The Broncos extended their winning streak to six on Sunday with another fourth-quarter comeback, this time to beat the Texans, 18-15, in Houston.
Denver (7-2) now has a short turnaround to take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night.
Here’s a look at how various national experts rated the Broncos in their power rankings entering Week 10:
The Athletic (No. 8) | Last week: No. 8
“The Denver defense is again among the best in the NFL, but questions exist offensively. Bo Nix ranks 31st in success rate among 34 qualifying quarterbacks, ahead of only Dillon Gabriel, Cam Ward and Russell Wilson. There’s a lot to like elsewhere, though,” Josh Kendall and Chad Graff write. See the full rankings.
Bleacher Report (No. 7) | Last week: No. 9
“Are the Broncos fortunate they spent most of Sunday playing against Davis Mills instead of C.J. Stroud? Probably, but that doesn’t change the fact that Denver has become a squad that just keeps finding ways to win,” Kris Knox writes. See the full rankings.
CBS Sports (No. 8) | Last week: No. 6
“They need to start games by telling Bo Nix that it’s the fourth quarter. He just plays better and looser at the end of games,” Pete Prisco writes. See the full rankings.
ESPN (No. 7) | Last week: No. 9
“Yes, the Broncos have their first meeting against the Chiefs in Week 11 as well as a Week 15 matchup with the Packers and the regular-season finale versus the Chargers (after Los Angeles beat Denver in Week 3). But the Christmas night tilt at Kansas City could have a lot on the table. Perhaps most notably — beyond any playoff seeding implications — is that a victory at Arrowhead Stadium could mean the Broncos are truly over their eight seasons of struggles following Peyton Manning’s retirement. The Chiefs have won every AFC West title since the Broncos last claimed the divisional crown in 2015, and Denver hasn’t triumphed at Arrowhead since Sept. 17, 2015,” Jeff Legwold writes. See the full rankings.
NFL.com (No. 9) | Last week: No. 10
“Glass half full, the Broncos held the Texans to 3-for-17 on third downs in an important road victory and didn’t give up a touchdown even though they were without the injured Pat Surtain II. Glass half empty, Bo Nix struggled until the fourth quarter, Denver’s special teams cost the club points and more than half of the Broncos’ defensive efforts came against a backup QB. Sunday’s game was sort of a microcosm of this organization’s season: Denver won a big game, but it came littered with questions and shortcomings. You can’t deny the Broncos’ fourth-quarter magic in 2025, but it’s the rest of the game that often makes them look human. Denver is minus-1 in point differential in the first three quarters, but a stunning plus-60 in the fourth. That’s both good and glaring, and it’s held me back from elevating the Broncos farther,” Eric Edholm writes. See the full rankings.
The Ringer (No. 7) | Last week: No. 8
“At 7-2, this team reminds me so much of Kansas City and Washington last year — teams that won games in a way that made it hard to determine whether they were actually good or not. Winning is paramount, but great teams shouldn’t have to squeak by this often,” Diante Lee writes. See the full rankings.
USA Today (No. 3) | Last week: No. 7
“They’re now 4-0 in games in which they entered the fourth quarter trailing — quite the formula for taking control of the might AFC West. Yet still unclear if the Broncos are capable of staking the Silver and Black to such a lead in the Mile High City on Thursday night,” Nate Davis writes. See the full rankings.
Yahoo! Sports (No. 6) | Last week: No. 7
“The Broncos keep winning, but once again the offense has been sluggish. That’s somewhat excusable against a good Texans defense. Denver can win the AFC West, but only if its offense starts to play better and more consistently,” Frank Schwab writes. See the full rankings.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.