The Denver Broncos have 11 regular season games left to get the offense figured out for a hopeful playoff push. Sitting at 4-2 for the second year in a row, a lot of what we have seen from this team this year is what we saw last year - the defense comes through with a big-time plays when needed, and the offense manages to just barely do enough.
This year, however, Bo Nix and the offense have regressed across the board, and it's not just Nix who has looked shaky this year. Fortunately, Denver being 4-2 despite the offensive mess can also prove that this team can emerge as a Super Bowl favorite if the offense can simply be average.
Let's dive into a power rankings roundup from across the NFL world and see where experts have the Broncos ranked.
Denver Broncos sit pretty in NFL Power Rankings, however...
Nick Shook, NFL.com (9)
"It was difficult to justify keeping the Broncos in the top 10 after last Thursday night’s ugly win over the Seahawks. Denver has serious problems offensively but manages to continue winning on the back of its defense. The opportunistic unit is returning to form as a quarterback-harassing group capable of swinging games in the Broncos’ favor -- even when Bo Nix can’t take his own training wheels off. We’ll see if they can keep surviving in such a fashion. "
Nick Shook ranked the Broncos just inside the top-10, but he's clearly not all that high on the Broncos, as he argues that it was tough for him to rank Denver in the top-10 with how poor the offense has been, but at the same time, how many other teams in the league have the resume of wins that the Broncos have...?
Jeff Legwold, ESPN.com (10)
"Nix won't blame possible aftereffects of two ankle surgeries since January for his struggles. Nor will he blame missing virtually all of the team's offseason program, or that coach Sean Payton took away playcalling duties from Davis Webb after just four games. The bottom line is 2026 Nix doesn't look much like 2025 Nix or even 2024 rookie Nix. He resides near last in virtually every statistical metric, looking tentative in all facets of his game. Payton has said "there are a lot of dirty hands." But at some point the defense can't keep saving this team's offense -- or its quarterback."
Denver comes in at No. 10 in ESPN's rankings, and, unsurprisingly, Nix and the offense are the main talking point here. Jeff Legwold does mention how Nix did miss much of the offseason and did have to deal with a play-caller switch.
Both of those are valid reasons as to why the offense looks as it does. Nix would surely shoulder most of the blame, but there are legitimate reasons as to why the offense is underperforming. In my opinion, if Nix hadn't suffered this ankle injury or at least had not missed much of what he did in the offseason, and the offense still looked like this, there would be much deeper concerns.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk (6)
"They’ll go as far as the offense can take them."Mike Florio
A short statement, Mike Florio believes the Broncos will go as far as the offense can take them, but he also does rank the Broncos at No.6. He seems to be high-ish on the Broncos, and it's easy to see why. Denver has beaten some formidable teams this year and are still showing the rest of the NFL that they can close out games better than most.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports (5)
"They beat the Seahawks, but that offense is woeful right now. Bo Nix is not playing well - and that's being kind."
The highest ranking from this group, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports has the Broncos coming in at No. 5 in his latest power rankings. You could honestly argue that five might be a bit too high for this team, but there aren't four teams that have better overall roster talent, and when you add that in with the coaching, Denver does boast a setup better than most teams in the league.
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