After the Kansas City Chiefs collected a 37-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon, the team has generally edged up in the national rankings. One outlet moved Kansas City from 12th to fourth!
Here’s this week’s sampling:
(up from 11)
It wasn’t hard to see the Xavier Worthy effect on this offense in Kansas City’s 37-20 win over Baltimore. His mere presence helped open things up, and Worthy averaged a scalding 17.3 yards per touch in his first game back from a Week 1 shoulder injury. When Patrick Mahomes has a trustworthy offensive line in front of him and playmakers to throw to, Kansas City’s usually in good shape. Even the running backs did some damage against the Ravens’ troubled defense, which was a nice sign. The Chiefs’ defense also did its job, with Chris Jones turning in a star performance after attending his aunt’s funeral in Mississippi. At 2-2, Andy Reid and Co. aren’t out of the woods yet, but this game announced they’re not going anywhere.
— Eric Edholm
ESPN: 7
(up from 9)
Biggest issue on offense: Running back production
After the return of speedy receiver Xavier Worthy — and the upcoming return of No. 1 receiver Rashee Rice in Week 7 — the last major issue for the Chiefs is their rushing attack. Kansas City is able to get some production on the ground, but none of it is coming from the running backs. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes still leads the team in rushing with 130 yards, and the Chiefs’ longest designed run this season (35 yards) was from Worthy on an end around. The Chiefs could consider adding another running back before the league’s trade deadline.
— Nate Taylor
The Athletic: 10
(up from 12)
Rookie spotlight: Josh Simmons
The first-round tackle has started every game and played almost every snap in Kansas City, and he may finally stabilize the left tackle spot for the Chiefs. However, he hasn’t been perfect. Simmons has allowed nine pressures this year, which is the seventh most among rookies with at least 100 pass-blocking snaps. Still, the Chiefs put up a season-high 382 yards on Sunday.
— Josh Kendall
Sports Illustrated: 4
(up from 12)
Patrick Mahomes is now throwing at about a 2.5 second per dropback clip. That’s almost 0.03 seconds faster than he was averaging in 2020. The evolution of Mahomes into a quick-game artist is underscored by the fact that he can still throw the deep ball better than any quarterback in the NFL. The Chiefs look fully recovered — and before offensive reinforcements even arrive.
— Conor Orr
Pro Football Talk: 8
(up from 11)
Don’t ever write off Patrick Mahomes.
— Mike Florio
(up from 12)
The four-touchdown passing game from Patrick Mahomes against the Ravens had an old-time feel to it for this offense. It’s amazing what having speed outside can do for a quarterback.
— Pete Prisco
Yahoo! Sports: 7
(up from 10)
Xavier Worthy makes a big difference. Kansas City’s offense finally had a playmaker and it showed. Now imagine the Chiefs with Worthy and Rashee Rice for the second half of the season. Winning on Sunday, along with the Chargers’ upset loss, means the Chiefs aren’t in that bad of shape coming out of September.
— Frank Schwab
The Sporting News: 8
(up from 12)
The Chiefs stopped the bleeding with their convincing wins over the Giants and Ravens in successive weeks. They won with terrific defense and methodical offense as well as more pieces helping Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City is back to doing what they do again.
— Vinnie Iyer
(up from 10)
Rumors of a dynastic demise were greatly exaggerated. The defending AFC champs [are] already restored to seventh place in the conference, with their 0-2 start quickly receding.
— Nate Davis
FOX Sports: 4
(up from 5)
I keep hearing that I’ve ranked the Chiefs too high, but do you really want to count out the Chiefs? Patrick Mahomes threw for 270 yards and four touchdowns against the Ravens. Xavier Worthy is back. Rashee Rice is on the way. Dismiss Kansas City at your own risk.
— Ralph Vacchiano
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