The Kansas City Chiefs and the other 31 teams have successfully completed the NFL Draft and the major waves of free agency, which means it’s time to start looking at power rankings. While a series of trades, signings, and cuts will happen over the next few months, by and large, every team has already added most of its impact players for the upcoming season.
The Chiefs are usually one of the league’s most unstoppable forces, having won three Super Bowls and made it to at least the AFC Championship Game in every season from 2018 to 2024. However, last year was a lost campaign, as the team missed the playoffs and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL.
Kansas City should have Mahomes back for Week 1, but Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport doesn’t think that the two-time NFL MVP’s presence will automatically make them contenders. In a recent article, the NFL analyst ranked the Chiefs as the 16th-best team in the league.
“…it’s no mystery what the overriding storyline will be in Kansas City this summer: Can Patrick Mahomes rebound from his ACL tear and get the Chiefs right back into the mix in the AFC, or are their days of dominating the conference over?”
Chiefs Earn Mediocre Spot In Latest Power Rankings
While Mahomes is a big question mark and undoubtedly will play the largest role in this team’s success, it’s worth looking at the rest of the roster to see if Kansas City can compete in a loaded division. On the one hand, they spent big on Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, and the former second-round pick should help solidify this running game. However, they also lost several key playmakers on the defensive side of the ball.
Cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson both left for the Los Angeles Rams, leaving Kansas City’s secondary in a weak place. While first-round pick Mansoor Delane should help right out of the gate, he probably won’t be as good as McDuffie and might not even play up to Watson’s level as a rookie. While the team also selected Clemson’s Peter Woods to solidify the defensive line, they still need another linebacker, offensive lineman, and wide receiver.
Ultimately, a healthy Patrick Mahomes can cover up a lot of these holes. However, if the quarterback struggles to knock off the rust as he returns from his injury, this could be a fair placement for the Chiefs in the power rankings.
