NFL power rankings: Post-preseason 32-team breakdown before Week 1

The Chiefs get a nice boost in our NFL power rankings for a number of key reasons. For starters, quarterback Patrick Mahomes looks like he got even better during his brief outings this preseason, particularly on that one quick drive against San Francisco.

Sure, replicating last year’s record-setting numbers is a tall order. But if head coach Andy Reid’s offense becomes even more potent, it wouldn’t be shocking. Teams are going to have to guard against Mahomes’ efforts — never easy — which only opens up things for an already-stacked group of offensive contributors.

Don’t sleep on the rookie, Mecole Hardman. He’s going to be fun to watch.

While there are some question marks about the running back depth, even after adding LeSean McCoy after the Bills parted ways with him, Reid’s offense has a knack for turning nearly any tailback into a household name. If K.C. runs into depth problems here again, expect this to be the case once more.

But another reason why the Chiefs see a nice rise is because the defense looks better. It’s far from great, yet it’s better.

And that’s a huge step in the right direction. If the Chiefs only had an OK defense last year.