Here’s where the Denver Broncos are showing up in this week’s power rankings around the NFL.
Bo Nix and the Broncos got things right back on track after a brutal loss in Kansas City from that blocked game-winner. They dismantled the Atlanta Falcons in convincing fashion and are back above .500.
It has been a few weeks since I’ve last did a pulse check on Denver’s rankings around the league. For me, looking over the NFL landscape, I think the Broncos are coming along nicely. If I had to rank them today, I’d put them right there around 12th. They are ninth overall in point differential and a top three defense. The AFC is stacked, however, and while 12th is decent it would be 7th in conference.
That seems to be the consensus around the NFL as well, with every single prognosticator ranking the Broncos between 12th and 14th. If they keep winning, that hype will most certainly grow.
Here is where the Denver Broncos are ranking around the NFL.
ESPN – 14th
Coach Sean Payton has said Dulcich is “working his tail off, he’s doing all of the things we’re asking of him.” But Payton just won’t play him. Payton once said Dulcich had the chance to play the “Joker” role in the offense — a role Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles and Alvin Kamara flourished in when Payton coached the Saints. Instead, Dulcich has been a game-day inactive for the past seven contests. He had five receptions in the first two games and none since. A two-drop day in Week 2 seemed to send the proverbial train off the tracks for the third-year tight end, and it makes the future shaky for him.
Yahoo Sports – 14th
Bo Nix continues to get better. He tied a Broncos rookie record with four touchdown passes on Sunday vs. the Falcons. He’s still far behind Jayden Daniels in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race, but he has time to make a push.
CBS Sports – 12th
It’s time to think this team is truly going to make the playoffs. Bo Nix gets better by the week, which is a nice complement to the dominant defense.
ProFootballTalk – 14th
Bo Nix might catch Jayden Daniels for offensive rookie of the year.
NFL.com – 13th
There was no better way to rebound from tough losses to the Ravens and Chiefs than with a thorough demolition of the Falcons at home. These Broncos can play. I knew the defense was legitimate going into Sunday, and that observation was only further hardened. Seeing Bo Nix dissect Atlanta’s zone defenses all game was highly encouraging. Sean Payton remains the genius of the operation, as there appeared to be some guardrails and predetermined reads throughout the game script, but the rookie quarterback executed them to perfection. And when Nix had a few chances to create, he fared well. The schedule lines up pretty nicely over the next few games, even with the tough home stretch. If the Broncos can hold firm, there’s a playoff spot with their name on it.
Sports Illustrated – 13th
The claim was that the Broncos hadn’t “beaten anyone yet.” Almost, in Kansas City. But Bo Nix and Co. embarrassed the Falcons in a coming-out party for the Broncos’ rookie quarterback. With a very moderate schedule remaining – the Raiders and Browns before the bye and the Colts after it – Denver is rising.
USA Today – 13th
Perhaps the AFC version of the Vikes, the Broncos went 4-0 against the NFC South and outscored those teams by an average of 22 points.
Bleacher Report – 14th
Nix is everything the Broncos wanted him to be and more. Denver has full belief in its rookie quarterback, and it shows.
The offense was humming Sunday against Atlanta. His 307 passing yards and four touchdowns capped off a strong month of play. In the Broncos’ last four contests, Nix completed 72.9 percent of his passes with a 17-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
This year’s 12th overall pick is now firmly pushing Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Where do you think the Broncos should be ranked? Share in the comments section below.