AFC West Power Rankings, Week 10: Broncos falling after blowout loss

The Denver Broncos went into Baltimore to face off against the Ravens in Week 9 with hopes of pulling off an upset, which would have been the biggest upset of the week according to the massive 9.5-point spread early in the week. As it turns out, the good folks in Vegas were being a bit generous for the Broncos there as Denver lost by a whopping 31 points on the road against one of the best teams in the league.

It was a reality check for the Broncos, but it's also a little ridiculous to just absolutely crush this team after losing a game to one of the best teams in the NFL. The Ravens are a juggernaut offensively and a perennial Super Bowl contender.

With all that transpired in Week 9 across the NFL and the AFC West, specifically, where do the Broncos currently stand in their own division?

AFC West Power Rankings, Week 10: Broncos & Chargers flip-flop

1. Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs remain undefeated at the time of this post being written but even with a matchup against the Buccaneers looming, the Chiefs aren't getting knocked off this spot anytime soon. Kansas City has built itself such a substantial margin for error that Patrick Mahomes was tied for the league lead in interceptions entering Week 9 and they still had a top-10 scoring offense and top-10 scoring defense.

The Broncos might actually be catching the Chiefs at a decent time. Assuming they find a way to beat the Bucs on Monday night, the'll be "due" for a loss and the Broncos will hopefully be refocused coming off of that ugly loss vs. the Ravens.

But Kansas City is a buzzsaw for so many teams. Playing Kansas City for most teams is usually just a comedy of errors. Teams can't get out of their own way playing this team.

2. Los Angeles Chargers

After their win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the Los Angeles Chargers are 5-3 on the year and have looked okay for most of it. They played probably their best overall game of the season against the Denver Broncos, consistently converting third downs, playing with balance offensively, and building a strong lead thanks to their defense flying around.

And that's really the best of what the Chargers bring to the table. They've got a good quarterback who makes his receivers better. They are building something in the running game with JK Dobbins. They are tough defensively.

They look like a pretty obvious nine-ish-win team.

3. Denver Broncos

As far as the long-term projection, the Broncos might be better than the Los Angeles Chargers. But time will tell. As of right now, the Broncos are a young team going through young team things. Meaning, we're seeing some bad mistakes, very little margin for error, and a lot of excitement and emotional rollercoaster rides for the fan base.

The reality is that the Broncos are a well-coached young team that is capable of doing some damage as the season rolls along. They're getting criticized for beating a lot of bad teams, but winning in the NFL is hard. Losing against the Ravens knocks the Broncos down the rung for a week, but it'll be fun to see how they respond against the Chiefs.

4. Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are pretty exactly what we thought they would be entering this season. They have arguably the worst quarterback situation in the entire NFL as Gardner Minshew has now been unceremoniously benched during a game twice this year. The first time came against the Denver Broncos a handful of weeks ago.

The Raiders traded away Davante Adams, and with the Tuesday NFL trade deadline (November 5) looming, we'll see whether or not the Raiders are going to sell off any more pieces.

It feels like this team is due for some wholesale changes in the near future.