For once I think ESPN has over-hyped the Kansas City Chiefs. Well, maybe over-hyped is a strong word but of the many NFL power rankings for Week 11 that we've seen ESPN has them on the high end at No. 15. That's fair for the Chiefs, maybe slightly overrated, but still fair. KC is coming off of two divisional losses, with the last one against the Denver Broncos very ugly.
ESPN puts the Falcons at the top, which in my mind is deserved. Atlanta has been flying under the radar it seems this season and they're being recognized for putting together a hell of a season. The New England Patriots - SB Nation's No. 1 team -- comes in at No. 2.
As far as the rest of the AFC West goes, the Oakland Raiders come in at No. 12 for the second consecutive week. Believe it or not, this is your division champ after 11 weeks. The San Diego Chargers come in at No. 16, right behind the Chiefs. They're 4-5 with a two-game winning streak so I could see the argument that they should be ahead of the Chiefs. The Broncos come in at No. 26 following their victory over the Chiefs, As ESPN notes, in three weeks Denver has given up 59 points to a division rival (Oakland Raiders) and scored 49 on another (Kansas City Chiefs).
The final three teams are the Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills. The Panthers season is looking miserable with just one win in nine tries while the Lions, who are 2-7, have actually outscored their opponents. The Bills got their first win of the year last week against Detroit.