It was a rough trip to the Bay Area for the Broncos.
Denver couldn’t conjure up another late comeback, losing to the 49ers, 24-14, and dropping its season record to 2-2. On top of that, starting cornerbacks Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss, and wide receiver Pat Bryant exited the game with injuries. Thankfully for the Broncos, none of the injuries were major.
The big question entering Week 5: Can the Broncos jumpstart their stagnant offense?
Next up: A trip back to the West Coast to play the Los Angeles Chargers at 2:05 p.m. on Sunday.
Here’s a look at how various national experts rated the Broncos in their power rankings entering Week 5:
The Athletic (No. 9) | Last week: No. 4
“Even though the offensive line didn’t allow a single sack in 42 dropbacks, Bo Nix managed just 214 yards, and his top target was running back RJ Harvey, who had 10 catches for 68 yards. It sounds like the Broncos avoided the worst-case scenario with Pat Surtain’s injury, but there’s legitimate reason for concern in Denver,” Josh Kendall and Chad Graff write. .
Bleacher Report (No. 11) | Last week: No. 5
“So far this season, the Denver Broncos haven’t led in any contest going into the fourth quarter. In Week 4, they didn’t have enough late-game magic to come back from a deficit. Aside from a 30-point second-half flurry against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3, the Broncos offense has struggled mightily, and it’s still trying to find its groove under new offensive play-caller Davis Webb. Unless head coach Sean Payton reclaims play-calling duties, it could be a bumpy ride for quarterback Bo Nix and his playmakers. Denver is slowly falling in our power rankings for good reason,” Maurice Moton writes. .
CBS Sports (No. 11) | Last week: No. 6
“Where is the offense? They looked lifeless in the loss to the 49ers. When does Sean Payton take over calling plays?” Pete Prisco writes. .
ESPN (No. 10) | Last week: No. 6
“The Broncos promoted Davis Webb to play-caller, traded for WR Jaylen Waddle and said it was a priority to re-sign RB J.K. Dobbins this offseason. On top of all that, they said QB Bo Nix was completely healthy after two ankle surgeries since January. And yet the high hopes for the offense have turned into a teeth-grinding affair with little pop. Denver is 29th in the league in explosive plays, has had no 100-yard rushers and just one 100-yard receiving game. After finishing near the bottom of the league in each of the previous two seasons in drives that end in a three-and-out, the Broncos haven’t made any improvements so far this season (26th),” Jeff Legwold writes. .
Fox Sports (No. 8) | Last week: No. 3
“And with the exception of Week 1 in Kansas City, the Broncos have held their own. But their offense is still erratic and they still don’t get much of a running game out of J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey. At some point, to be the best you’ve got to beat the best. Maybe they just can’t,” Ralpha Vacchiano writes. .
NFL.com (No. 5) | Last week: No. 6
“Denver traveled to Santa Clara with an opportunity to prove itself as an elite contender in Week 4 and battled commendably for most of the afternoon. Familiar pitfalls resurfaced, though. The Broncos couldn’t generate offense consistently and gifted the 49ers an opportunity to score in a 3-3 game. They woke up offensively far too late. They also lost both of their starting cornerbacks to injury, taking some of the teeth out of their stellar defense and leaving me with the same disappointed feeling. Denver’s slight tick up in this week’s Power Rankings comes courtesy of Buffalo’s fall,” Nick Shook writes. .
Sports Illustrated (No. 9) | Last week: No. 4
“You can make an argument that, over the first four weeks of the season, the Broncos have played the four best teams in the NFL: Kansas City, the Rams, Jacksonville and San Francisco and split the home and road games. A date against the broken and directionless Chargers likely feels like a relief at this point (even if the Chargers’ defense is really coming along of late),” Conor Orr writes. .
The Sporting News (No. 10) | Last week: No. 7
“The Broncos’ offense is a bit of a roller coaster with Bo Nix as Davis Webb’s play-calling has come into question. A sneaky problem is also having no trusted running game no matter the back and not finding enough weapons beyond Jaylen Waddle,” Vinnie Iyer writes. .
USA Today (No. 4) | Last week: No. 5
“It hasn’t been pretty through four weeks, especially offensively. But their only losses are to the undefeated Chiefs and Niners, and the schedule eases a bit for the rest of October. Even better, All-Pro CB Patrick Surtain II (ankle) isn’t expected to miss much time,” Nate Davis writes. .
Yahoo Sports (No. 14) | Last week: No. 8
“The Broncos have played eight halves of football. They’ve been bad for six of them, particularly on offense. On Sunday, against a 49ers defense dealing with many injuries, Denver didn’t score its first touchdown until 4:05 remained in the game. The Broncos are now 26th in offense in success rate. Denver is averaging 3.6 yards per rushing attempt, and only four teams are worse. The Broncos average 6.1 yards per pass attempt, and only three teams are worse than that,” Frank Schwab writes. .
