Week 5 Broncos Power Rankings

Previous week's ranking in parenthesis.

Denver has won 15 regular season games in a row now, all by at least seven points. Is there anything that can stop the Broncos from their hellish ride of destruction -- besides themselves?

Oh. My. God. This team is scary good. I mean, we're talking better than the 49ers of the late 80's good. My biggest fear at this point for the Broncos is when will they lose a game? If this team is still undefeated around Week 10-12, then I'm almost begging for a loss at that point. The worst thing that could happen would be for this team to enter the post season 16-0. I want a championship, not the circus and distractions of an undefeated season being on the line. That said, this offense seems unstoppable right now. I am giddy.

Peyton Manning has missed (over or underthrown) on 14 throws this season. Since the start of 2008, QBs have missed at least 14 throws in a single game 36 times.

Can they be stopped? The Dallas trip this week won't be easy, especially with Dallas coming off a loss, but the way Denver is playing it's hard to imagine a loss there.

The scoring machine is operating at high speed and the defense can stand on its own. If an opponent could score 50 on them they would have a chance.

The Broncos are averaging 44.8 points per game, 13 more than the next closest team. Only the 1966 Dallas Cowboys scored more points (183) through the first four weeks of a season. That team featured a little-known 22-year-old tailback who tied for the league lead with 16 total touchdowns. His name? Dan Reeves. Yes, that Dan Reeves, the one who took the Broncos to three Super Bowls as a coach -- the very pinnacle to which Denver aspires this season. How's that for historical symmetry?

(9 first place votes). The AP Pro32 is determined by a simple points system based on how each voter ranks the NFL's 32 teams. A team receives 32 points for each first place vote, 31 for second place and so on through to the 32nd team, which receives one point.

Peyton Manning is on track to throw 64 touchdowns this season and while I don't think he will maintain that pace, I do honestly believe he will finish the year with 55 or more.

I wrote it on my NFL Picks page, and I'll write it here again: Vegas needs to start treating the Broncos like the 2007 Patriots. They need to be favored by at least 20 at home and 14 on the road versus teams that are average or worse. Why were they just -10 over the defensively incapable Eagles? It makes no sense.



A potential chink in the armor, however, could be Jack Del Rio. It's been rumored that Del Rio might take the USC job at the end of the collegiate season, which would be right before the team's playoff run. Del Rio is an outstanding defensive coordinator, so the Broncos would miss him. I'm sure Del Rio wouldn't miss Denver though. There are plenty of beaches around USC, so he'll be spending most of his time there.

Average Ranking: 1 • Average Change: +0.33

Note that the consensus is almost complete, but SOMEHOW, there are still a handful of doubters - three of the AP's 12 voters still rolled with the Seahawks as their #1 choice. Where are the Broncos in your Power Rankings?