The Denver Broncos took a bit of a fall this week in the latest SB Nation NFL Power Rankings, moving down two spots to No. 27. As Joel Thorman remarks:
Consistently inconsistent. The Broncos destroy the Chiefs and then get destroyed by the Chargers. They're out of the playoff race and fans are already bringing up the Tim Tebow question.
The Broncos are still ranked higher that the Minnesota Vikings, though we all know Broncos fans would like to see Josh McDaniels fired just like Brad Chidress was on Monday afternoon. The 4-6 St. Louis Rams, the Denver Broncos' next opponent, come in at No. 23 and could be fighting for the NFC West, as the 5-5 Seattle Seahwaks currently lead the division. A win over the Broncos on the road would set the Rams up quite nicely for an eventual showdown with the Seahawks at the end of the season.
Among the other AFC West teams, the Raiders, who lost to the Steelers on the road, check in at No. 17 and are tied with the Chargers at 5-5. The AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs and the San Diego Chargers come in at 13th and 14th, respectively. Though the Chiefs currently lead the AFC West, one gets the sense that the Chargers are about ready to run through the AFC West--if they haven't already started. With Philip Rivers throttling the passing game and Mike Tolbert filling in for Ryan Mathews more than adequately, the Chargers may just find themselves with another AFC West crown.