Do moral victories count? Not in the win-loss column.
The Broncos fell just short to Chiefs on Sunday, losing 22-16 to the defending Super Bowl champions in Kansas City, Mo. Melvin Gordon (131 yards rushing) had a good game, as did Shelby Harris and his long arms. But the passing game is still struggling (151 yards) and Denver still has no answers against elite tight ends.
Up next: A trip out to Charlotte, N.C., to take on former Valor Christian standout Christian McCaffrey and the Panthers.
Here’s a look at how various national experts rated the Broncos in their power rankings entering Week 14:
Bleacher Report (No. 25) | Last week: No. 27
“With four games left in the 2020 season, it looks like Broncos general manager John Elway will be handling an all-too-familiar task again in the 2021 offseason: trying to find Denver a long-term answer under center.” See the full rankings.
CBS Sports (No. 24) | Last week: No. 22
“They showed well on defense against the Chiefs and had a chance to win it. Drew Lock has to be better, but he is progressing,” Pete Prisco writes. See the full rankings.
ESPN (No. 23) | Last week: No. 22
“And it’s not close. Lock has four games to help his own cause when it comes to what the team does for 2021. If he ramps up his play by improving some basic, in-the-moment decision-making, the Broncos could get the two or so wins it would take to push them out of the draft’s top 10 and lessen outside pressure to select a quarterback. But Lock has to close the season as he did in 2019 and reduce his turnovers. He has the arm strength, the mobility and the ability to bounce back from mistakes. However, his penchant for risky decisions that result in turnovers is a red flag,” Jeff Legwold writes. See the full rankings.
NFL.com (No. 24) | Last week: No. 23
“The Broncos’ defense delivered a gritty performance against the Chiefs on Sunday night, holding the mighty Patrick Mahomes to a single touchdown pass and just 22 points at Arrowhead. It was an impressive showing that should have put Denver in line for a huge upset, but the Broncos’ offense continues to be a pop-gun operation, even when it’s not Kendall Hinton behind center. Drew Lock threw interceptions on Denver’s first and last possessions of the night and was only OK in the drives in between. It was another subpar effort that should have the Broncos thinking long and hard about whether Lock should even be in the team’s QB1 conversation in 2021,” Dan Hanzus writes. See the full rankings.
Sporting News (No. 25) | Last week: No. 24
“The Broncos found some fight with their running game and defense in Kansas City, but their quarterback play with Drew Lock doesn’t come close to comparing with what the Chiefs have,” Vinnie Iyer writes. See the full rankings.
Sports Illustrated (No. 23) | Last week: No. 26
“Vic Fangio always seems to get a hard-fought performance out of this roster, but the Broncos need more help on offense and they need it now. Defensively, it’s a top-10 football team again,” Conor Rorr writes. See the full rankings.
USA Today (No. 26) | Last week: No. 25
“He’s hardly the biggest name in a promising young receiving corps, but you have to be impressed by emergence of undrafted third-year WR Tim Patrick,” Nate Davis writes. See the full rankings.
Yahoo Sports (No. 23) | Last week: No. 26
“I don’t know any decent argument for punting on fourth-and-3 near midfield, trailing the Chiefs 19-16 with a little more than six minutes left. The Chiefs’ offense moved downfield and kicked a field goal, taking 5:03 off the clock. The only person who couldn’t see that coming is Vic Fangio,” Frank Schwab writes. See the full rankings.
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