Well, power rankings may not be the best way to judge the results of an NFL season this early on, but people love these lists, and are always interested to see where their team is ranked.
We talk all the time about how the mainstream media gives the Broncos a lot of static, and nothing has really changed through two games.
With the injuries on their offensive line, the running game has been mediocre at best, and the Broncos' special teams has shown major holes. The Broncos have also had one game where they played good defense, and one game that wasn't terrible, but wasn't good by any means.
As it stands right now, they look pretty average as a team, but I think that will change over the course of the season. If I were making a power rankings list, I would probably rank the Broncos anywhere from 12-18 at this point in time. I think their passing offense is one of the best in the NFL, and they do a lot of other things well.
Here's how the rest of the web views the Broncos through two games.
SB Nation: #25 (Last week, 25th)
My take: 25 is pretty pessimistic for the Broncos, and SB Nation acknowledges that, but they are just waiting on this team to prove they are better than popular opinion before going out on a limb.
This is another game they should have won but, unlike the Jaguars in Week 1, they actually got it done. Are the Broncos a team in the bottom third of the NFL? I'm not sure that they are but it doesn't get any easier against the Colts next week.
http://www.sbnation.com/2010/9/21/1701665/nfl-power-rankings-week-3-cowboys-vikings
FanHouse.com: #20 (Last week, 26th)
My take: This is a pretty objective take on the Broncos. Up six spots after their week one loss to the Jaguars after a dominant performance against the Seahawks.
After losing in Jacksonville, the Broncos rallied and thumped Seattle Sunday. Kyle Orton is throwing the ball well, and second-year back KnowMoreno is starting to really come into his own. This division is not exactly owned by anyone at this point, so Denver has a real shot if it can put pieces together on defense.
ESPN.com: #22 (Last week, 25th)
My take: Again, I think the Broncos played better than the 22nd team in the NFL, but again, ESPN is placing more stock in this weeks game rather than the previous.
Visit from Indianapolis will be a big gauge of status (Kuharsky)
A fantastic bit of analysis, to be sure.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings?year=2010&week=3
NFL.com/Michael Lombardi: #18
My take: Lombardi has stepped up to the plate for Denver all offseason, and thus far, has ranked them the highest of any expert out there. He predicted us for ten wins, and I can get on board with this ranking after two games. Very fair.
http://fanrankings.nfl.com/results/experts
FoxSports: #15 (Last week, #28)
My take: I guess I spoke too soon. FoxSports has the Broncos rated as the 15th best team in the league right now, and they back it up by bringing up the most underrated QB in the NFL. They also made the biggest jump of any team in the rankings, but having them at 28 was pretty pessimistic anyways.
Kyle Orton is quickly becoming the NFL's most underrated passer. You have to wonder if the team will involve rookie QB Tim Tebow into the offense going forward with Orton playing so well. With the offense starting to take off, the defense has to find a way to muster up a consistent pass rush.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/powerRankings
Football Outsiders: #21
My take: This ranking system is for all of you stats nuts out there. A very complex procedure to determine the rankings of all of the teams, one that has proven to be both accurate and flawed at this point in the season.
http://footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2010/week-2-dvoa-ratings
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco): #25 (Last week, #26)
My take: Ugh. These are awful power rankings. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are ranked as the 13th best team currently in the NFL. The Raiders are rated a spot ahead of the Broncos. The Cardinals are ahead of the Vikings. I probably won't include these ranks next week...
They bounced back nicely from their opening-day disaster. Kyle Orton impressed. The best thing: They didn't put Tim Tebow into the game to ruin the flow.