The Denver Broncos are rightfully falling in everyone’s Week 6 power rankings after another disappointing loss in Week 5 vs. the Steelers.
Right now feels like a great time to remind everyone that Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick does not drop anything.
Anything.
The Denver Broncos, however, are dropping in this week’s NFL power rankings across the wide world of analysis.
Cody Williams of FanSided recently ranked the Denver Broncos 22nd in his Week 6 power rankings, dropping them all the way from a top-10 ranking the week prior.
Denver Broncos tumbling in Week 6 power rankings after two losses
Williams’ analysis and explanation of the ranking:
"We’re knocking the Broncos way, way down in the rankings because this team is starting to look fraudulent. They started the year 3-0 against some of the worst teams in the NFL but, since the level of competition has even modestly improved, they’ve reeled off two straight losses.Against a Pittsburgh offense that had been hapless recently, the Denver defense had no answers and allowed 27 points. On top of that, Teddy Bridgewater and the offense looked limited to a degree that’s hard to overcome against even decent teams. That’s not a good sign for things to come."
Unfortunately, the Denver Broncos have been proving many of the team’s detractors right following a 3-0 start that many were skeptical of based on the strength of the opponents.
The Broncos certainly did a good job of beating up on some teams, but there are a few things that were notable from those victories that have proven to be issues against better teams.
First and foremost, the Denver Broncos are terrible on third downs and have been since the start of the season. They are dead last in the NFL right now with a 28.6 percent third-down conversion rate. That is simply unacceptable regardless of what kind of down and distance the team has faced.
The Broncos also won their first three games despite some issues with red zone production. They have converted plenty of drives into field goals, but not nearly enough into touchdowns. Right now, Denver ranks 29th in the NFL with eight touchdowns in 19 red zone appearances.
Third down conversion rate comes down to a combination of predictability, inability to produce on earlier downs, and failure to execute.
Right now, the Broncos are simply just inept in that area and it’s now cost them two straight games against fellow AFC playoff hopefuls.
The Broncos’ ineptitude on third down offensively has extended well beyond just recent games. This is a team that has gone 24 straight games without an opening drive score.
The defense is playing well enough that the Broncos could have won all five of their games based simply on defensive performance. Even with some big plays allowed to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was the failure of the offense that wound up costing the team over the course of the entire game.
As far as power rankings go, this team deserves to be tumbling right now. They have looked more like pretenders these last two weeks after a 3-0 start, but the great news for Denver is, Week 6 is a chance to start a new winning streak.
Denver Broncos: 5 inexcusable mistakes in loss against Steelers
The Denver Broncos not only lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they also made some seriously inexcusable mistakes in the process.
A home game against the Las Vegas Raiders could get the team a key AFC and divisional victory while also helping the team gain some ground on the Los Angeles Chargers, who have a tough road matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.