BRONCOS

Power rankings around the league show how close the Broncos sit to rock bottom

Nov 29, 2022, 9:31 AM | Updated: 9:33 am

Good thing the Broncos defeated the Houston Texans in Week 2.

Because if the latest round of power rankings is to be believed, that 16-9 win is all that separates the Broncos from being dead last in the NFL.

In the wake of a humbling, not-as-close-as-the-score-would-indicate 23-10 loss at Carolina on Sunday, the Broncos found themselves ranked No. 31 in a 32-team league in a slew of national power rankings.

Only the 1-9-1 Texans separated them from the floor. But the Texans came into the season with no expectations. Denver came into the season tipped by many as a playoff team. Even a Super Bowl team in some circles.

Now, the Broncos sit in their worst spot in a dozen years — and without the reward of a top-5 draft pick in their future.

The view from around the nation:

CBS Sports, No. 31:

Pete Prisco: “The offense is terrible. One has to wonder if coach Nathaniel Hackett will be back next season. It’s not looking good.”

ESPN.com, No. 31:

Jeff Legwold: “The Broncos, who are last in the league and averaging 14.3 points per game, need to stop their current tumble. They have scored fewer than 10 points in four games this season. Their lowest-scoring (non-strike year) team in history scored 196 points; that’s 14 points per game in a 14-game AFL season. Their lowest-scoring team of the 16-game era (post-1978) was in 1992, when they scored 262 points, or 16.38 points per game. The Broncos, with 157 points, are currently the lowest-scoring team since the 2000 Browns.”

NFL.com, No. 31:

Dan Hanzus: “The Broncos have the NFL’s most disappointing offense, led by the league’s most disappointing quarterback, Russell Wilson. It was more of the same Sunday, a 23-10 loss to the Panthers in which Denver managed just 246 yards against a Carolina team in the running for a top-five pick in the upcoming draft. Wilson has struggled in numerous ways this season, but his failures in the red zone are borderline surreal. According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, Wilson’s red-zone QBR has dropped from 91.9 in his final season in Seattle to 6.3 through 10 games with the Broncos. He went from being one of football’s most efficient QBs inside the 20 for a decade, to the absolute worst. Wilson’s struggles are quite literally hard to believe.”

Pro Football Talk, No. 31:

Mike Florio: “They were No. 19 back in Week One, and plenty of Broncos fans were pissed about that.”

Yahoo! Sports, No. 31:

Frank Schwab: “The problem with the Broncos is they’re absolutely unwatchable. It’s not just a bad team. It’s a team that is hard to watch because the offense can’t execute simple things.”

***

Broncos

Nick Gargiulo Broncos offensive lineman...

Will Petersen

Broncos add versatile offensive lineman with their final pick of draft

Nick Gargiulo played the 2023 season at South Carolina, after spending five years at Yale; he'll compete with the Broncos offensive linemen

5 hours ago

Devaughn Vele Broncos wide receiver...

Will Petersen

Broncos take second wide receiver of the day in seventh round

Devaughn Vele joins Troy Franklin in the Broncos rookie class, and he'll be in Denver's wide receiver room with a handful of veterans

6 hours ago

Audric Estimé...

Andrew Mason

How Audric Estimé shakes up the Broncos’ running-back dynamic

The selection of Audric Estimé could mean that one of the Broncos' three returning running backs is on the outside looking in come September.

7 hours ago

John Franklin-Myers...

Andrew Mason

Broncos pick up veteran defensive end in draft-day trade

Still in need of defensive-line help, the Broncos sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Jets for defensive end John Franklin-Myers.

9 hours ago

Audric Estime...

James Merilatt

Broncos add a running back with a nose for the end zone at No. 147

Looking to bolster their backfield, Denver drafted a player who set the single-season record for rushing touchdowns at Notre Dame in 2023

10 hours ago

Kris Abrams-Draine...

James Merilatt

Broncos add depth at cornerback with their first pick in the fifth round

Looking to provide competition opposite of Patrick Surtain, the Broncos selected an All-SEC cornerback with the No. 145 overall pick

10 hours ago

Power rankings around the league show how close the Broncos sit to rock bottom