Kansas City Chiefs: ESPN Power Ranking Put Chiefs Ninth

The Kansas City Chiefs are starting the 2016 NFL season at number nine on the preseason ESPN Power Rankings.

Kansas City Chiefs football is starting to get some respect. ESPN released their preseason Power Rankings, and the Chiefs are debuting as the ninth best team in the NFL. Being ranked number nine in the NFL is a sign of just how far this team has come under the leadership of Andy Reid and John Dorsey.

Kansas City has been getting some respect from ESPN all offseason. Rankings for the Chiefs at the end of the 2015 season had them ninth and, with the exception of a one time drop to number ten after Free Agency, have remained steady in that number nine spot.

Fans can interpret a good bit about the expectations for the Chiefs this year. Kansas City has been consistently ranked with the top teams in the NFL this year. Some pundits have even listed the Chiefs as Super Bowl contenders. Reviews and expectations like these are a stark contrast from the dark days under Scott Pioli.

Why the rave reviews? ESPN mentions that the Kansas City Chiefs currently have a ten game winning streak in the regular season. A ten game winning streak is significantly longer than any other team in the league. The Chiefs finished the 2015 season on a strong run that carried them to their first playoff victory in a very long time.

Wont Be Easy, But Chiefs Can Do It

Unfortunately, the Chiefs have some familiar company when it comes to these rankings. Expectations are equally high for the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders who are ranked at number eight and eleven, respectively. Many pundits believe that the AFC West is going to be one of the tougher divisions in football this year.