If the Denver Broncos are going to go on the road and upset the Philadelphia Eagles in today’s game, they’ll have to do these three things to best elevate their chances.
Last season, Denver went to Tampa Bay in Week 3 and upset the red-hot Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield. The Eagles are 4-0, but aren’t necessarily red-hot despite their undefeated record.
Bo Nix and the Broncos can make a huge statement with a win this afternoon.
Three keys to victory for the Denver Broncos
If the Broncos are going to come away with an upset victory today, they’ll have to do these three things.
Run game efficiency leading to points
Defensively, the Eagles are allowing 113 yards per game on the ground to opposing teams’ rushers. The Broncos seemingly got their run game going last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, who were previously allowing 119 yards per game on the ground.
Denver rattled off 189 rushing yards on Monday in their 28-3 win against the Bengals. Can they break off some big runs against an Eagles defense that is stingy, but is allowing 4.3 yards per carry this year?
Contain the Eagles run game
One of the biggest keys to victory is stopping the Eagles’ run game, led by Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts, and AJ Dillon, who all present size and physicality when the ball is in their hands.
Between Barkley’s explosive potential on a down-to-down basis, containing him will be the biggest key first and foremost. After that, if Hurts doesn’t have an open passing option on his drop-backs, he’s more than capable of dipping inside or taking it on the outside himself, so edge contain will be paramount from Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper.
This might be a game we see Vance Joseph bring out a penny front look, which features nickel personnel, one linebacker, and three down linemen with two outside linebackers off the edge. Denver’s ability to play man-to-man coverage at a high rate could be the key to this working if they come out in it.
Protect the football against this Eagles defense
The Eagles’ defense is the ultimate bend but don’t break system under Vic Fangio. Fangio has dominant defensive linemen and two extremely athletic linebackers in Zach Baun and Jihaad Campbell, not to mention the secondary that features Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell.
They have a balanced attack of trusting their base defense and ramping up pressure when needed. To put it plain and simple, Bo Nix has to do a good job today of protecting the football and not forcing it into unnecessary windows, because this Eagles defense thrives off of those opportunities, and their offense capitalizes when they do.
In four games, the Eagles’ defense has generated five takeaways, and Denver has turned the ball over a total of six times through four games. Ball security will be paramount today, and the Broncos will have to be alert against the Eagles’ special teams units that have blocked two kicks and two punts in the last two weeks.