Kansas City Chiefs and 5 Teams Who Aren't as Good as Their Record

If somebody told you that at after Week 1 of the season that the Kansas City Chiefs would be in first-place in the AFC West, you probably would have called them crazy.

But, with a 4-3 record thanks to an improbable win against division rival San Diego last Monday, the Chiefs are in first place in their division.

Let's not kid ourselves—Kansas City is nowhere near the playoff caliber they were last season.

It's been a weird year so far, and not many teams are sticking out as dominant. Instead, we have a lot of first place teams and divisional races that are somewhat questionable.

Here are five NFL teams who aren't nearly as good as their record may indicate.

Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)

The Bengals headed into the 2011 season with little to no expectations. Without Carson Palmer, this team's two biggest names are rookies in quarterback Andy Dalton and receiver A.J. Green.

Sure, Cincinnati is definitely better than we thought they were, but can we honestly believe they are going to stay in second place in the AFC North, as well as in the wildcard hunt?

Their record speaks to that claim, but I think everyone is waiting for the wheels to fall off this team.

Either way, the bottom line is they likely will not win the division with Baltimore and Pittsburgh in the mix.

And, the second place team in the AFC North will probably be a wildcard team. Don't expect that team to be Cincinnati.

Tennessee Titans (4-3)

Here's another team that stands in second-place in their division, despite being written off before the season even started.

With a quarterback carousel and a surprisingly inept running game, the Titans have looked really ugly all year.

Yet, they still have a winning record and could make the playoffs?

What in the world is going on?

Tennessee is one of the many teams who are currently the beneficiaries of struggling top teams.

And, they are lucky enough to be sitting on top of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts. You know things have gone astray when the Houston Texans are seemingly playoff bound.

Don't expect anything better than a 7-9 season for the Titans.

Buffalo Bills (5-2)

The Bills have actually been a fun, feel-good story so far this year.

Nobody saw this team, led by two former no-name players in Ryan Fitzpatrick and Fred Jackson, starting the year with the start they did.

But, Buffalo is currently on top of the AFC East thanks to owning the tie-breaker over the New England Patriots.

Will they stay there?

Eh, likely no.

The Patriots are just too powerful, and they should win the division. I wouldn't say the Jets are primed to take back second-place in the division, but don't expect the Bills to be a serious playoff contender.

Kansas City Chiefs (4-3)

Without Jamaal Charles, the Kansas City Chiefs fell off the face of the earth in Week 1.

It seemed like the entire football universe had forgotten they existed until they showed up for a surprise victory on Monday Night Football this past week.

All of a sudden the Chiefs are in first-place, in front of the San Diego Chargers.

Yikes. Most had dubbed San Diego an elite team, and if it wasn't for a botched snap they likely would be 5-2 right now and "experts" would be giving them a pardon for such a lackluster performance on a national stage.

But, the Chiefs are reigning supreme right now in the standings. I don't think anyone, including Chiefs fans, can honestly admit Kansas City is better than San Diego or Oakland.

San Francisco 49ers (6-1)

Here's the most intriguing team of all.

The San Francisco 49ers are sitting pretty atop the NFC West. The better news, for fans by the Bay, is the fact they are on the fast track to finish as the second-place team in the NFC this year.

So, are we ready to call the 49ers an elite team?

Many would argue the Lions, Saints, Giants, Bears and Falcons are all more playoff-caliber teams. Granted, none of those teams are anywhere near the Packers' level at the moment.

And, I'm not saying San Francisco isn't on those team's levels. But, the 49ers are not a team who stands above those clubs, despite their record.

Expect the NFC divisional and wildcard races to be absolutely insane this year. But, don't expect the 49ers to be in it. They are likely going to win their division.

That doesn't mean they won't get trounced in the playoffs.