2018 NFL Power Rankings: Wild Card edition

4. Kansas City Chiefs

10-6 (AFC West champions)

No. 4 Seed in AFC

There was a 5-0 start and a season-ending four-game losing streak. Of course, there were also six losses in a seven-game stretch right smack in the middle of those stretches of success. So why are the 10-6 Kansas City Chiefs sitting so high atop these rankings?

Make it three straight years and four times in five seasons when it comes to this team reaching the playoffs – all under head coach Andy Reid. The Chiefs have also seemingly regained that early-season momentum in terms of scoring points. More significantly, defensive coordinator Bob Sutton has his unit back on course when it comes to coming up with those big plays. And Reid’s team is highly dependent on those takeaways. The Chiefs have forced 24 turnovers in 10 wins and two in their six losses.

Led by veteran quarterback Alex Smith, the offense has a nice trio of big-play weapons in running back Kareem Hunt, wideout Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce. The latter duo each topped the 1,000-yard receiving mark and combined for 158 receptions and 15 scores. Meanwhile, Hunt wound up leading the league with 1,327 rushing yards and totaled a team-high 11 combined touchdowns.

Smith wound up the NFL’s top rated passer, throwing for 4,042 yards and a career-best 26 scores with only five interceptions. He also connected on 67.5 percent of his throws, plus finished second on the club with 355 yards rushing (1 touchdown). It’s a stacked roster with plenty of play-makers on both sides of the football. And certainly capable of getting on a four-game run.

Next: No. 3