After defeating the Oakland Raiders 16-15 in Week 17, the Denver Broncos moved up two spots in Nate Davis’ final 2019 NFL power rankings for USA TODAY Sports. Denver ends the season ranked No. 20 out of 32 teams.
Here is Davis’ commentary with the Broncos’ ranking:
They’re 27-37 with nary a playoff berth since Peyton Manning rode into sunset. Can Vic Fangio and Drew Lock really change that trend?
Denver has failed to reach the playoffs since Manning retired in 2016 but the arrival of Lock has inspired hope about the team’s future. Lock went 4-1 as a starter in the team’s final five games of the season.
The Broncos end the year ranked No. 2 in the AFC West, behind the Kansas City Chiefs (No. 4) and above the Oakland Raiders (No. 22) and Los Angeles Chargers (No. 26). The Baltimore Ravens are ranked No. 1 and the Carolina Panthers are ranked No. 32. To view the complete end-of-season NFL power rankings, click here.
