John McTigue, Stats & Information 9y

NFL Power Rankings: Broncos slip to No. 4

Tom Gannam/AP Photo

The Rams saddled Peyton Manning and the Broncos with their second loss in three games.

The Denver Broncos have lost two of their last three games and have dropped to No. 4 in the weekly ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings. Although the No. 4 spot is still high, it’s the lowest in-season rank for the Broncos since Week 14 of 2012.

Tough games await the Broncos the next two weeks, and a recent “slide” by Peyton Manning and a number of injuries could result in an even deeper fall for Denver.

Suddenly average passing?

Manning has thrown multiple interceptions in each of his last three games after throwing three interceptions in his first seven games. Entering this season, Manning hadn’t thrown multiple interceptions in three straight games since 2010, and he hasn’t done it in four straight since the first four games of the 2001 season.

The increase in interceptions is a concern, but Manning has also been completing fewer passes for fewer yards on average. Manning’s three worst Total QBR games of the season have all come in his last three games.

Things have the potential to worsen, too, if the Broncos are without tight end Julius Thomas and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders for an extended period of time. Both were injured in the Week 11 loss to the St. Louis Rams, and their status for Week 12 is in doubt.

Thomas and Sanders have combined to catch 19 of Manning’s 30 passing touchdowns this season, including 13 of his 18 red-zone touchdowns. In fact, Manning has targeted those two 26 times in the red zone this season and seen only three of those passes fall incomplete. His 88.5 completion percentage to the duo in the red zone is nearly 26 percentage points higher than his percentage to everyone else (62.9 percent).

Lack of rush offense

One of the problems with the passing offense of late may be an overreliance on it. Three of the Broncos’ four highest dropback rates have come in the last three games. The Broncos have dropped back on nearly 78 percent of their plays the last three games after doing so 60 percent of the time the first seven games.

The Broncos are averaging 89.9 rush yards per game this season on 3.7 yards per rush. Both totals would rank as the lowest for Denver since the team acquired Manning.

Tough road ahead

The Broncos will need to work out their recent offensive issues quickly as their next two games are home against the Dolphins (6-4) and then at Kansas City against the Chiefs (7-3).

The Dolphins pose a threat as a top pass defense. Their 33.1 opponent Total QBR this season is best in the NFL, and they’ve proven strong against top quarterbacks this season. Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Philip Rivers (all top five in QBR along with Manning and Tony Romo) posted their worst completion percentages of the season against the Dolphins.

As for the Chiefs, they have not defeated the Peyton Manning-led Broncos, but they have won five straight and have the Raiders (0-10) before their Week 13 meeting with Denver. The Chiefs’ defense is tied for third this season with 30 sacks.

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