Broncos 2025 NFL power rankings tracker: How national experts rank Denver entering Week 12

The Broncos bye week is here and they are in a good position to rest up After beating division rival Kansas City - at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday Denver is - with a two-game lead over the Chargers for first place in the AFC West The Broncos are also at this moment the No seed in the AFC Sure there are still issues with the offense And there are way too numerous penalties But for one week Broncos fans relax and enjoy Here s a look at how various national experts rated the Broncos in their power rankings entering Week The Athletic No Last week No Denver s defensive coordinator is not a hot name in the head coaching candidate conversations but he should be His first stint as a head coach didn t go well - with the Broncos but in a league of second chances he ought to get one The Broncos held a surging Chiefs squad to points Sunday and are fourth in the league in defensive EPA per snaps according to TruMedia Josh Kendall and Chad Graff write See the full rankings Bleacher Analysis No Last week No If Denver could get its offense rolling early in championship it could be downright dominant Instead the Broncos defense is usually relied upon to slow opponents long enough until the offense absolutely gets rolling Brent Sobleski writes See the full rankings CBS Sports No Last week No The fourth-quarter magic is real They have a true shot to be the top seed in the AFC Pete Prisco writes See the full rankings ESPN No Last week No It was Payton before the season and it s Payton now He unapologetically touted his club s Super Bowl worthiness in training camp and lo and behold the Broncos are tied for the NFL s best record amid the unit s longest win streak since eight games But among the narratives that continue to swirl narratives Payton joked after Sunday make him want to cry are the association s balky offense and his handling of quarterback Bo Nix The Broncos have a title-worthy defense that keeps them in position for Nix s clutch fourth-quarter performances So if the offense can t pick up the pace a lot of eyes will be on Payton his playcalling and Nix s performance Jeff Legwold writes See the full rankings NFL com No Last week No The biggest difference between the and versions of the Broncos Winning the close ones A year ago Denver was - in one-score games With Sunday s win over the Chiefs they moved to - in tight contests over the last three months As much as we ve needled the Broncos for their sometimes-sluggish offensive starts often produced by self-inflicted errors their fourth-quarter performance is above reproach Bo Nix rallied from a tough challenge against the Raiders to deliver particular big throws against the Chiefs especially given how little help he received from the run competition Denver s defense also stepped up once more this time without two key starters and the special teams were excellent Those little details are the difference and it s why the Broncos are looking ripe to dethrone the one-time close-game champs the Chiefs for AFC West supremacy Eric Edholm writes See the full rankings The Ringer No Last week No With the ugly way the Broncos have played on offense this season I was certain Kansas City would have been able to draw a clear line between a real contender and an imposter in their Week matchup It did just not in the way I expected We got a season-best day from quarterback Bo Nix and a shutdown defensive performance in Denver s biggest win of the year Diante Lee writes See the full rankings Related Articles Broncos Mailbag Will Denver sign free-agent running back after J K Dobbins injury Keeler Broncos Sean Payton want to make Bo Nix s life easier Get Marvin Mims Jr more touches Broncos stock analysis Jahdae Barron emerges as Vance Joseph s tight-end stopper Parker Gabriel s thoughts after an AFC West-shaping win over K C including Bo Nix begging Sean Payton to get plays called faster Broncos take up for QB Bo Nix after Chiefs win He s the toughest dude on our organization USA Currently No Last week No The AFC West leaders are on pace for a single-season record sacks Yet they re also outstanding against the run permitting a league-low yards per attempt Even better All-Pro CB Patrick Surtain II could be back on the other side of this week s bye Nate Davis writes See the full rankings Yahoo Sports No Last week No The Broncos will just keep winning games while everyone decides they re not really that good The offense is inconsistent but a defense without Patrick Surtain II and Alex Singleton still had a great day against the Chiefs Maybe at selected point they ll get their proper respect Frank Schwab writes See the full rankings Want more Broncos news Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis