The Denver Broncos have a lot going for them approaching the 2025 NFL Season, and the latest NFL power rankings indicate as much. Denver ended up being the seventh and final team in the AFC to clinch a playoff spot in the 2024 NFL Season.
However, despite barely getting into the postseason, there are many out there who have given the Broncos lofty expectations in 2025 and beyond. The front office added a ton of talent in free agency and in the 2025 NFL Draft.
And the biggest factor might be the (likely) year two leap from Bo Nix, who was on a 45-touchdown pace over the final eight games of 2024. The latest major NFL power rankings indicate Denver is here to stay and ready to contend.
Denver Broncos ranked 11th in latest NFL.com power rankings
Here is what Eric Edholm said about the Denver Broncos being ranked 11th in his power rankings and fourth in the AFC:
The Broncos are a fascinating team that could be on the verge of breaking through. Bo Nix deftly answered a lot of challenges last season. The defense could be the best unit in the league; at worst, it’s a top-five group. Denver added some skill-position talent to the till. I don’t see many glaring personnel voids. What the 2024 Broncos needed to do better was finish off close games and win more often against top-tier talent. They were 1-6 in one-score games, and after the Week 3 win at Tampa, there were really no more signature victories against good teams. (Beating a Chiefs team resting its starters in Week 18 doesn’t count.) The 2025 schedule is tougher, and I still wonder how much the offense really added to the backfield, but Denver is pointed in the right direction. If the Broncos can survive the AFC West gauntlet, the playoffs are within reach again. - Eric Edholm
Edholm's power rankings were very flattering to the Denver Broncos, as they were behind only Baltimore, Kansas City, and Buffalo in the AFC, and those three teams seem to be the 'big 3' in the conference.
It's currently up in the air which team could make that a Big 4, but Denver may have the best-possible chance at doing that. They've got a better roster than Houston, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles, and the untapped potential of Bo Nix in 2025 could also help thrust them to the top.
Another massive challenge ahead of Denver is being able to slay the dragon in the AFC West and finally topple the Kansas City Chiefs, as the Broncos have not won the division since 2015, but all things considered, this Broncos' team for 2025 is the single-best team that we'll likely see since that Super Bowl squad.