Broncos Power Rankings Around the Web: Week 13

After a couple of weeks off, let’s check in and see how various power rankers around the web regard the Broncos. As expected, it’s not pretty. Except for Numberfire, who still have us at 18th... but they’re idiots, apparently. Fix your glaringly flawed metric, ya scrubs!

SB Nation:

30. Denver Broncos (Last Week: 31)

Per usual: Note that these are “hope” rankings based on the outcome of the most recent game, not power rankings and certainly not standings.

Bleacher Report:

29. Denver Broncos

Last Week's Ranking: 28

The Denver Broncos played in typical Broncos fashion to start the game against the Oakland Raiders. They turned the ball over in the red area when Paxton Lynch threw an ugly interception. The game was never the same after that.

This is a team that cannot find the run game it had early in the year. Denver just changed offensive coordinators and is playing with an inexperienced quarterback. Offensive expectations should be minimal.

The Broncos are now in rebuilding mode and need to spend the final quarter of the season figuring out who they want back in 2018.

ESPN:

28. Denver Broncos

2017 record: 3-8

Week 12 ranking: No. 27

Don't blame the rushing defense for the disappointing record. The Broncos have allowed the fewest yards per rush (3.2), fewest yards before contact per rush (1.69) and the lowest third-down conversion percentage on rushes (21 percent) in the league.

Yahoo Sports:

23. Denver Broncos (3-6, LW: 22)

Let’s play a game: What is the record that would force the sloppy Broncos to fire Vance Joseph after one season? Keep in mind that the Broncos have a tough schedule and a general manager in John Elway who fired John Fox after four straight AFC West titles. Would 5-11 be good enough to guarantee Joseph gets a second season? Do the Broncos move on if it’s 4-12? How about if they lose out and go 3-13?

At this point, most Broncos fans would be delighted if Jigsaw came to them with this game in mind.

USA Today:

29. Denver Broncos (3-8)

By our count, three Denver players have been in tears over the past week. No, we're not calling them soft. Nice to see some guys still care.

NFL.com:

28. 3-8 BRONCOS

The Paxton Lynch experiment came and went. Just like that, it's over ... at least for now, anyway. In what amounts to an organizational catastrophe, Lynch doesn't look ready to play (he thinks he played well!) and the franchise has said no to Brock Osweiler (thrice). That leaves Trevor Siemian, which, while not representing the sunk cost of a first-round pick (ahem, Lynch), does represent a desperate team turning to the same answer over and over. Siemian looked so promising in two games early in the year. I still think he can play better than he's shown. But the window may have closed for a once-elite defense in need of a viable offense. As far as the mindset of Lynch, Aqib Talib's leadership and the overall tenor of the day, think the Denver Post's Mark Kiszla summed it up pretty well. I don't even want to pain Broncos fans with the CliffsNotes.

Sports Illustrated/MMQB:

25. Denver Broncos (3-8)

Last Week’s Rank: 22

Points in MMQB Power Poll: 130

Highest-Place Vote: 19th

Lowest-Place Vote: 27th

Last Week’s Result: Loss at Oakland, 21-14

Week 13 Opponent: at Miami

Denver Broncos (22nd to 25th): At the rate they are currently falling, the Broncos will be 78th in this poll by the time the regular season wraps up.

Okay. Ow...

Washington Post:

30. Denver Broncos (3-8) | Last Week’s Rank: 30

Paxton Lynch is not the answer at QB, at least not at this point. So with the Broncos firmly in playing-out-the-string mode, it’s back to Trevor Siemian. Don’t expect much. It is a near certainty now that Denver will be among the teams searching for a QB this coming offseason.

CBS Sports:

27. Broncos

This season has been a disaster, and it's because of the quarterback position. That's on John Elway.

FiveThirtyEight:

#26 Denver Broncos

NumberFire:

#18 Denver Broncos

DenverBroncos.com:

26. DENVER (3-8)

Last week: 25

Denver's starts have been better the last two weeks, but turnovers continue to undermine the Broncos' chances.

We’ve got just over a quarter of the season left to go, and while the team is (and should be) still focused on winning... even if they aren’t very good at it... most fans have turned their eyes to the offseason and 2018. Don’t expect much to change for the Broncos in these power rankings.

Though if we’re lucky, Josh Gordon might spark an offensive renaissance for the Browns. If they win three or four games, it could give us an even better draft position. Same goes for Jimmy Garoppolo with the 49ers. A few wins out of them wouldn’t go amiss at this point. And in the same vein, we might hope that Geno Smith is just what the Giants need... actually, nah. Screw Ben McAdoo and the Giants front office for how they handled the benching of Eli Manning. However necessary it may have been, they’re terrible, classless jerks and they should feel like terrible, classless jerks.