NFL Power Rankings Week 2 Recap: It’s Good to Be the King

When I started my seventh season reporting on Kansas City Chiefs‘ weekly power rankings, I had a new experience: I typed “unchanged from 1” under almost every one of these headers. (There was one where I had to type “no preseason ranking.”)

To reuse some of the adjectives that appear in these paragraphs about the Chiefs… that is scary — if not outright terrifying. Maybe it’s even unfair.

But it’s also kind of cool. Let’s see how long Kansas City can keep this “unchanged” streak going.

Here’s this week’s example:

(unchanged from 1)

Xavier Worthy had a brilliant debut, bringing the big play back to Kansas City’s offense, and Rashee Rice had one of his best games as a pro. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, but the Chiefs should get Marquise “Hollywood” Brown back from a shoulder injury in the coming weeks, and the Ravens will be one of their toughest opponents this season. KC’s defense held Baltimore to 10 points through three quarters, but also took advantage of a lot of Ravens’ own mistakes. Still, the champs are the champs, and you better bet they’ll step up to the plate for the Bengals when they come to town, even after Cincinnati’s shocking loss to the Patriots at home.

—Eric Edholm

(unchanged from 1)

Best Newcomer Performance: WR Xavier Worthy

Worthy had the impact the Chiefs hoped for when they drafted him in the first round. He made two plays of 20-plus yards, the first a touchdown on an end-around when he first got the ball and the other a touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs had three pass plays of 30-plus yards and three others of 20-plus. Worthy’s presence on the field may have helped, even when he didn’t get the ball. —Adam Teicher

— Adam Teicher

(unchanged from 1)

Is it too early to start talking about a four-peat? Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy touched the ball three times for 68 yards and two scores. Sophomore receiver Rashee Rice opened the season with the fourth 100-yard game of his career. Eight Chiefs skill-position players touched the ball and Travis Kelce had just 34 yards, so there’s plenty more to come for the Chiefs, who could become the first team to three-peat in the Super Bowl era if they keep it up.

—Josh Kendall

(no previous ranking)

How scary for the Chiefs’ opponents that Rashee Rice has blossomed (on the field) into an incredibly dangerous and long receiver who looks like a yards-after-the-catch monster. Xavier Worthy is scary on a whole other level, giving the Chiefs a sudden set of legitimate stylistic complements who can mix speed and power. Travis Kelce, as he ages, may develop more comfortably into a table-setter role for completions elsewhere. Every year it seems like Patrick Mahomes has to “break in” as a part of a team, and it’s certainly a challenge to have one of his anchor tackles be a rookie second-round pick, but this already looks like the most complete Chiefs team we’ve seen in a few years.

—Conor Orr

(unchanged from 1)

It wasn’t easy. But when is it ever easy for the Chiefs?

—Mike Florio

(unchanged from 1)

We don’t have to worry about their receivers this season. Xavier Worthy can fly and Rashee Rice takes his game to the next level. Patrick Mahomes will shine again.

—Pete Prisco

(unchanged from 1)

Winning is winning — it doesn’t matter if it’s by an inch or a mile. The immortal words of Dom Toretto rang in my ears as I watched the reigning champions literally hold off the Ravens by a toenail. As dramatic as the opener was, the Chiefs’ new offense looks every bit as explosive as we thought it would be. That’s a scary thought.

—David Helman

(unchanged from 1)

A Chiefs trio of Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown (if healthy) should be scary for the rest of the NFL. Rice looked sharp in the opener, and Worthy’s playmaking ability will be something to watch out for on every snap. Oh, and Travis Kelce is still a factor in the passing game. Patrick Mahomes is going to have some fun this season.

— Frank Schwab

(unchanged from 1)

The Chiefs went into the game with more weapons for Patrick Mahomes and made key defensive plays to remind the Ravens and the rest of the league how much of a favorite they are to win a third straight Super Bowl.

—Vinnie Iyer

(unchanged from 1)

If you think it’s flat out unfair that a two-time reigning champion led by three-time Super Bowl MVP QB Patrick Mahomes would take WR Xavier Worthy, who scored two TDs in his NFL debut, in the first round of the draft… blame the Bills. Buffalo traded KC the Round 1 selections that were both used on Mahomes and Worthy in 2017.

— Nate Davis