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Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes Receive New Spot in NFL Power Rankings

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Brendan Howe | Last updated Oct 21, 2025 7:18 PM ET

Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs have had a stranglehold on the AFC for nearly a decade. The way they’re trending at the moment, that dominance could continue.

The Chiefs have made seven consecutive AFC Championship games, reaching five Super Bowls and winning three. Early on this season, it appeared as if Patrick Mahomes and the rest of his crew might have been showing signs of a decline. Not now, though.

Kansas City has won two in a row, downing the Detroit Lions and Las Vegas Raiders, since starting 2-3. NFL.com’s Eric Edholm tabbed the Chiefs as the third-best team in the league after Week 8.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and wide receiver Marquise Brown (5) head to the bench after scoring a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

“This was peak-Chiefs dominance, and even though the blowout win came over a scuffling Las Vegas squad, that’s exactly what you want to see from a team that fielded a lineup of Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice together for the first time,” Edholm wrote. “The result was an extremely balanced attack; even the run game showed some signs of vitality. Defensively, it was a masterpiece.”

The Chiefs jumped six spots and sit behind the Detroit Lions (No. 1) and the Indianapolis Colts (No. 2).

As of now, the AFC appears to be wide open. The Pittsburgh Steelers hold a lead in the AFC North, which has seen the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals struggle without their star passers. The Buffalo Bills have had their own issues, and the Chiefs will be able to measure themselves against Josh Allen’s crew two Sundays from now.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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