple of weeks for tight end Travis Kelce.

The Chiefs have become known for not just winning, but for how they win. Sunday was the latest magic act, with the Bengals also having a lot to do with how the game played out. The Chiefs are fortunate to be 2-0, but their résumé is just too good and too well-established to tarnish a perfect record too much. This is what they do: occasionally win games they shouldn’t have won. But I’m wondering where Travis Kelce is right now. He had a quiet Week 1 and an even quieter Week 2, even with a 41-yard gain that was called back on a hold. The Chiefs’ game plan early felt a little off, and the defense wasn’t closing out on some key downs. I spent a year pointing this stuff out on a near weekly basis in this very space, and you know where we ended up. But with the news that Isiah Pacheco suffered a broken fibula, Kelce’s reintroduction to the stage has to happen soon. – Eric Edholm

The Athletic: 1

Echoing a similar sentiment here, The Athletic notes how ineffective Kelce has been from a statistical standpoint. On the other hand, the power rankings also point to how Kansas City is winning without its second-best offensive player not contributing much in the box score yet.

Kansas City offensive tackle Wanya Morris has more touchdown catches than Travis Kelce this season. Morris caught a 1-yard scoring pass as an eligible lineman on Sunday, and he is only three catches behind Kelce for the season, meaning the Chiefs are undefeated and still haven’t even activated one of their best offensive weapons. If the Chiefs win in either of the next two weeks, Patrick Mahomes will become the first quarterback in NFL history to win 77 of his first 100 starts. He’s tied with Tom Brady and Roger Staubach at 76. – Josh Kendall

FOX Sports: 1

This week, the FOX Sports crew ranks its top 10 NFL teams entering Week 3. In no surprise, Kansas City sits atop the throne.

The defending champs have mastered the art of winning games. Andy Reid's crew has the talent and toughness to win high-scoring shootouts or grind-it-out affairs against elite competition. Against Cincinnati, the Chiefs overcame a sluggish performance from Patrick Mahomes to chalk up their second win of the season behind a pair of unlikely heroes (S Chamarri Conner and LT Wanya Morris) scoring pivotal touchdowns. With Harrison Butker nailing another game-winner, the Chiefs will be a tough out for every opponent on their schedule. – Bucky Brooks

CBS Sports: 1

The result was good on Sunday, although the process was anything but that. If Kansas City wants to win another Super Bowl, it'll likely need Mahomes and the rest of the offense to develop better consistency.

They found a way against the Bengals, but hardly looked impressive in doing so. The passing game was off. That's not what we expect from Patrick Mahomes. – Pete Prisco

Read More: Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown Announces Successful Surgery on Shoulder