The Kansas City Chiefs (9-6) clinched their second-straight division title and their fourth playoff berth in five years under head coach Andy Reid with their 29-13 win over the Miami Dolphins (6-9) last Sunday afternoon.
This means the Chiefs will host a playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium in two weeks in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs. The schedule has not yet been released (and won't until the regular season is over), but you can buy your playoff tickets by following this link.
The Chiefs will finish up the regular season this weekend by travelling to take on the Denver Broncos (5-10) on Sunday afternoon.
And as is the case every Tuesday morning, the experts from around the league have put together their latest power rankings. While they don't mean much in the grand scheme of things, it's still interesting to know the perception from the different media outlets on where your favorite team stacks up compared to the others across the league.
So, after their third-straight win and having just clinched another division title, just how high did the Chiefs climb this week?
Here's a look at some of the top power rankings from around the league:
NFL.com – No. 9 (Last week – No. 11)
"Guess who's won three in a row after being written off? The Chiefs, who climb back into the top 10 for the first time in two months after handling the Dolphins on Sunday. Kansas City took the AFC West title in the process, rendering the Week 17 matchup with the Broncos rather meaningless. Although, given the run Andy Reid's group is on, having taken down three playoff hopefuls in successive weeks, I'm not sure I'd want to sit my starters in preparation for the postseason."
ESPN – No. 8 (Last week – No. 10)
"9 wins: After a 5-0 start, it seems pretty crazy that Kansas City might not surpass nine wins. It seems even crazier when you take into consideration that, according to Elias Sports Bureau research, the Chiefs are just the second team with a 4,000-yard passer (Alex Smith), a 1,000-yard running back (Kareem Hunt), a 1,000-yard wide receiver (Tyreek Hill) and a 1,000-yard tight end (Travis Kelce)."
Bleacher Report – No. 9 (Last week – No. 13)
"The Chiefs have gotten things rolling again on offense. The thing that stands out most is how Kansas City is being more patient with the run game. Kareem Hunt is certainly one of the best players on the team. When the Chiefs run him, it makes life easier for Alex Smith and opens things up in the passing game.
We saw that against Miami, even though Hunt didn't have a huge statistical day. Rushing attempts are sometimes just as important as rushing yards.
When the Chiefs keep the attempts up and force you to respect the ground game, the offense becomes difficult to defend. There are several explosive playmakers who will make you pay as soon as you sneak an extra defender into the box…"
Sporting News – No. 10
"10. Kansas City Chiefs (9-6): The Chiefs celebrated their "Clinchmas" by having Santa Claus address the media."
