Despite being down eight points with three minutes to go on Sunday Night Football, the Kansas City Chiefs found a way to knock off the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in overtime by a score of 30-27.
Wins always have a positive effect on the NFL Power Rankings, and we have rounded up where the experts are positioning the Chiefs (average rank: No. 5) heading into Week 13:
NFL.com's Elliot Harrison**has the Chiefs at No. 6**, up one rank from last week.
Harrison: "How fun was it to watch Justin Houston blow up blocking schemes on Sunday night? J.J. Watt is considered the best defensive player in football, Von Miller has 58 commercials and Marcus Peters gets all the praise on the Chiefs' defense -- but Houston is a bad@#$. Sure, he had three sacks. How about some of the stops he made in the run game? The dude made 10 tackles and forced a fumble. Somehow the football world conveniently forgot his 22 (legitimate) sacks in 2014. On another note, I once hit a Cairo Santos banker off a windmill at Malibu Putt Putt Golf and Games. Anyone been to Howl-in-One? **(@HarrisonNFL*) Crazy Sunday night kicking lives."*
Harrison has the Raiders at No. 3, the Broncos at No. 7 and the Chargers at No. 16.
CBS Sports' Pete Prisco**has the Chiefs at No. 5**, up three ranks from last week.
Prisco: "That was a big-time victory at Denver. When they get Dee Ford back to go with Justin Houston, they will be menacing on defense."
Bleacher Report's Chris Simms**has the Chiefs at No. 4**.
Simms: "They're leaping several spots in my rankings after squeaking past the Denver Broncos and picking up a crucial AFC West victory. Head coach Andy Reid's team controls its own destiny in the playoff hunt.
The Chiefs did so by A) controlling the line of scrimmage at times and B) maintaining a creative edge in player usage. Tyreek Hill scored in three different ways, for instance. Travis Kelce caught bubble screens. Alex Smith made some impressive reads with Von Miller crashing in.
Of course, it helps to have a Von Miller-esque player on your own team. That's what the Chiefs have with Justin Houston's return. Old No. 50 showcased the pass-rushing form that once made him a 20-sack player. Get him and Dee Ford on the field together and watch the hell out."
ESPN**has the Chiefs at No. 6**, up one rank from last week.
"Whenever you're the "first since Gale Sayers," you're probably doing something right. Tyreek Hill became the first since Sayers with rushing, receiving and kick return touchdowns in the same game, which was a very good thing for the Chiefs, as they improved to 8-3. The Chiefs head to Atlanta this week."
Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab**has the Chiefs at No. 4**, up two ranks from last week.
Schwab: "At some point this season, the defense will have Dee Ford, Justin Houston, Jaye Howard, Eric Berry, Marcus Peters and Dontari Poe (and Tamba Hali, and Derrick Johnson … you get the point) healthy and all on the field together. Don't underestimate this team. They have won 19 of their last 23 games, counting playoffs."
The Chiefs visit the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT.
