ESPN says the Broncos are the best team in football through Week 3

Christian Clark

Sep. 28, 2016, 10:16 a.m.

Miles the mascot at the unvieling of Broncos Boulevard in front of the City and County Building. Sept. 7, 2016. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite) denver broncos; football; civic center park; city and county building; kevinjbeaty; denver; denverite; colorado; — The Broncos are the best team in football so far, ESPN says. Obviously, Miles seems enthusiastic about that. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

If you are a person who takes much stock in power rankings through three weeks of the NFL season, there’s good news about the local football team.

ESPN dropped its weekly power rankings Tuesday, and the 3-0 Denver Broncos came in at the top spot. They were followed by the New England Patriots (3-0), Seattle Seahawks (2-1), Minnesota Vikings (3-0) and Arizona Cardinals (1-2).

“QB Trevor Siemian is getting better by the week and that could be a scary thing for the rest of the NFL,” ESPN wrote. “The reigning champs still have a top defense and plenty of skill on offense. The Broncos head east to face the turnover-prone Bucs in Week 4.”

The Kansas City Chiefs (2-1), Oakland Raiders (2-1) and San Diego Chargers (1-2) — Denver’s AFC West foes — earned the 12th, 14th and 21st rankings, respectively.

Last year at this time, ESPN ranked the Broncos fourth. The New England Patriots were first. Denver and New England eventually met in the playoffs. The Broncos won 20-18.

It’s fair to wonder whether another late-January matchup is in store this season.

Sports reporter Christian Clark can be reached via email at cclark@denverite.com or on Twitter @_ClarkChristian. Subscribe to Denverite’s newsletter here.

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The Broncos are the best team in football so far, ESPN says. Obviously, Miles seems enthusiastic about that. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)