For weeks now -- OK, years -- fans of the Kansas City Chiefs have been attacking me for what they see as a lack of respect given to their team.
Some go as far as to say I hate the city of Kansas City, and especially the Chiefs.
Here's the truth: I enjoy going to Kansas City (love the barbecue), the passion of their stadium setting is as good as any in the league, and their team, under Andy Reid, has been one of the best in the league the past few years.
So what if I was stupid enough to pick them to finish last in the AFC West this year?
I am the knucklehead who lost sight of the most important thing about this team: Reid is a hell of a coach.
I know the Philadelphia Eagles fans got tired of his long tenure with the team, and especially hated his clock management skills, but Reid has proven in Kansas City that, like with the Eagles, he can coach up a team.
The Chiefs are 3-0, atop the AFC West standings, and the lone team in the conference still undefeated. They went to Los Angeles Sunday and beat the Chargers to stake a claim as the best team in the AFC -- and maybe the league.
It isn't always pretty with the Chiefs, but Reid has done a nice job of scheming up the offense to create problems for the opposition. And the defense, even without star safety Eric Berry, is dominant at times.
Reid took the Eagles to four consecutive NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl, but lost to the Patriots in that game and was let go in 2013. The Chiefs quickly hired him that year.
Since coming to the Chiefs, Reid is 46-21 with three playoff appearances and is on his way to a fourth. But Reid is 1-3 in the playoffs with the Chiefs and just 11-12 overall in the postseason.
That's why this great start has to be tempered some, even if Kansas City certainly has the look of a team that can make a deep playoff push this season. Reid doesn't get the due he deserves as one of the best in the NFL -- I ranked him third last spring in my rankings of the league's coaches -- but maybe it's because the ring has eluded him.
Could this be the year he gets it?
It has that feel right now. The Chiefs have impressed in a big way winning all three games, two by double-digit scores. I have the Falcons in the top spot of my Power Rankings with the Chiefs second, but a case could be made for the team from Kansas City.
So to the Chiefs fans who pepper me with insults on Twitter, here's a mea culpa: I was wrong about your team. They are much better than I thought.
Of course, the playoffs will be the ultimate decider of that.
| Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -- | 7-10-0 | |
They barely got out of Detroit with a victory, but it counts the same as a blowout. They are 3-0, and we still haven't seen their best football.
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| 2 | 1 | 11-6-0 | |
They have been the most impressive team in the AFC so far. They are third in scoring offense at 31 points per game and seventh in scoring defense at 19.0 a game.
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| 3 | 1 | 4-13-0 | |
They pulled out the Texans game, but the defense was a problem again. That has to get fixed.
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| 4 | 1 | 9-8-0 | |
They are 2-1 battling through a barrage of injuries. They have to be happy with that.
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| 5 | 10 | 11-6-0 | |
They are 2-1 and their defensive front will be a problem for teams all year long. Carson Wentz is continuing to improve.
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| 6 | 13 | 4-13-0 | |
We expected the offense to be good, but that defense was impressive against the Raiders. If that continues, watch out for this team.
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| 7 | 9 | 7-10-0 | |
Mike Zimmer has done a great job so far with this team. Case Keenum looked really good against Tampa Bay.
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| 8 | 6 | 10-7-0 | |
Where is the explosive offense? They just haven't looked right. They head into a big division game with the Ravens this week, averaging just 21.3 points per game.
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| 9 | 3 | 8-9-0 | |
That wasn't a good look at Washington Sunday night. They got ambushed and now play a big division game at Denver.
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| 10 | 8 | 6-11-0 | |
In beating the Seahawks, they did exactly what they wanted to do: Pounded it right at the defense on the ground. That's going to be this team's calling card all season long.
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| 11 | 4 | 8-9-0 | |
They are back home this week after their first loss at Buffalo to face the Raiders in a big division game. They have to get the offense back on track.
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| 12 | -- | 12-5-0 | |
That was an enormous win Monday night on the road against Arizona. The passing game came to life, and they needed it.
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| 13 | 4 | 9-8-0 | |
What has happened to the defense? It's two weeks in a row now that the run defense has had issues.
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| 14 | 4 | 12-5-0 | |
They were inches from being 3-0, but lost to the Falcons when Golden Tate was short of the goal line in the closing seconds. Even so, this is an improved team.
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| 15 | 10 | 11-6-0 | |
That was a good victory over the Broncos to get to 2-1. They have allowed just two touchdowns this season. The defense is playing well.
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| 16 | 3 | 2-15-0 | |
Cam Newton needs to pick up his play. He just hasn't looked like the same guy. The New England defense might be a nice tonic.
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| 17 | 3 | 10-7-0 | |
The offense has looked good, but what has happened to that defense. That unit has been getting dominated, which is a shock.
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| 18 | 7 | 11-6-0 | |
What was that against the Jets? They just didn't look ready to play.
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| 19 | 4 | 9-8-0 | |
At 2-1, they have a defense as good as any in the league. Can it carry them to the playoffs?
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| 20 | 3 | 4-13-0 | |
They are 1-2 and injuries have killed them. They just can't get anything going on offense with all the problems.
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| 21 | 13 | 9-8-0 | |
They had a lot of injuries on defense against Minnesota, but they let Case Keenum light them up. That's not a good look.
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| 22 | 4 | 9-8-0 | |
They might have saved their season with that impressive victory at Carolina. Where did they find the defense?
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| 23 | 9 | 13-4-0 | |
They have issues, even at 2-1. The offense is dreadful, and Joe Flacco doesn't look right.
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| 24 | -- | 10-7-0 | |
The Texans are 1-2, but they have to be excited about rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson. He was impressive at New England.
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| 25 | 4 | 7-10-0 | |
Their running game is going to give teams problems all season long. Beating the Steelers Sunday was impressive.
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| 26 | 4 | 9-8-0 | |
Jacoby Brissett had a nice game against the Browns, but now comes a real test: At Seattle against the Legion of Boom.
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| 27 | 5 | 7-10-0 | |
They beat the Dolphins with a strong defensive effort. So much for the 0-16 talk.
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| 28 | 6 | 6-11-0 | |
At 0-3, their season looks to be done. Now they head out for a road game at Tampa Bay, which is a must win or else.
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| 29 | 8 | 5-12-0 | |
This team has lost three tough games, and they have to be considered one of the bigger disappointments of the season.
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| 30 | 3 | 9-8-0 | |
They competed against the Packers, but now at 0-3 they are in a hole they might not be able to overcome.
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| 31 | -- | 12-5-0 | |
At least the offense came alive against the Rams. That's a good sign moving forward.
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| 32 | 4 | 11-6-0 | |
It's going to be a long season. The defense was a problem area against the Colts and Jacoby Brissett.
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