The Denver Broncos tried to run with an AFC powerhouse in the Baltimore Ravens last week and came up woefully short. A 41-10 loss hurts the Broncos’ confidence but also drops them to No. 15 in NFL.com’s Week 10 power rankings four spots, raising some questions about this young team.

Eric Edholm weighed in on the Broncos’ loss and raised an important question about their ability to play against the NFL’s top teams. 

“Sunday’s blowout loss to Baltimore was a hard fall for a Denver team that had won five of its previous six games and not dropped a prior contest by more than seven points. The question now: Can the Broncos handle opponents above their weight class? Three of their four losses have been to teams currently above .500, and they’ve only beaten one team that has not fired its coach or benched a quarterback this season: the Bucs in Week 3. That comes into play when we consider whether the Broncos will still be over .500 after their next two games, which are against quality opponents (at Kansas City, vs. Atlanta). They’re currently in line for a playoff spot, but performing well against better teams is a must if that’s going to remain the case come January,” Edholm wrote.

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This year’s iteration of the Broncos was supposed to be more of a rebuilding effort, evaluating current talent while developing rookie first-round quarterback Bo Nix. Thus far, the Broncos have exceeded expectations, winning five games with Nix, with no star power at any skill positions.

The Broncos haven’t beaten the best teams, but they did their job by winning the games they should’ve. This probably isn’t a team primed for a deep playoff push despite currently sitting with the No. 7 Wildcard seed in the AFC.

Can Denver make it to the postseason? Absolutely, but that doesn’t mean the Broncos are ready to compete with the Baltimores and Buffalos of the league.

Considering that the Broncos are rebuilding, they’ve done a great job of figuring out which roster pieces to keep while also bringing Nix along. Denver may not be ready to slug it out with the heavyweights of the NFL just yet, but it’s headed in the right direction team-building-wise for the first time in almost a decade. 

The Broncos travel to take on the Kansas City Chiefs this week to battle their biggest rival in the AFC West. The Chiefs are undefeated and looking to keep that streak going, but Denver always finds a way to keep the game close.

Nothing is sweeter than vanquishing a heated rival who’s undefeated and the reigning Super Bowl champions. A win in Kansas City would do wonders for the Broncos’ confidence.

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