NFL Power Rankings: Denver Broncos and 3 Teams Doomed to Remain in Basement

Inevitably, a number of NFL teams have gotten off to rough 1-3 or 0-4 starts. While some of those teams will be able to bounce back and get their records back to respectability, many others are likely to remain among the league's bottom feeders. 

It isn't for a lack of trying, but some teams simply don't possess the horses necessary to be competitive on a weekly basis. At least one of these mediocre teams may receive a consolation prize in the form of Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck in the NFL Draft.

Here are three cellar dwellers doomed to remain in the basement by virtue of Week 5 losses.

Kansas City Chiefs

After being thrashed by the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions over the season's first two weeks, the Kansas City Chiefs bounced back in Week 2 by taking the San Diego Chargers down to the wire and ultimately losing by just three points.

The Chiefs built off of that in Week 4 by defeating the now 0-4 Minnesota Vikings 22-17. While the win was nice for the struggling Chiefs, I get the impression that they won't be winning too many more games moving forward.

Kansas City is simply overmatched with running back Jamaal Charles and safety Eric Berry out for the season. While the Chiefs will have any opportunity to win again this week against the 0-4 Indianapolis Colts, the Colts should build off the momentum they have gained over the past two weeks.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks started the season inauspiciously by getting blown out by the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers, but have played better over the past two weeks. Seattle defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 and lost by just two points to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

One might think that the Seahawks have a chance to upset the New York Giants this week with how well they have been playing lately, but Seattle is a very poor road team. The Seahawks played at home in each of the past two weeks, and that has a lot to do with their success.

I certainly expect Seattle to struggle against a talented Giants team on the road. Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson came to life a bit on Sunday, but the Giant pass rush should make life miserable for him, particularly if Justin Tuck is able to suit up.

Denver Broncos

While the Denver Broncos have had to contend with a pretty difficult schedule to this point in the season, the fact is that they simply aren't a very good team. Denver sits at 1-3, and while two of those losses were close ones, the Broncos haven't been particularly impressive on either side of the ball.

Denver was predictably demolished by the Green Bay Packers this weekend, as the defense put up absolutely no resistance in allowing quarterback Aaron Rodgers to throw for over 400 yards and score six total touchdowns.

The Broncos will host the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, and while divisional games can typically go either way, the Chargers are head and shoulders above Denver at this point. The Broncos have been poor on the ground and through the air offensively, so another loss could spell the end of the Kyle Orton era in Denver, and the beginning of the age of Tim Tebow.

Mike Chiari's Week 5 NFL Power Rankings	Previous Week's Ranking
1. Green Bay Packers	1
2. Detroit Lions	2
3. New Orleans Saints	3
4. Houston Texans	6
5. Baltimore Ravens	8
6. New England Patriots	5
7. San Diego Chargers	7
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers	14
9. Buffalo Bills	4
10. San Francisco 49ers	18
11. New York Giants	12
12. Tennessee Titans	21
13. Washington Redskins	13
14. Atlanta Falcons	16
15. New York Jets	9
16. Dallas Cowboys	10
17. Pittsburgh Steelers	11
18. Oakland Raiders	17
19. Philadelphia Eagles	15
20. Chicago Bears	19
21. Cincinnati Bengals	25
22. Carolina Panthers	22
23. Cleveland Browns	20
24. Arizona Cardinals	23
25. Seattle Seahawks	27
26. Denver Broncos	24
27. Jacksonville Jaguars	26
28. Kansas City Chiefs	32
29. St. Louis Rams	28
30. Indianapolis Colts	31
31. Miami Dolphins	30
32. Minnesota Vikings	29