The Denver Broncos beat the Philadelphia Eagles on the road to get an early signature win. The Broncos did it impressively as they came back from down 17-3 and thoroughly outplayed the champs in the final quarter. Here are my takeaways from the victory yesterday.
Bo Nix showed a lot of franchise quarterback qualities in this game. The overall box score doesn’t do him justice. He threw for 242 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions on 24/39 passing.
Those numbers are not eye-popping, but the context of the game matters so much. Nix was not having a good game in the first three quarters at all. He threw for just 116 yards with no touchdowns on 15/29 passing.
For Nix to bounce back, however, after a rocky start is what gives us Broncos fans hope. Games against elite teams are rarely pretty. When going on the road to take on the defending Super Bowl champs, you are going to get punched in the face early.
It’s a matter of what you do after the initial avalanche. For Nix to rally his team from a 17-3 deficit in Philadelphia is incredible. He made some big throws down the stretch as well, mainly on third down.
To be viewed as the franchise guy, you have to win games that aren’t pretty. You must also be able to make big throws on third down, which was something Broncos fans saw a lot from Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. It’s about time their own guy makes those plays.
This was such a big step in the right direction for Nix. He finally got the monkey off his back of not being able to beat an elite team. He’s been a little up and down to start the season. Let’s see if this win steadies things for him.
If the Broncos all of a sudden have a good running game, they will be awfully hard to beat. For the second straight week, Denver ran for more than 110 yards as they racked up 130 yards. Sticking with the run even when down 17-3 is what allowed the Broncos back in the game.
The Eagles’ defense looked exhausted in the final 15 minutes, and that’s when Denver was able to do their damage. JK Dobbins once again led the way with 20 carries, 79 yards, and a touchdown. Nix added 22 more on the ground himself.
This was the element that the Broncos was missing from their offense. They were able to possess the ball for 10 more minutes than the Eagles, which helped their defense, which was struggling a bit at times. This is a game they lost 10/10 times last year, so seeing them impose their will on Philly is encouraging.
Courtland Sutton is a flat-out stud man. He racked up 99 yards on eight catches. Whenever Nix needed a big play, Sutton came through.
We also finally had an Evan Engram sighting. He racked up 33 yards on four catches with a touchdown that gave them an 18-17 lead.
Troy Franklin also added 35 yards on three catches. He caught the two-point conversion that put them up 18-17. It just felt like everyone contributed, which is what is needed to beat the defending champs on the road!
It was not a pretty game for the defense by any means. For much of the game, Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, and AJ Brown were picking them apart. Patrick Surtain looked like he was losing his matchup for the first time in forever against Brown.
Hurts was exceptional, throwing the ball as he had 280 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. His second one came early in the second half when he threw a 50-yard touchdown to Saquon Barkley for 50 yard making it 17-3. After that, it looked like the floodgates were about to open.
Where the defense gets a lot of credit is being able to brush it off and lock it down for the rest of the quarter. After the Eagles scored to open up the third quarter, the Broncos’ offense was still able to do nothing. Until the final drive of the third, Denver punted on their possessions.
The defense was able to keep the score 17-3 until the offense found its footing. The Broncos were also able to sack Hurts seven times. Nik Bonitto led the way with 2.5 and is showing that he deserves every penny in the new deal he signed.
The defense has looked great all year, other than the game against the Indianapolis Colts. Vance Joseph has done a damn good job after his early struggles. Denver fans can count on this unit every week.
There is no other way to put it. This was a season-defining win and could have possibly changed the trajectory of the season. 3-2 is just so much better than 2-3.
The two teams next on deck are the New York Jets and New York Giants. Two games that Denver must win to have a real shot at taking this division.
The Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers are now tied for first in the AFC West at 3-2. We will see what the Kansas City Chiefs do tonight.
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