After such a promising 7-0 start, the Denver Broncos are falling back down to Earth -- hard. The Broncos have a mediocre 3-4 record over their last seven games, and panic may be kicking in for some fans. All of a sudden, the Broncos' hopes of earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC have dwindled down to just winning the AFC West.

So, how much trouble are the Broncos in?

Brock Osweiler has done a good job filing in for Peyton Manning, but in the end, he's still just a backup quarterback. Osweiler's offense has failed to yield a second-half touchdown in either of the last two games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders.

The Broncos are in deep water now. If they lose their upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and if the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Cleveland Browns, there will be huge implications. That would send the Chiefs up to the No. 3 seed in the AFC, while the Broncos could fall all the way down to a No. 7 seed, if the New York Jets win.

It's crazy how these things work out.

Clearly the Broncos offense has to get going. The Broncos have only scored 30 points in regulation once this entire season, back in Week 2 against the Chiefs. Overall, the Broncos offense now ranks 23rd in yards gained. That's pretty alarming, considering the amount of talent the Broncos have on offense, such as Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. Vernon Davis, who was acquired before the trade deadline from the San Francisco 49ers, has been constantly dropping passes.

The Broncos vs. Bengals game will be the biggest matchup of this upcoming NFL weekend. If the Broncos can win that game at home, they will maintain their division lead and vault up to No. 2 in the AFC. 

The Broncos defense is still playing great, and they rank No. 1 in total yards allowed, passing yards allowed and rushing yards against. Anytime a team plays defense like that, they have a chance. Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware head a defensive unit that leads the NFL in sacks with 47. Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward and Chris Harris, Jr. have formed one of the best secondaries in the league as well.

Offensive line and passing are clearly the biggest issues for the Broncos going forward, but turnovers are also starting to play a factor for the team. The Broncos have turned the ball over in all but one game this season.

The Broncos season could very well come down to the final game against the San Diego Chargers. Philip Rivers and the Chargers' season is already over, but they would love to end the Broncos' year by beating them in Week 17. That Chargers vs. Broncos matchup could also be the final game for the Chargers until they possibly move to Los Angeles.

The last time we saw the Broncos endure a two-game losing streak, they won their next three games. We'll see if they can do that again.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1