Mile High Report
The Denver Broncos have their biggest win since beating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. The Philadelphia Eagles came into the game 4-0 with a 21-game home winning streak. The defending Super Bowl champions absolutely steam-rolled the Chiefs in the Super Bowl last season leading 34-0 at one point before the losers from Kansas City scored some at the end of the game to keep it from looking as much of a slaughter as it was.
The Eagles were up 17-3 into the 4th quarter and the Broncos offense looked flummoxed and out of whack. The Broncos had 102 yards of total offense in the first half that led to three points. They also only converted one of eight third downs in the first half. In the second quarter the Broncos were 0/4 at converting on 3rd down. Despite that, they were only down 10-3 at the half. Of course, the Eagles came out and scored quickly on their first possession of the second half to go up 17-3.
In previous years, the Broncos would have given up and probably finished the game getting blown out 34-9 or something like that, but this team is different. The Broncos have only won two games on the road when down by 14 or more in the 4th quarter, and now both of those games have come with Sean Payton as the head coach. The team is now 2-106 in those games, 2-6 under Sean Payton and 0-100 under every other head coach.
Additionally the Broncos came into the game 1-6 all-time playing the Eagles in Philly, with that lone win coming with John Elway back in 1986.
So those who know the history were feeling some despair as the Broncos got the ball back with 2:38 left in the 3rd quarter still down 14. The Broncos would start the drive with some good field position, own 36, after a 16 yard punt return from Marvin Mims. An 11-play drive would be capped off by a JK Dobbins run for the touchdown with 13:10 left to play in the game to bring the Broncos within once TD.
What may have gone unnoticed is how good the Bronco defense played after allowing the long TD pass to Saquon Barkley. The Eagles had five more drives and scored zero points on those five drives with two of those drives losing yards and one drive gaining a total of two yards.
While the Bronco defense was smothering the Eagles offense, the Bronco offense came alive with scores on their final three drives – as you can see above. The Bronco defense came into the game with a strategy of stacking the box and making Jalen Hurts try to beat them with his arm. The Eagles had the most rushes in the league coming and only ran the ball eleven times for 45 yards against the Broncos with 17 of that coming on one run. While Hurts had a decent game, he was unable to get...
