NFL Power Rankings have Broncos as the 31st team in the league

The Denver Broncos don’t have a ton of expectations going into the 2024 NFL season, but the latest Power Rankings from ESPN have a bleak outlook.

The network has placed Denver as the 31st best team in the league, only ahead of the Carolina Panthers to avoid being dead last. The Giants are 28th, the Commanders 29th and the Patriots are 30th.

Around the AFC West it’s no shocker that the Chiefs are No. 1, coming off back-to-back Super Bowl championships. But the rest of the division isn’t as strong, with the Chargers at 22nd and the Raiders at 25th.

Los Angeles may have brought in Jim Harbaugh to be their new head coach, but they also said goodbye to playmakers on offense like Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Justin Herbert is a great QB, but who’s he going to share the football with?

In Las Vegas, they have a quarterback room with as many questions at the one in Denver. Will it be Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew under center? Neither inspires confidence.

Kansas City should win the division, again, as Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and the rest of their loaded roster show no signs of slowing down.

If Bo Nix is indeed the guy for Sean Payton and the Broncos, then the eight-year playoff drought will get snapped at some point. The problem is it’s hard to see that happening in year one, hence the 31st ranking in the NFL.

“The Broncos trading for DE John Franklin-Myers during draft weekend was one of the best under-the-radar moves of the three-day affair,” ESPN wrote about Denver in their rankings.

Yes, Franklin-Meyers was a nice piece to add, but no one is planning a parade because of that trade.

It could be another long season for Broncos Country. To check out ESPN’s full Power Rankings, click here.