Broncos 2024 NFL power rankings tracker: How national experts rank Denver entering Week 9

After eight weeks, the Broncos are sitting at 5-3 and are riding a two-game winning streak against a pair of not-so-good teams. And while Broncos Country is dreaming of playoff hopes for the first time since the Peyton Manning era, national analysts are tempering expectations for this Denver team.

Here’s a look at how various national experts rated the Broncos in their power rankings entering Week 9:

The Athletic (No. 15) | Last week: No. 17

“Denver is 20th in the league in scoring (21.63 ppg), but it is 30th in first downs per drive (1.4). That means a lot of short possessions, which is putting a lot of pressure on quarterback Bo Nix. The rookie was good Sunday, completing 28 of 37 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns as the Broncos had a season-high 400 yards. Denver has scored 61 points in the last two weeks,” Josh Kendall writes. See the full rankings.

Bleacher Report (No. 16) | Last week: No. 19

“I’m certainly not going to throw Nix into the Rookie-of-the-Year conversation, but he has shown an impressive amount of growth since stumbling out of the gate. The Broncos defense was good enough to overcome his early growing pains, and Denver is now beginning to look and play like a balanced team.

“I’d say that the Broncos are better at this point with Nix than they were with Russell Wilson in 2023. That team won eight games. This one has already won five and could be marching its way into a wild-card berth. Upcoming road games against the Ravens and Chiefs should tell us exactly how much of a threat Denver can be,” Kristopher Knox writes. See the full rankings.

CBS Sports (No. 13) | Last week: No. 17

“Sean Payton has this team at 5-3 as they head to Baltimore for a huge game with the Ravens. Bo Nix is getting better by the week,” Pete Prisco writes. See the full rankings.

ESPN (No. 16) | Last week: No. 17

“Rookie quarterback Bo Nix is showing progress, but the jury is still out on whether Russell Wilson or Jarrett Stidham would have fared just as well with the Broncos’ dominant defense. Franklin-Myers, acquired in a draft weekend trade with the Jets, has allowed others along the defensive front to switch to assignments that suit them better. Zach Allen, having an All-Pro-worthy season at defensive end, has credited Franklin-Myers’ arrival as facilitating a big part of his own impact. The Broncos have 12 players with at least half of a sack and the highest pass-rush win rate in the league (55.8%),” Jeff Legwold writes. See the full rankings.

The Sporting News (No. 13) | Last week: No. 16

“The Broncos should now get more attention because of Bo Nix assuming complete command of Sean Payton’s offense. They’re taking the first big step, beating up on bad teams and proving they’re far removed from being one,” Vinnie Iyer writes. See the full rankings.

Sports Illustrated (No. 21) | Last week: No. 20

“The Broncos, like the Saints earlier this year, are feeling themselves after two wins against extremely subpar opponents (in this case, a Derek Carr-less Saints team and the Carolina Panthers). Sean Payton has certainly been enjoying himself. Let’s check in after back-to-back road games against the Ravens and Chiefs. On another note, I wrote about this Sunday but it deserves a second mention: Ja’Quan McMillian had one of the more impressive picks I’ve seen all season,” Conor Orr writes. See the full rankings.

USA Today (No. 19) | Last week: No. 20

“Encouraging as their 5-3 start has been, trips to Baltimore and Kansas City the next two weeks will shed more truthful light on this squad,” Nate Davis writes. See the full rankings.

Yahoo! Sports (No. 14) | Last week: No. 16

“The Broncos’ next three games: at Ravens, at Chiefs, vs. Falcons. We’re about to find out very quickly how much of this 5-3 start is legitimate, Frank Schwab writes. See the full rankings.

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