NEW YORK (AP) With the regular season 25 percent complete, there's only one unbeaten team left: the Kansas City Chiefs.
So it's not a huge surprise that Kansas City is the unanimous No. 1 team in the latest AP Pro32 poll , receiving all 12 first-place votes for 384 points Tuesday in balloting by media members who regularly cover the NFL.
The Chiefs face another challenge on Sunday night when they travel to Houston to face the Texans, who scored a franchise-record 57 points in a rout of the Tennessee Titans.
''The Chiefs are the best team in football right now, thanks to an explosive and creative offense led by Alex Smith, who's playing the best football of his 13-year NFL career,'' said Jenny Vrentas of The Monday Morning Quarterback.
The Green Bay Packers, who routed the Chicago Bears on Thursday night, moved up two spots to No. 2.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who dominated the rival Ravens in Baltimore, jumped six spots to No. 3.
''Bad news for Pittsburgh opponents: Le'Veon Bell has returned from a three-week slumber ... and he's hungry,'' SB Nation Radio's Ira Kaufman said of the Steelers running back who gained 144 yards in the 26-9 victory.
The Atlanta Falcons dropped two places after losing to the Buffalo Bills and will enter their bye week at No. 4.
The Denver Broncos, who were tied with Detroit at No. 6 last week, inched ahead of the Lions for No. 5 while Detroit remained sixth.
The NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles gained five spots to land at No. 7.
The defending champion New England Patriots slid five places to No. 8 after losing to the Panthers 33-30 on Sunday. The Patriots, a surprising 2-2, start off Week 5 as they head to Tampa Bay to take on Jameis Winston and the Buccaneers on Thursday night.
The Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams, who were tied at No. 17 last week, rounded out the top 10 at Nos. 9 and 10.
Other teams that made big moves were the AFC East-leading Bills, who climbed eight spots to No. 11, and the Texans, who jumped nine places to No. 12.
''Coaching matters. The Seans - McVay (Rams) and McDermott (Bills) - are in a runoff for coach-of-the-year honors right now,'' said Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk.
---
For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL
