Week 9 NFL Power Rankings: Denver Broncos Could Drop A Bit After Loss To Detroit Lions

It was a rough weekend for the Denver Broncos, to say the least. They lost a home game to the Detroit Lions by five touchdowns. Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch did some Tebowing following a sack of quarterback Tim Tebow. And one anonymous Detroit defender called Tebow an embarrassment. The emotional abuse aside, the results on the field don't bode well for Denver's standing in this week's NFL power rankings, which will be released on Tuesday.

Last week they'd moved up to No. 25 after beating the Miami Dolphins, but now they figure to move a spot or two back down the rankings after the drubbing handed them by the Lions in Week 8. The three teams right below them in the power rankings--Carolina, Arizona and Seattle--each lost on Sunday as well, so that should limit how far the Broncos slide. Carolina lost a close game, the Cardinals blew a big lead and the Seahawks' offense continued to sputter.

If one makes their power rankings based solely on what happened in Sunday's game, the Broncos would surely be among the bottom three teams in the league. It's possible that the collective body of work could still convince others to drop the Broncos to that same very spot and make some sort of jab toward Tim Tebow.

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