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It’s no surprise to see the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at the top of the NFL power rankings. This is true even if the Chiefs have been a little lucky to remain undefeated so far this season. But how do the Chiefs rank against other remaining undefeated teams? And how long will this last for these teams?
Five undefeated teams remain in the NFL. That includes the Buffalo Bills, who are scheduled to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night. We will exclude the Bills from these rankings, pending their outcome against the Jaguars.
It’s good to be 3-0 as about 75% of teams that started that way have gone on to make postseason play since 1970.
So who is at the top? It wouldn’t be logical to move the Kansas City Chiefs down until somebody proves they can beat them, so let’s keep them in the cat bird’s seat.
No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have beaten the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Atlanta Falcons. That’s a tough road to start the season, so winning all of those contests — two on the road — is impressive.
Simply put, quarterback Patrick Mahomes finds a way to get it done during the clutch. He tossed a rather lame interception in the end zone against the Falcons. But when he needed to make a play, he made a play. And he has succeeded despite losing bell-cow running back Isaiah Pacheco. Also, Mahomes is turning wide receiver Rashee Rice into an NFL star.
How could an NFL undefeated team fall? It’s like everything else in the NFL. Injuries have already hit. And if they hit hard at the wrong time, the Chiefs will fall.
This is true even in Mahomes stays healthy. Three titles in a row is extremely unlikely to happen. You can see the chink in the armor with the way Mahomes hasn’t gotten much production from other receivers, including a very poor start to the season by future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce.
When will the Chiefs lose? It could come as early as Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers but only if Justin Herbert is able to play. If not, a loss after the bye week is the next best bet. That’s Week 8, when the Chiefs will play at San Francisco.
No. 2 Pittsburgh Steelers
With an easier NFL schedule than the Chiefs, the Pittsburgh Steelers can’t lay claim to that level. Plus, the undefeated Steelers are overachieving. However, it’s not as great of a hoax as some NFL observers make it out to be. The Steelers have a good team and should be legitimately in the playoff scramble. Just don’t expect a deep run this season.
Pittsburgh picked up road wins against the Falcons and Denver Broncos while beating the Chargers at home. They seem to live and die with a defensive unit that rocks. T.J. Watt creates problems for four full quarters. The Steelers have allowed a total of just 26 points on the season, making their offensive total of 51 points stand up so far.
However, the problem is the offense. The Steelers aren’t using George Pickens to the fullest, and the ground game seems to be hit or miss. It’s obvious Tomlin believes in Pickens, according to his comments on heavy.com via the Pittsburgh Steelers X page.
“I think he’s grown in all areas, not only in terms of skill relative to his position, and he has a lot of that, but the nuances of the game,” Tomlin said.
If the Steelers can settle in for their quarterback position, which is looking more and more like Justin Fields’ job to lose, then maybe Pickens can find a groove and the Steelers can continue to win games. Look for their first loss to come in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys.
No. 3 Minnesota Vikings
Yes, the Minnesota Vikings look good. But this is an NFL undefeated team mirage. They defeated the New York Giants, 49ers, and Houston Texans, looking solid in the process.
One of the biggest things that helps the team is Brian Flores’ defensive schemes that troubled 49ers QB Brock Purdy throughout the game. Can the Vikings keep up this defensive effort? Time will tell, but if they stay healthy, they may maintain a top-10 defensive unit.
As for quarterback Sam Darnold, that’s a different story. He keeps proving people wrong, but remember Baker Mayfield has enjoyed some nice stretches, too. But it can come back to Earth in a hurry as we’ve seen with him. That could happen to Darnold, too.
Wide receiver Justin Jefferson said Darnold is for real, according to fox9.com.
“Sam is the leader of the team. He’s the captain,” Jefferson said. “It was a great job for him getting us this win. No matter who we’re going up against, how many people are doubting us or him, he’s going out there confident and just being himself.”
The Vikings’ bubble will likely burst Sunday when they travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers.
No. 4 Seattle Seahawks
There are some things to like about the Seahawks, but this is a schedule-induced NFL undefeated team start. Wins over the Broncos, New England Patriots, and the Miami Dolphins — without Tua Tagovailoa — are simply not impressive.
Granted Mike Macdonald is doing the expected, coaching up the defensive unit and keeping his team in games. The problem comes with Geno Smith making enough plays week in and week out, at times when it matters, to keep the Seahawks winning when the opponents get tougher.
Macdonald said his team took a step forward in the 24-3 win over the Dolphins, according to komonews.com.
“It's awesome to be 3-0,” Macdonald said. “Obviously, we got a big one coming up, too. We'll shift our focus after we celebrate today. I thought our front played incredibly hard getting to the ball with a sense of urgency, which was really fun to watch and be part of,” Macdonald added.
Look for the fun to end next Monday night when the Seahawks face off against the Detroit Lions.
