Thursday, November 4, 2021

Kansas City Chiefs Week 9 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2021 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Here is where the Kansas City Chiefs rank in terms of average, best and worst:

  • Average ranking: 13.4 (14th)
  • Best ranking: 12th (CBS Sports)
  • Worst ranking: 15th (ESPN)

Below you will find a Week 9 roundup for the Chiefs in our consensus 2021 NFL Power Rankings.

ESPN -- Rank: 15

Biggest Achilles' heel: Pass rush

The Chiefs had a league-low eight sacks and a feeble pass rush win rate of 35.2% heading into Monday night's game against the Giants. There's no mystery why opposing quarterbacks had a 61.4 QBR against them. It's difficult to see any hope that the defense will make significant improvement unless these numbers improve. The Chiefs were getting little from Chris Jones and Frank Clark, two of the highest-paid players on their roster. The two combined for two sacks, with Clark contributing zero going into the Giants game. -- Adam Teicher

NFL.com -- Rank: 13

The Chiefs found a way on Monday night, but don't mistake that for reason to think all is well in Kansas City. Andy Reid's team remains bizarrely mistake-riddled on offense, and a slew of penalties kept an inferior Giants team in the game until the end. Kansas City's big-strike attack remains absent, and struggles in the red zone can no longer be seen as an anomaly. Something just seems off with this offense, and the sight of a mortal Patrick Mahomes tentatively feeling his way through games remains a jarring viewing experience. The road ahead is brutal: Kansas City has the toughest schedule in the league the rest of the way, with a marquee matchup against Aaron Rodgers and the surging Packers up next. Buckle up.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 12

Once again, the offense looked clunky in beating the Giants. That has to change. Patrick Mahomes doesn't look like himself.

USA Today -- Rank: 14

Aside from continued failures to protect the ball or run it with much efficacy against a bad team, they looked great. Now let's see how that translates with Kansas City's next three against first-place teams (Green Bay, Las Vegas, Dallas) before defending AFC champs reach much-needed bye.

The Athletic -- Rank: 13

How's the head coach? Sure, the Chiefs won on Monday night (against the lowly Giants), but the concerns about Andy Reid's offense remain. The biggest issues for Reid to address? Coaching quarterback Patrick Mahomes into fewer turnovers by adjusting play design to better account for teams taking away the QB's preferred deep routes, and figuring out a way to effectively run the ball. The Chiefs have had the luxury of an excess of creative and wild plays in recent years. That was fun while Kansas City was steamrolling the rest of the AFC. But now is not the time for cute, and Reid's challenge now is to just make the basic stuff work.

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