Kansas City, the only unbeaten team in the NFL, now is alone atop The Associated Press power rankings.
The Chiefs didn’t exactly impress the voters in a 23-13 victory against Buffalo that included two touchdowns from the defense and none from the offense. Some panelists figure Kansas City’s 9-0 record will get a test soon enough: The Chiefs, 2-14 a year ago, go to Denver after this week’s bye.
“Chiefs’ stunning turnaround continues with a road win on the tougher-than-expected Bills, as defense shines once more,” Bob Glauber of Newsday said. “Now it’s time for the next – and biggest – test: Two of their next three against the Broncos after they return from the bye.”
Seattle fell out of a tie for the top spot in the AP Pro32 poll released Tuesday after beating winless Tampa Bay 27-24 in overtime with the biggest comeback in franchise history. The Buccaneers led the Seahawks 21-0 in the second quarter.
The Chiefs had six first-place votes and 371 points from the 12-member panel. The No. 2 Seahawks (366 points) and third-place Broncos (364) split the other six first-place votes.
Although the closer-than-expected win cost the Seahawks a few points in the rankings, it didn’t completely turn off the voters.
“Epic comeback, or lucky to avoid a colossal upset at home against the winless Bucs?” Glauber said. “Take your pick, but bottom line is good teams find a way to win – even when it’s winning ugly.”
The Broncos held the same spot after their bye, with two former coaches on the voting panel figuring the absence of head coach John Fox after heart surgery will affect the team one way or another.
“Will have to see how Fox’s illness affects the team,” NBC Sports analyst Tony Dungy said.
“The absence of their coach will bring this team together,” ESPN analyst Herm Edwards said.
Indianapolis and San Francisco moved from a tie for fifth to even for fourth at 347 points apiece, eight more than last week. The Colts rallied from 18 down to beat Houston 27-24, and the 49ers had their bye.
“Might be the most complete team in AFC,” Dungy, who won a Super Bowl with the Colts, said of this year’s Colts.
New England jumped three spots to sixth after scoring four touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a 55-31 victory over Pittsburgh. Tom Brady had four scoring passes.
“Brady finally looks like Tom Terrific with new receivers,” John Czarnecki of Fox Sports said.
New Orleans dropped three spots to seventh after a 26-20 loss to the New York Jets, while Cincinnati, Detroit and Carolina rounded out the top 10.
Green Bay fell four spots to drop out of the top 10 after a 27-20 loss to Chicago, which jumped two positions to No. 12. Dallas held at 13th, and the Jets moved up three spots to No. 14. San Diego fell to 15th from No. 11.
Arizona stayed at No. 16, followed by Tennessee, Miami, Philadelphia and Cleveland. The Eagles and Browns each jumped six spots. Baltimore and Washington were tied at No. 21, with the Ravens falling six spots and the Redskins moving up from 23rd.
The New York Giants, Buffalo, Oakland and St. Louis all lost ground, while Houston moved up two to No. 27, followed by Pittsburgh and Atlanta.
The bottom three spots were the same with Minnesota followed by the two remaining winless teams – Tampa Bay and Jacksonville.
