Now it’s getting difficult.  The top twelve spots in the power rankings are reserved for the teams who presently seem ready to make it to the playoffs.  But with the talent levels from team to team more compressed than ever, any of the next ten franchises could rise up and make it to the postseason.

So while the No. 22 ranking seems low, it can be overcome.

The team that will have to try to do it is the Denver Broncos.

In more than a decade as the team’s head coach, Mike Shanahan has avoided the hot seat.  With G.M. Ted Sundquist out the door, Shanahan no longer has anyone else to blame, if the team can’t deliver.

At this point, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether the Broncos will.  The running backs seem as weak as ever, with undrafted free agent from 2007 Selvin Young the starter and undrafted free agent from 2006 Andre Hall the backup.  Promising rookie draft pick Ryan Torain will miss extended time with a broken elbow.

The offensive line is in flux, currently with a different starter at each position. 

The passing game could be strong, with Jay Cutler coming into his own and Brandon Marshall poised to become an elite player.  The rest of the receiving depth chart is an open question, however, and Marshall will miss at least two games due to a suspension.  As of now, it appears that rookie Eddie Royal is already a better option than veteran newcomers Samie Parker, Keary Colbert, and Darrell Jackson.

The defense boasts a solid secondary, but the weakness continues to be the area that needs to be its strentgh — the defensive line.  Defensive end Jarvis Moss, a first-rounder in 2007, doesn’t look to be ready to make a Mario Williams-style impact in his second year, and the interior linemen have been a chronic soft spot.  Undersized Elvis Dumervil could be a force.

In all, the Broncos could contend for a wide-open No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs.  But the chances of competing with the Chargers for the division crown are slim, and we’d be shocked to see the Broncos advance very deep into the playoffs, if they indeed qualify.