NFL Power Rankings Week 16: SB Nation Keeps Denver Broncos At No. 32

In the latest SB Nation NFL Power Rankings, the Denver Broncos remained at No. 32 for a second week in a row. A 39-23 loss on the road to the Raiders will do that to a team. But Tim Tebow look OK out there and provided a glimpse of what he can do. At this point, it's not about winning or losing (though the players certainly care about that); it's about what what players can do to prove they belong with the Broncos going forward. With two games to play, Tebow is at the top of the list to impress people, because a new coach is not necessarily beholden to keeping the young quarterback to build around.

The Arizona Cardinals, who beat the Broncos two weeks ago, fell to No. 31 after they lost to the Carolina Panthers, who picked up their second win of the season. The Panthers improved one spot to No. 30. The Cincinnati Bengals also won a game and moved up to No. 29. The Detroit Lions made a huge jump (at least for them) from No. 29 to No. 25 after winning their second game in a row. The Detroit Lions are doing better than the Broncos--who'd have thought it possible?

In the AFC West, the Raiders checked in at the bottom of the middle third of the rankings, but actually fell one spot. As Joel Thorman asks, does a two-touchdown victory over the Broncos mean much these days? The Kansas Chiefs are No. 11 and need only to win their last two games to make it into the playoffs without any tiebreakers. The San Diego Chargers stayed at No. 9 this week and need Chiefs to lose one game to have a chance at the playoffs.

The New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons remained first and second in this week's rankings.

Can the Broncos escape the bottom in next week's rankings?

NFL Power Rankings Week 16: Denver Broncos, Worst Team In The League?

Following the Denver's 39-23 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday afternoon, the Broncos likely secured another week at No. 32 in the NFL Power Rankings. In SB Nation's week 15 rankings, the Broncos were No. 32, so this isn't new territory for them.

Of all the teams with four or fewer wins that ranked above the Broncos, only the Arizona Cardinals lost this weekend. The Carolina Panthers improved to 2-12 after defeating those Cardinals (4-10). The Cincinnati Bengals escaped with a 19-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns to win their third game of the season. The Detroit Lions moved to 4-10 after needing overtime to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buffalo Bills, who had zero wins in the middle of November, also won their fourth game.

The Washington Redskins might drop several spots in this week's rankings given the whole Donovan McNabb/Rex Grossman situation and the loss on Sunday, but there's no competition between the Broncos and any other team for the bottom spot.

The New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons, who clinched a playoff berth with their victory over Seattle, both improved to 12-2. The Patriots had to fight until the clock reached zero before pulling out the 31-27 victory, which could lead some rankings to flip the two teams.