The Chiefs' nail-biter of a loss to Baltimore on Sunday night was always going to drop them a few spots in the Week 3 Power Rankings, but the real question was how much? Through two games, the 1-1 Chiefs have a great home win and a good road loss -- if there is such a thing -- to show for the 2021 season. So what does the internet think about them? Here's what they're saying:
ESPN: #3
What Pringle lacks in volume (three catches), he has made up for in impact (23-yard average per reception, including a 40-yard TD). Pringle is the steadiest of the Chiefs' wide receivers, not including Tyreek Hill. Pringle doesn't have the upside of Mecole Hardman or Demarcus Robinson but is a good route runner who is always where he is supposed to be and has reliable hands.
NFL.com: #2
As the Chiefs matriculated down the field in the final minutes of their Sunday night insta-classic against the Ravens, the only real drama seemed to be whether K.C. would go ahead on a Harrison Butker field goal or via some standard-issue greatness from Patrick Mahomes.
Yahoo! Sports: #4
It's not like a loss at Baltimore is bad. It stinks for Clyde Edwards-Helaire that it'll be on him for his late fumble, but he hasn't built up enough goodwill for everyone to forgive and forget. He has been nowhere near the playmaker the Chiefs thought they were getting in Round 1 of the 2020 draft.
CBS Sports: #5
The defense has to be better than what it showed against the Ravens in the second half. Even Patrick Mahomes can't rescue them from that all the time. Now they get Justin Herbert this week.
Bleacher Report: #2
That interception—and a late fumble by Clyde Edwards-Heliare—were big factors in the Chiefs' first loss of the year. But their biggest worry is a run defense that has allowed a staggering 404 yards to the Ravens and Browns over the first two weeks of the season. If that continues, Kansas City's status as the AFC front-runner will take a hit.
Sports Illustrated: #3
In general, we shouldn’t overreact to single games. The Chiefs lost a road game against a very good team that has spent the last few years obsessed with developing strategies to finally beat them. And it was a close game that came down to just a few swing plays. So my opinion of Kansas City hasn’t changed at all, and I’d still pick the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl. But the teams ahead of them deserve to be there at the moment.
Washington Post: #5
Don’t fret about the Chiefs too much. Not yet, at least. Yes, they failed in crunchtime and lost a game that they should have won Sunday night in Baltimore. They did very un-Chiefs-like things, such as the ill-advised interception thrown by Patrick Mahomes and the late fumble by RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The run defense was pitiable. But the Chiefs’ championship mettle is proven and, for now, the late-game blunders can be regarded as aberrational.
Sporting News: #3
Patrick Mahomes also is using the rest of the NFL as his personal playground with more of his teammates getting into the magic with Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. He is simply operating on a higher plane where his only company is Brady, the GOAT he's chasing. Now, he could use some help from his running game and defense to close out games.