Broncos Power Rankings: Week 13 Edition
By Tylor Walden
Nov 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) after the game against the New England Patriots at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 30-24. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos made a statement on Sunday when they came back from a 14 point deficit twice to hand the New England Patriots their first loss of the season in a thrilling 30-24 victory in overtime.
Now that the dust has settled from Week 12, it is time for our weekly Power Rankings segment. These rankings will reflect on the Broncos performance against the Patriots, which was a great win in my books.
Now the Broncos are on to their first meeting with the San Diego Chargers. It is quite surprising that the first meeting with this team is coming so late in the season. It will be a huge AFC West battle that could shape the entire division. (The Chiefs and Raiders play each other in Week 13 as well)
For this list, I am also going to add the Bleacher Report Power Rankings. So, let us get started with them first.
Bleacher Report- Broncos rise to No. 3
As part of the new Power Rankings site, I have decided to see where Sean Tomlinson has ranked the Denver Broncos this week. He has placed them one spot up from last week at the No. 3 position, behind the Patriots and Panthers.
Tomlinson has very high praise for Osweiler when talking about the Broncos in this part of his rankings. He even goes on to say that Sunday Night in Denver unofficially marked the Osweiler era for Broncos Country, which could be a very hard pill to Peyton Manning to take.
The biggest thing he noted was his ability to not crumble under pressure during high intensity moments. And I have to agree. I think he looked calm despite the fact that they were down by 14 in the fourth quarter.
I can understand why Tomlinson placed the Broncos in this spot. While it is odd for me to see him place them behind New England, perhaps a few more solid wins and another Pats loss can see them hurdle over them. For now, this spot will do.
NFL.com- Elliot Harrison keeps the Broncos at No. 5
A huge win against the New England Patriots should have given the Broncos a boost in the rankings, right? Well, Harrison did not give them any type of boost. In fact, he kept the Broncos at No. 5 from last week despite the win.
I just want to point out that this is not what I expected. And I am sure fans are not happy about that. I would not have minded seeing them at No.3, but number five?
Perhaps there could be a solid reason behind having them at five. But the reason Harrison gave the Broncos at No. 5 is what caused me to do a double take.
Harrison’s reason behind not moving the Broncos? From his exact mouth he says that “he didn’t overreact to the win, the Patriots were banged up, and the Broncos got a lot of calls go their way.”
I don’t even want to go any farther than this. Moving on to the next power ranking.
Nov 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) and running back C.J. Anderson (22) celebrate during the second half against the New England Patriots at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 30-24. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN- Broncos stay put at No. 3
With the Broncos win, ESPN decided to keep the Broncos at No. 3. It was no surprise that they did not move them because of the two teams in front of them. However, they praise at how the Broncos have been winning as a team since Osweiler took the reigns.
One thing that they did note that Osweiler has a better total QBR, completion percentage, and interception percentage than Manning. The fact that he did that in two games is quite remarkable.
Behind the Patriots and Panthers makes sense. Like I said with the Bleacher Report one, I think another big win plus a Patriots loss should get them to the top two.
The MMQB- Peter King puts the Broncos at No. 2
Perhaps the biggest surprise that I saw in the power rankings was Peter King putting the Broncos above the Patriots in his Fine Fifteen.
I think I have seen it all now. He states that the fans were praying just 24 days ago that they hope the Broncos can “get through the season without disaster” to “don’t take Osweiler out.”
It makes you wonder if the Broncos will stick with Osweiler for the remainder of the season. Time will tell, but it is clear that Osweiler could be the man for the job going forward. Praise to Peter King for being bold to put the Broncos ahead of the Patriots.
What do you guys think of the Power Rankings? Leave your comments below.