What a difference a week makes. Last week, the Kansas City Chiefs were improbably sniffing the playoff chase. Their schedule made it seem as though the stars were aligned. The Chiefs had an opportunity to play spoiler in Week 16 by bumping off the Oakland Raiders en route to their final week against the Denver Broncos. A win over Denver would ensure a playoff spot. Sounds simple, right?

Except things did not go entirely as planned in Oakland, as the Chiefs lost 16-13 in overtime to the Raiders and saw themselves swiftly eliminated from the postseason.

The new SB Nation Week 17 power rankings have come out and the Chiefs are probably clocking in exactly where you'd expect. Their 6-9 record puts them at No. 25 overall. Here's what Joel Thorman has to say:

25. Kansas City Chiefs (6-9, LW: 20): Everything fell perfectly for the Chiefs where they would be in a win-and-you're-in situation against Denver this weekend. The only problem is that the Chiefs forgot to beat the Raiders, which means they're done.

Their No. 20 ranking from Week 16 wasn't anything stellar, but you can bet a win against the Raiders would have shot them up a few notches at least. There's a big difference between a 7-8 team with a shot at the playoffs and a 6-9 team looking ahead to a long offseason.

At least the Chiefs will have an opportunity to play the spoiler against the Broncos on Sunday.

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