NFL Power Rankings: Broncos continuing to climb

The Broncos are proving themselves to be one of the best teams in the NFL as they earned a fourth consecutive win on Sunday with a 36-14 domination of the Carolina Panthers. While plenty of things are going right for the Broncos, the thing that has been most encouraging for the team has been the recent play of Peyton Manning. As Joel Thorman of SB Nation notes in his latest power rankings, the 36-year old may be playing the best football of his career:

6. Denver Broncos (LW: 8, 6-3): Too high? I think it's just right. At least the way the Broncos have been playing the last few weeks. Manning hasn't hasn't completed less than 70 percent of his passes in a game since Sept. 23. He's playing some of his best football.

It's not just Manning, though. The Broncos defense features a relentless pass rush led by Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller that earned praises from CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, although he ranked them a bit lower than Thorman:

8. Denver Broncos: They go east in two successive weeks and win, which is impressive no matter who you are playing. That defense is really impressive.

If the Broncos can earn a win over the San Diego Chargers in Week 11, they'll have a chokehold on the AFC West with a relatively easy schedule after that. As Ashley Fox of ESPN notes, that sets up for an easy path to the playoffs for the Broncos:

7. Denver Broncos: The Broncos have won four straight since a Week 5 loss at New England. Only two of their seven remaining games are against teams with a winning record. (Fox)

Sunday's game against the Chargers is scheduled to kickoff at 2:25 p.m. MT at Sports Authority Field in Denver, CO.