Mile High Report
The Denver Broncos have their biggest gridiron matchup of the season tomorrow afternoon going up against the Philadelphia Eagles. It won’t be easy to come away with a victory, but it’s certainly possible if the team puts together their most complete game of the season. Here are three players I believe need to play at a high level in order for the Broncos to come away with an upset victory on the road in Philadelphia.
Entering the second phase of the season, there is a good shot you will see some repeats of players from prior games listed as a top player to watch for upcoming matchups. After his incredible performance against the Cincinatti Bengals, J.K. Dobbins proved just how important he is to the offense. I’ve already mentioned him once before, but they need him to have another stellar game tomorrow against the Eagles.
The Broncos had gone through the past 37 games without having a single 100-yard rusher until Dobbins’ performance on Monday Night Football. That’s sort of hard to believe, especially with the storied history the franchise has with running backs. But there is no doubt that in order to be successful, boasting a formidable rushing attack will have to be a part of Denver’s identity.
The Eagles defense, led by Vic Fangio, was one of the best in the league last season. This year, they’ve taken a step back, most notably when it comes to run defense. Giving up nearly 5 yards per carry, I feel this is a game where the Broncos need to utilize a heavy dose of Dobbins and RJ Harvey in order to help achieve a victory. As I authored earlier in the week, dictating the pace of the game and keeping the Eagles’ explosive playmakers on the sidelines is a key formula to success.
Feed Dobbins the rock, win on early downs, and put Bo Nix in a position to succeed with manageable third downs and good things will happen. If they can run the ball well, they will have a much better shot at having a chance to win. Being one-dimensional on the road, especially against a Vic Fangio coached defense, seems like a recipe for disaster.
Second-year signal caller Bo Nix had been a little rusty early on in the season, but it still outperforming his pace from his early starts of his rookie campaign. He looked much more comfortable against the Bengals. Overall, I thought he played really well outside of the interception in the red zone. The Broncos’ success running the ball was a big reason for that. It took a big load off his shoulders and really helped open some things down the field in the passing game. It was a quality complimentary effort on offense.
While the Eagles have struggled to combat opposing rushing attacks, Fangio’s defense have been advantageous when it comes to creating turnovers. They are a well-coached defense with a lot...
