Big win for the Broncos last night, and no doubt it has had an impact on the various Power Polls around the web. Let's have a look, shall we?
ESPN - #3(LW: 8) - ESPN thrusts us into the Top 5, moving us up 5 spots from last week. Now that's what I'm talkin about. --
Obviously if the Broncos average 12.3 points per game all season they might run into some trouble. But for now, the defense (which is giving up only 8.5 points per game) is enough.
CBS - #3(LW: 4) - The guys over at CBS also have us at #3. I do agree with their thoughts on our offense, however. --
Even with the offense struggling, the defense has been so good that they're 3-1. At some point, though, the offense has to get cranked up.
Covers.com - #9(LW: 16) - A nice jump from the guys over at Covers.com, who focus on the "entertainment value" of football.
The defense was not about to get out-done in their Monday nighter against Baltimore, and they didn't. This unit has allowed just one TD all season, and under bettors are a perfect 4-0 when Denver hits the gridiron.
Football Outsiders - #10(LW: 13) - AS his comments state, the FO guys look purely at statistics, and their poll is compiled as the season goes on. I still don't like being under the Ravens, however.
I know, I know ? many people will say, "Hey, Denver just beat Baltimore, how come the Broncos are still ranked below the Ravens?" Remember, we base things on every game of the season, not just the last one. And it's silly to rank teams based on X beating Y ? for crying out loud, San Francisco beat St. Louis, which beat Denver, but does anyone on the planet think San Francisco is better than Denver? (Well, maybe Michael Irvin.)
RealFootball365 - #4(LW: 10) - The respect continues, with another Top 5 finish. -
As much as Bronco fans knock Jake Plummer, all he's done in Denver is win. After Monday's victory over the Ravens, the 31-year-old has compiled a regular-season record of 35-13
FoxSports - #3(LW: 4) - These guys must read each other, as FOXSports raises the Broncos up to #3 as well.
It might be a tad premature, but a Denver-Chicago Super Bowl is a fun one to consider. The over/under would likely be around 4 points. At this rate, I'd take the under.
Sports Illustrated - #3(LW: 7) - A new entry this week is Sports Illustrated's rankins from Dr. Z. He follows suit with most of the others, placing the Broncos behind only the Bears and Colts.
I'm taking a longer look at Champ Bailey, whom I've regularly stiffed on my All-Pro teams because he's usually good for one walkabout per contest, allowing an unexplained deep completion. But at the end of the first half of Monday night's Baltimore game he made the best play I've seen from a cornerback this year, when he climbed the ladder in the end zone and snatched the short fade pass away from 6-foot-6 Clarence Moore. The Champ gave away six inches, but I didn't see much difference in the height of their hands when Bailey, after positioning his body beautifully, made the pick. Moore has turned into a one-play receiver for the Ravens, the high-altitude fade. I mean when the Ravens drove deep and he entered the game, the muttering began in the stands: "fade, fade, fade." You could hear it in bars all around the country, in massage parlors, in foxholes in the South Pacific. So why didn't Brian Billick position Moore on the other side, to get him away from one of the game's great leapers? Who knows? It was one of the many things I took issue with in the Ravens' strategy department, although I'll probably get lots of reasons from Baltimore about why that would have been impossible. Bailey made other really big-league plays in that game. OK, so he might give up a long one every now and then, but I've got to get over this stupid bias of mine.
GridIronGrumblings - #10(LW: 13) - Back up into the Top 10, another purely statistical view of the league
NFL.com - #5(LW: 12) - The biggest jump this week comes from Vic Carucci, who bumps the Broncos up 7 spots. --
It wasn't pretty, but the Broncos found a way to produce just enough offense vs. one of the NFL's best defenses. Not that it takes much offense to beat the Ravens.
Looks pretty good to see us in the Top 5 in most polls, and with the Raiders coming to town there is no reason to think we won't stay there.If you know of a Power Poll that You want me to link to, let me know and I will add it to the list...
