The Kansas City Chiefs are at the top of the mountain as they are the defending Super Bowl Champions. Behind their now half-billion quarterback, Patrick Mahomes and a plethora of other playmakers on offense, the Chiefs are ready to make some noise in the playoffs once again, but there are some holes on the roster that keep the Chiefs from the top spot in the power rankings.
Make sure to check out all of our in-depth power rankings here.
- Overall – 85.797 (2nd)
- Offense – 89.37 (2nd)
- Defense – 80.265 (17th)
- Coach and Culture – 89.75, (2nd)
- Home Field Advantage – 89.5, 2nd (4% Defense, 2% Overall)
Quarterbacks – 96, 1st (36% Offense, 27% Overall)
Mahomes signed a ten-year extension worth up to $503 million earlier this week. Despite missing two games last year, he threw for 4,031 yards, 26 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league and hasn’t had a bad game in his career to this point. He can and has put the team on his back during his short career and the Chiefs rewarded him with the richest contract in sports history.
Matt Moore filled in great during his two starts with Mahomes out last year and was brought back yesterday to be the backup. Moore completed almost 65 percent of his passes for 659 yards and four touchdowns during action last year. He is a great backup option and won’t put the team in danger and out of position to win the game.
Chad Henne has been with the Chiefs since 2018 and might potentially be cut. Henne hasn’t thrown a pass in the regular season since 2018 where he completed two of his three passes. He has plenty of starting experience during his time with the Jaguars and Dolphins and fits well with what Andy Reid likes to run in an offense but Jordan Ta’amu could push for the third role. Ta’amu is an intriguing developmental piece behind Mahomes and could find his way onto the active roster instead of the practice squad.
Running Backs – 77, T-24th (4% Offense, 3% Overall)
Kansas City’s backfield is quite an intriguing one. Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the selection with the last pick in the first round. Edwards-Helaire gives the Chiefs another weapon in the receiving game as he caught 69 passes during his time at LSU including 55 passes this last year. At LSU, he also compiled over 6.5 yards per carry during his Junior season where LSU’s offense was one of the best we have ever seen at the collegiate level. Due to the lack of practice this offseason, he could have a rough transition and not have the production in his rookie season that many expected him to have.
The backfield was plagued by injuries last year and the leading rusher, Damien Williams didn’t even hit 500 rushing yards. Williams only played in 11 games where he totaled 498 rushing yards and 213 receiving yards and totaled seven touchdowns. He is a poor man’s Edwards-Helaire as they have a similar playing style and it will be interesting to see how the two are used. Darwin Thompson was supposed to be the lead back this year but didn’t prove himself last year and will be the third back in the rotation now. Thompson only had 37 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown last year.
Elijah McGuire and DeAndre Washington were added during the offseason to add some depth to the running back position that also has Darrell Williams returning following a season where he had 41 rushes for 141 yards and three touchdowns.
Pass Catchers – 89, 3rd (17% Offense, 8% Overall)
Speed, speed, and more speed is the trend at the receiver spot. Tyreek Hill is one of the best receivers in the game when he’s on the field and despite missing four games last year, still had 860 yards and seven touchdowns. The connection between him and Mahomes is one that the Chiefs will need this year to get back to the Super Bowl. Sammy Watkins could potentially be traded or cut before the season as his contract is way too big for Kansas City to handle especially given the contract they just gave Mahomes. When Watkins and Hill are on the field, they provide a great downfield tandem that can change the game with one play.
Watkins is expendable now because of Mecole Hardman. Hardman has elite speed and averaged over 20 yards per catch during his rookie season. He had six touchdowns while only totaling 26 catches. He needs to be more consistent this season as he disappeared during some games but would come back the next week and explode. Demarcus Robinson will be the fourth receiver and had a great season where he totaled 449 yards and four touchdowns. Byron Pringle is the only other name of note and he had 12 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown last year. The receiving core isn’t as deep as you would like it to be, but it’s stellar at the top.
Travis Kelce is one of the best tight ends in the league and showed that again last year. He can shred opposing defenses and had over 1,200 yards receiving last year. He is a great route runner and knows how to read opposing defenses. The Chiefs quietly added Ricky Seals-Jones who will be the second tight end this year following a four-touchdown season in Cleveland.
Offensive Line – 76.5, 19th (24% Offense, 12% Overall)
Mitchell Schwartz is one of the best right tackles in the league and is the best lineman on the Chiefs by a mile. The four other starters are average at best. Eric Fisher has turned his career around after being considered a bust and is now an above-average tackle. Andrew Wylie and Austin Reiter man the left guard and center spots while Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is the right guard coming off of a down season.
Mike Remmers is the veteran insurance at tackle and Lucas Niang was selected in the third round as one of the best developmental tackles in the draft and could potentially push for Fisher’s starting spot. Martinas Rankin and Greg Senat are also two developmental options at the tackle spots and Nick Allegretti could battle for an interior spot if any of the three starters struggle.
Run Defense – 78, 23rd (6% Defense, 2% Overall)
Kansas City ranked 23rd against the run last year and will be in the middle of the pack again this year. The front three is solid with Alex Okafor and Derrick Nnadi being opposite of Chris Jones who will play this year on the franchise tag. Frank Clark is on the defensive line primarily as a pass rusher but he had 9.5 tackles for loss as well. The Chiefs have added a ton of intriguing young pieces on the defensive line with Tanoh Kpassagnon, Breeland Speaks, Khalen Saunders, and Mike Danna. Taco Charlton was also brought in as a lost opportunity to save his career. Despite the depth on the defensive line, the linebacking core drags this grade down a ton.
Pass Rush – 81.5, T-16th (21% Defense, 10% Overall)
The Chiefs have a ton of potential for their pass rush but teams have schemed well against them before. Clark totaled eight sacks in 14 games last year which was second on the team behind Jones securing nine. Alex Okafor was a pleasant surprise last year when he had five sacks on the year and Kpassagnon totaled four. Besides those four though, Kansas City needs to find more of a rotation and Speaks needs to stay healthy. The pass rush could do better than this ranking, but this is where they sit right now.
Linebackers – 74, 24th (15% Defense, 4% Overall)
Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson are solid players at the linebacker spot but aren’t spectacular. The selection of Willie Gay in the second round was a steal. Gay had some off the field issues at Mississippi State but would’ve been a first-round selection if not for those issues. He is a three-down linebacker that flies from sideline to sideline defending the run but can also drop back into coverage. With Reggie Ragland and Darron Lee gone, Gay will have a role right away. Ben Niemann is solid depth and had 56 tackles last year, while Dorian O’Daniel could be on the chopping block.
Secondary – 78.5, 22nd (26% Defense, 17% Overall)
The Chiefs secondary is a weak spot and that was proven all season last year and the front office didn’t do much to fix it. Charvarius Ward and Bashaud Breeland are replacement-level starters at best and Breeland found himself in some trouble during the offseason. The two had four interceptions combined and the Chiefs need to find help besides them. Rashad Fenton was a great find late in the draft last year and will line up in the slot again this year. L’Jarius Sneed and Thakarius Keyes were added via the draft and will fight for playing time.
Tyrann Mathieu is the leader of the secondary and can play any position on the field, be it cornerback, safety, slot cornerback, or even linebacker. He finished with 75 tackles, 12 pass deflections, four interceptions, and two sacks last year and is poised for another great year. Juan Thornhill is a great young safety who had three interceptions on the season and Daniel Sorenson factors in as the third safety as well. Armani Watts is solid depth at the safety spot and would play nicely if an injury were to occur to any of the three starters.
Coach and Culture – 89.5, 2nd (19% Offense, 28% Defense, 15% Overall)
Reid and Eric Bienemy are a great tandem to lead the offense and rank at the top of the league for offensive coach and culture. With Mahomes being locked up for another decade, the front office is allowed to build the offense around him more and it started with the selection of Edwards-Helaire. The offensive line needs to be retooled around Schwartz but the Chiefs are ready for the future with their half-billion dollar man. Another note, Bienemy deserves a head-coaching gig.
Steve Spagnuolo is one of the better defensive coordinators in the league and has coached the Rams as well. He isn’t working with a great defense right now but still led them to rank seventh in the league last year. With a more-improved linebacking core and the secondary potentially taking a step forward, the Chiefs could rank as one of the better defensive units in the league once again. Kansas City ranks ninth in defensive coach and culture.
Kansas City has a shot at winning the Super Bowl again this year. With teams in the AFC jockeying with roster moves that have led players to leave to go elsewhere, Kansas City returns most of their starters and has added an uber-talented running back and a great linebacker from the draft. It’s Super Bowl-or-bust for the Chiefs again this year.
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