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Chiefs remain in top 5 of USA TODAY’s power rankings after bye week

The Kansas City Chiefs still remain atop the power rankings after resting up during their bye week.

Even with the week off and a number of other AFC teams notching some important wins, the Chiefs didn’t fall too far in the latest USA TODAY power rankings. They slid just one spot down to No. 5 after soaring to the No. 4 spot following their Week 11 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Here’s what USA TODAY’s Nate Davis had to say about Kansas City this week, honing in on their next stretch of games:

“Winners of four straight, they better hit ground (still) running coming off bye week. Its AFC West lead just one game, Kansas City could just about make a sixth consecutive division title a reality by sweeping through the next three games – all against divisional foes, the first two (Denver, Las Vegas) at Arrowhead Stadium.”

The next three games can certainly make or break the Chiefs’ season, with all of them coming against division foes. The good news about that: Kansas City is 32-6 against AFC West opponents dating back to 2015, which is the last time the Broncos defeated the Chiefs.

Only one AFC team is ranked ahead of Kansas City by USA TODAY this week. It’s the New England Patriots, who are currently on a five-game win streak, the longest in the NFL. They’re also one of the only AFC contenders that the Chiefs don’t play during the regular season. K.C. will need them to slip up if they’re to jump them in the power rankings, as well as the AFC playoff picture.

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