The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Denver Broncos, 33-10, on Christmas night, knocking them out of postseason contention. They also clinched a playoff berth earlier in the day.
Here's how the Chiefs rank according to the experts headed into the final week of the regular season:
AVERAGE POWER RANKINGS POSITION: 3.75
NFL.com's Elliot Harrison ranked the Chiefs at No. 4, two positions higher than last week.
"Dontari Poe ... the 346-pound Tim Tebow of the NFL. Huge touchdown, literally. Poe was one of many Chiefs who helped the team matriculate the ball down the field Sunday night. The 2016 Chiefs would make former head coach Hank Stram very proud. Stram's Chiefs played the NFL's longest game on Christmas Day 1971, a true NFL classic, 45 years before Andy Reid's group moved closer to hosting a playoff game at Arrowhead. In order to do that, the Raiders must lose against the Broncos, while the Chiefs have to take out their nemesis – the always tough Chargers – in San Diego. [Insert the you-can-throw-out-the-records-for-this-game line here.]"
CBS Sports' Pete Prisco ranked the Chiefs at No. 5, three positions higher than last week.
"They looked good beating the Broncos on Sunday night. Now they have to keep it going to the postseason."
Bleacher Report's Chris Simms ranked the Chiefs at No. 3, four positions higher than last week.
"This might be the best team Andy Reid has ever coached.
Let that sink in. Reid went to a Super Bowl and oversaw several other top-notch Eagles teams. But this Kansas City roster is more talented from top to bottom. The Chiefs are just as explosive as Donovan McNabb to Terrell Owens, minus the drama. And you can tell they're having fun (and not just by Dontari Poe touchdown throws).
Alex Smith toyed with Denver's championship defense. He just needed to find Travis Kelce or Tyreek Hill; both playmakers made sure to find open space and make would-be tacklers look foolish.
Looking forward: Come for a No. 2-seed clinching opportunity. Stay to see how many touchdowns Poe accounts for."
ESPN ranked the Chiefs at No. 3, six positions higher than last week.
"Travis Kelce has recorded 100 receiving yards in five of the Chiefs' past six games. In that time, Kelce leads the NFL in receiving yards with 651, which is actually 89 more than the next closest receiver. Looks like nobody is catching Kelce."
