Through four games, the Kansas City Chiefs are off to an undefeated start to the 2024-25 season. Week 4’s victory over the Los Angeles Chargers was anything but pretty, yet Andy Reid’s club still managed to find a way to get the job done.
Where do the back-to-back Super Bowl champs slot in compared to their peers? Let’s take a look at some Week 5 NFL power rankings from major outlets as Monday’s game against the New Orleans Saints approaches.
This week’s power rankings from The 33rd Team are all about the Rashee Rice injury. While it’s still unclear exactly what the extent of his ailment is, any time missed will prove to be difficult for Kansas City to handle.
It’s always nice to get a divisional road win, especially against Justin Herbert. But losing Rashee Rice (torn ACL) for the season on a fluke play could end up being the difference in a three-peat or not. The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense wasn’t playing well even with Rice, and now it has lost its most reliable receiver. Things are about to get a whole lot tougher for Patrick Mahomes. – Marcus Mosher
The weekly Bleacher Report analyst trio keeps the Chiefs in the top spot as the month of October begins. Gary Davenport believes this is a somewhat familiar spot for the reigning Super Bowl champs.
After the Chiefs struggled moving the ball vertically in 2023, the team went hard at improving the wideout corps, adding Marquise Brown in free agency and drafting Xavier Worthy in Round 1. But Brown has yet to play a snap for the team, and now No. 1 receiver Rashee Rice is believed to have torn his ACL. That puts immense pressure on Worthy and rather leaves the Chiefs where they were a year ago—although that didn’t stop them from winning the Super Bowl. – Gary Davenport
If Rice misses serious time, what does that mean for Travis Kelce? The 34-year-old has made an impact beyond the box score this year, which is what Conor Orr highlights.
Even without the presence of Rashee Rice, there’s a belief that Kansas City will figure it out. Maybe that means trading for someone like Amari Cooper, though I seriously doubt it. When I did this story on Travis Kelce last year, the sentiment from the coaches at the time was that the future Hall of Fame tight end still had another evolution to make. The feeling I got was that this evolution involved being even more of a point guard and a table setter than anything else. I wonder if part of his quiet 2024 to this point has been exploring that world and what it might look like for him. – Conor Orr
The undefeated Minnesota Vikings take home the top spot here, as Kevin O’Connell’s team is riding high behind a productive offense and scary defense. With Rice injured, Eric Edholm sees a tough (but possible) path ahead for the Chiefs.
The drop here reflects the reality of the situation. The news on Rashee Rice’s knee injury doesn’t look good, leaving the Chiefs down yet another big playmaker on offense. Already missing Hollywood Brown and Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City really couldn’t afford to lose someone of Rice’s stature, as he was turning into one of the league’s better receivers. Travis Kelce showed he still has some gas in the tank against the Chargers, and Xavier Worthy stepped up in some big moments.
Kareem Hunt’s first game with the Chiefs in six years was even a surprising success, as he helped close out the win. But as great as Patrick Mahomes is, his play over the past few years has been more inconsistent than it previously was, and the Chiefs can only ask so much of the defense and special teams every week. They’re still obviously Super Bowl contenders until further notice, but it’s going to take the long road (again) to reach the mountaintop. – Eric Edholm
Like NFL.com, The Athletic‘s Week 5 power rankings also have Minnesota ahead of Kansas City for the week. Citing Rice’s injury and uncertainty at left tackle, those two could be what made the difference in splitting hairs at the top.
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy had a career-high 73 yards (on three catches) against the Chargers, and Kansas City is really going to need him now. Veteran wide receiver Rashee Rice is expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury against the Chargers. Worthy, who ran the fastest 40-yard dash in NFL combine history (4.21), has nine catches for 154 yards this season. Second-round rookie offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia has already lost his starting job at left tackle. – Josh Kendall
Bucky Brooks’ weekly top 10 teams is headlined by the Chiefs for another week.
Throw the style points out when evaluating the Chiefs. They consistently find ways to win, relying on their stars and unheralded players to make plays in the clutch. Whether it is Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce or a recently acquired veteran like Kareem Hunt, Andy Reid finds ways to put players in a position to make a game-changing play. With Steve Spagnuolo working his magic on defense, the Chiefs have the experience and expertise needed to win forever in a league that rarely produces dynasties. – Bucky Brooks
As he has in weeks past, Pete Prisco points out that close games seem to be the Chiefs’ go-to. But if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
They make it interesting each and every week, but they are finding a way to win games. At least Travis Kelce came alive against the Chargers, but the loss of Rashee Rice (knee) will be tough to overcome. – Pete Prisco
