The Kansas City Chiefs (8-6) won their second-straight game on Saturday night with their impressive 30-13 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers (7-7), who came into the game as one of the hottest teams in the league and a trendy pick by many to win the AFC West.
But the Chiefs took a commanding lead over the division with the win and now need just one more win, or a Chargers' loss, to win the AFC West for the second-straight year.
It's historic in that the Chiefs have never won division titles in consecutive years in franchise history.
As is the case every Tuesday morning, the experts from around the league have put of their latest power rankings.
So, after a dominant performance in primetime with the whole country watching, where do the experts have the Chiefs sitting heading into Week 16?
NFL.com – No. 12 (Last week – No. 18)
Here's what they had to say about the ranking:
"They say you live and die by turnovers in the NFL. As long as Andy Reid's Chiefs don't give you those freebies while taking a few under their arms, they will advance…the clutch second-half takeaways by Marcus Peters (one of which came on a world-class strip job) and Ron Parker transitioned the AFC West battle between the Chiefs and Chargers into a divisional runaway. Alex Smith now has 25 touchdowns against a scant five interceptions on the year."
ESPN – No. 10 – (Last week – No. 13)
Here's what they had to say about the ranking:
"Darrelle Revis (7): The Chiefs have had Revis for three games this year, but his midseason signing made him the most decorated player on the roster. He has only one pass breakup in those three games, but the rest of the team has five picks in that same stretch."
Yahoo Sports – No. 10 (Last week – No. 14)
Here's what they had to say about the ranking:
"Maybe Marcus Peters just needed a wake-up call? A week after a team-imposed suspension, he had a marvelous game against the Chargers. We've seen a focused Peters be one of the best cornerbacks in football, and if he is past this season's slump, it would help the Chiefs defense immensely."
Bleacher Report – No. 13 (Last week – No. 16)
Here's what they had to say about the ranking:
"For the third week in a row, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has been aggressive with his play-calling. I like it. That's how you end up with a 64-yard touchdown catch by Tyreek Hill on 3rd-and-2.
"The offensive line getting healthy and getting more work as a unit is starting to show in the run game, as well. We're seeing more of the Kareem Hunt we saw during Kansas City's hot start to the season."
Washington Post – No. 13 (Last week – No. 16)
Here's what they had to say about the ranking:
"They've righted themselves with two straight wins and were clearly the better team in the "showdown" (by the modest standards of the AFC West) Saturday night with the Chargers."
NJ Advanced Media for NewJersey.com – No. 11 (Last week – No. 14)
Here's what they had to say about the ranking:
"The middle of this Chiefs season could eventually just be looked at as a blip on a successful season. Andy Reid's team will be a tough out in a home playoff game."
New York Daily News – No. 11 (Last week – No. 12)
Here's what they had to say about the ranking:
"Andy Reid's team has seemingly re-found their mojo after a mid-season swoon. Rookie running back Kareem Hunt looks a lot like the guy we saw in the first month."
Sports Illustrated (MMQB) – No. 10 (Last week – No. 13)
Here's their full list of rankings.
