Can anyone stop the Kansas City Chiefs?
It’s become an age-old question that NFL fans are surely getting annoyed to hear week in and week out this season. The Chiefs were nearly broken by the Denver Broncos on Sunday, but a blocked field goal sent them and the faithful at Arrowhead Stadium into jubilation.
Kansas City hasn’t lost since Christmas Day last year. Since then, the team surged into first place in the AFC West, won the AFC Championship and another Super Bowl title. They’ve won every close game they’ve been in this season but might meet their match this weekend against the Buffalo Bills – just putting that out there so the ’72 Miami Dolphins could get their champagne ready.
In any case, it still appears to be the Chiefs’ league and everyone else gunning for them. The Detroit Lions are likely the best team in the NFC right now, but even they were slowed by a Houston Texans team that lost to the New York Jets.
Are the Baltimore Ravens or Pittsburgh Steelers viable candidates to knock off the Chiefs? Sunday could determine that or whether they’re the third-best team in the AFC North.
The Chiefs hold the power again this week. Where does the rest go?
1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-0)
The Chiefs keep finding ways to win games. This time it was the special teams coming through as Leo Chenal blocked the Broncos game-winning kick as time expired to keep the Chiefs as the NFL’s last unbeaten team. The Chiefs faced their largest deficit of the season, 11 points, but did enough to win. The Chiefs’ offense had 300 yards of offense against a strong Broncos defense but struggled in the red zone, scoring just one touchdown and three field goals. The defense faltered early, giving up 14 first half points, but buckled down in the second half, shutting out the Broncos. The Chiefs will face their toughest test of the season next week when they take on the Bills on the road.
Last week: 1
2. Detroit Lions (8-1)
In recent weeks, the Lions have beaten opponents while also getting better together on the field. They’ve grown and matured as a unit so much to the point where they feel comfortable playing from behind against a good team like Houston, and making a comeback look routine.
Last week: 2
3. Buffalo Bills (8-2)
The Buffalo Bills rolled past the Indianapolis Colts with an expected 30-20 win on Sunday, but the real test of their season will come this week when they take on an old foe in the imperfectly perfect Kansas City Chiefs.
Last week: 3
4. Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
They play the Steelers this week and that will help determine which team stakes a claim for postseason home-field advantage.
Last week: 4
5. Philadelphia Eagles (7-2)
It was a beatdown in Dallas as the Eagles came into town and wiped out their division rival, 34-6, to continue their dominance since the bye week. At 7-2, the Eagles are in clear playoff contention as the Washington Commanders’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers puts them atop the NFC East throne. The Eagles and Commanders face off for a highly anticipated “Thursday Night Football” matchup this week when they will look to make it six wins in a row.
Last week: 5
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2)
Russell Wilson has George Pickens playing great, Mike Williams happy he escaped the Jets and the Steelers looking like a pretty complete team.
Last week: 8
7. Washington Commanders (7-3)
It was a close one, but Russell Wilson and the Steelers were too much for Jayden Daniels in FedEx Field as they dropped their first game at home this season. Washington remains a top playoff contender out of the NFC, but they have a large test on Thursday night when they head to Philadelphia with the NFC East lead on the line against the Eagles.
Last week: 6
8. Minnesota Vikings (7-2)
A win is a win. Minnesota had to have a game against a hapless Jaguars team and, despite looking almost as bad as Jacksonville itself at times, it got the five points it needed to stay on track. The playoff berth no one saw coming is getting closer and closer in Minnesota.
Last week: 7
9. Green Bay Packers (6-3)
Their bye week came at a lucky time for the Packers. With big games against the 49ers and Bears over the next two weeks, the direction and ceiling of this Packers team will come into clearer focus.
Last week: 9
10. San Francisco 49ers (5-4)
San Francisco is getting healthy and can now work on jelling together as a complete team. With two more months till the playoffs, the Niners are right on time.
Last week: 12
11. Los Angeles Chargers (6-3)
The Chargers did what good teams are supposed to do, and that is beating the teams they are supposed to beat, taking down the Titans 27-17. The Chargers have now won three games in a row and look to be playoff bound in Jim Harbaugh’s first year at the helm as head coach. Running back Gus Edwards returned from injury reserve and had 10 carries for 55 yards in the win. With Edwards in the fold and JK Dobbins having a resurgent season, look for the Chargers to lean on their newfound 1-2 punch out of the backfield.
Last week: 13
12. Houston Texans (6-4)
Getting five interceptions and losing is difficult to do. The offense did not keep the foot on the gas pedal, but with Nico Collins very likely to return this week, they should be fine. They’ll have an extra day to learn what happened and then take advantage of a weak Cowboys team sans Dak Prescott.
Last week: 11
13. Arizona Cardinals (6-4)
Put this blurb down as an endorsement for Kyler Murray as an MVP candidate. There aren’t three players in the league having more of an impact on his team this season than Murray.
Last week: 14
14. Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
The Falcons suffered a brutal loss on Sunday against the Saints, which snapped a seven-game losing streak for New Orleans. The reality is that the Falcons are still the best team in the division, but the NFC South just isn’t very good.
Last week: 10
15. Cincinnati Bengals (4-6)
They keep saying, “We’re a good team, we’re a good team.” Well, good teams string victories together and the Bengals have done that only once this season. And that was almost a month ago.
Last week: 16
16. Denver Broncos (5-5)
The Denver Broncos offense has not exactly been prolific this season, but they have managed to win half of the 10 games they’ve played so far. The Broncos took the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs to the brink at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 10. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix avoided making big mistakes against the Chiefs and seems to be improving every week under the guidance of head coach Sean Payton. Denver’s defense continues to be a strong point, sacking Patrick Mahomes four times this past Sunday. This week’s game against the Falcons could prove to be a measuring stick for the Broncos.
Last week: 18
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)
Tampa lost, yet again, to a very good team in the 49ers, though San Francisco needed a last-second field goal to do it. The schedule has been rough, but the Bucs have to take advantage of upcoming games against the Giants, Panthers and Raiders to get back into the NFC playoff picture.
Last week: 17
18. Los Angeles Rams (4-5)
The offensive woes were on full display on Monday night, but if Sean McVay’s unit can figure that out, L.A. is still feisty enough to impact the NFC West race.
Last week: 15
19. Seattle Seahawks (4-5)
Who are the Seahawks? Nine games into coach Mike MacDonald’s tenure, we don’t have an answer. Let’s see what this second half brings.
Last week: 20
20. Miami Dolphins (3-6)
Sometimes games aren’t won, they’re lost. That was mostly the case in the Dolphins’ 23-15 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday. Miami’s playoff outlook still looks grim, but the Dolphins defense stepped up to keep the Rams touchdown-less.
Last week: 24
21. Chicago Bears (4-5)
Chicago looks like it has in recent years again. Losing to the Patriots pushed them further down the hierarchy and there weren’t even many bright spots to pick from either in regard to rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
Last week: 19
22. Indianapolis Colts (4-6)
Perhaps this weekend can be a get-right game against the pitiful New York Jets, but there’s not much to be excited about. The fourth overall pick is on the bench for the foreseeable future, yet their replacement sure looks like a typical soon-to-be 40-year-old quarterback.
Last week: 22
23. New York Jets (3-7)
While mathematically it might still be possible, the Jets’ playoff aspirations took a tough hit this weekend with a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. While coaches and players individually want to shoulder the blame, it’s fair to point the finger across the board.
Last week: 21
24. New Orleans Saints (3-7)
Well, one week after everyone said the Saints should tank to improve their draft position, they go out and beat the NFC South-leading Falcons. New Orleans predictably got that first-game-with-a-new-head-coach bump, but their problems still run much deeper than that.
Last week: 29
25. Dallas Cowboys (3-6)
With Dak Prescott’s hamstring surgery confirmed, he is done for the remainder of the season, and it does not look like Cowboys fans will have a ton to cheer for after Cooper Rush struggled in the 34-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Trey Lance ended up coming in for Rush as this game got out of hand, and Micah Parsons is causing a stir with his comments about head coach Mike McCarthy. Turmoil isn’t the word just yet in Dallas, but it’s getting close as they’ve lost four straight games.
Last week: 23
26. New England Patriots (3-7)
Drake Maye and the Patriots’ defense earned a solid victory over the Chicago Bears – the loss shook the Bears so much they fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Tuesday – and while it won’t wash away their sins from a tough first half of the season, things are looking brighter in New England.
Last week: 30
27. Cleveland Browns (2-7)
Hey, they didn’t lose last week. Yes, they were on their bye.
Last week: 26
28. Carolina Panthers (3-7)
Two weeks and two wins for the Carolina Panthers, the first time in Bryce Young’s NFL career that he’s won back-to-back starts. Leave it to the Panthers to start winning after their season is already dead and now all they’re doing is hurting their draft position for 2025.
Last week: 32
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8)
For some reason, their defense looked the best against the Minnesota Vikings, but even they’ve sputtered recently. Brian Thomas Jr. is a stud, but Trevor Lawrence needs to play better to get their rookie receiver to reach his full potential.
Last week: 25
30. Tennessee Titans (2-7)
Just about the only good things on this team are Calvin Ridley and a halfway decent running game. The tank seems to be on for a lot of teams, and maybe Will Levis can show some flashes to convince the front office for one more year, but that’s unlikely.
Last week: 28
31. Las Vegas Raiders (2-7)
The Raiders made headlines by parting ways with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy leading up to the team’s bye week. It remains to be seen if Scott Turner will be able to get Las Vegas’ offense heading in the right direction this season. But Turner will likely employ a run-first offense, which could mean more opportunities for Zamir White. The quarterback situation continues to be unsettled, and the franchise will likely have to make a move to solidify the position in the offseason. The good news is Brock Bowers and Tre Tucker appear to be players the Raiders can build around.
Last week: 31
32. New York Giants (2-8)
Turmoil is the word to use in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as the Giants enter the bye week in absolute shambles. Daniel Jones might be done for the year depending on how the team’s evaluation goes during the bye, as he struggled once again and this time it came on an international stage against the league’s statistically worst defense in the Carolina Panthers. The Giants managed to get the game to overtime, but a Tyrone Tracy Jr. fumble on the first play after winning the coin toss says it all about how it’s going for Big Blue. At 2-8, the playoffs seem like a pipe dream and big questions loom over the franchise yet again as they continue to get their rebuild on the right track.
Last week: 27
The Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.
