The Denver Broncos have finally earned their respect from the rest of the NFL. After a thrilling 22-19 walk-off win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Sean Payton’s squad showed that they’re here to compete with the top teams in the league, and not just a team with a good record because they took care of business against inferior opponents.
With the win, the Broncos jumped out to a 9-2 record that has them as the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the time being. They have a commanding lead for the AFC West and are currently the odds-on favorite to win the division for the first time in a decade.
The win also skyrocketed the Broncos up the board in the latest NFL Power Rankings. After hovering around the No. 10 spot for most of the season including a No. 8 showing a week ago, this win pushed them all the way up to No. 5 on the board.
In the process, Denver jumped New England, the only other 9-2 team in the league right now, Detroit, who lost in an underwhelming performance in Philadelphia on Sunday, and Kansas City, who dropped all the way from No. 7 to No. 15 on the list.
The four teams ahead of the Broncos are the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Seattle. The Colts are still the cream of the crop in the AFC, and have a tough challenge on the road against Kansas City this week. If they lose that game, it could potentially open the door for the Broncos to be the top team in these Power Rankings next week despite not playing a game.
For Denver’s other two friends in the AFC West, the Chargers and Raiders, they continue to slide. Los Angeles dropped six spots to No. 17 after they were blown out by the Jaguars on Sunday while the Raiders fell farther towards the bottom at No. 31 after they were uncompetitive against Dallas on Monday.
The Broncos have full control on the AFC West. With a bye week to get rested and recovered before the home stretch, things are looking good in Denver for the orange and blue to win the division for the first time since 2015.
