Holy shit.
For three quarters, that felt like another disappointing and lifeless loss by the Broncos against a contender. They were down 17-3, gave up big plays on defense, and couldn’t do anything on offense. However, once we hit the 4th quarter, the Broncos came alive and orchestrated an impressive comeback and were able to upset the previously undefeated Eagles.
The Broncos dethroned the reigning Super Bowl Champions.
This is a signature win for Sean Payton, Bo Nix, and the Denver Broncos. Now, when
it comes to winners and losers, well, it was a rollercoaster of a game. A number of the heroes in this game were losers through three quarters, but in the end, we will lean on the positive side due to the victory. With all that said, here are your winners and losers from the Broncos’ 21-17 victory over the Eagles
WINNER – Sean Payton
People love to question his play-calling, game management, and inability to get the team over the hump against top teams, and these are often valid concerns. However, Payton not only kept his team mentally in the game despite being down 17-3, but he was also aggressive on a two-point play, which ended up being HUGE at the end of the game.
If this didn’t work out, we would be having a different conversation, but it did; he called a great play, and the player executed. You need to be aggressive to win these close games on the road vs. contenders, and they did just that.
WINNER – Nik Bonitto
He is a legit Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He entered the game with 4.5 sacks and ended up getting another 2.5 sacks, which gives him a total of 7 sacks through 5 games to start the season. That’s an unreal pace, and he is proving to be worth every single dollar the Broncos paid him prior to the start of the season.
He did this against a good Eagles offensive line and came up with a big sack on the Eagles’ final drive of the game. It knocked them back and cost them valuable time as the clock kept running after this sack.
WINNER – Bo Nix
Was it pretty? No, it was not. He had some bad throws, missed some open receivers, and the offense was lifeless through three quarters. However, Bo Nix turned it on in the 4th quarter and led the Broncos on 3 straight scoring drives, which included two touchdowns and what would end up being the game-winning field goal. Nix would go 9 of 10 for 126 yards and 1 touchdown pass and lead 3 straight scoring drives in the 4th quarter against a tough Vic Fangio led Eagles defense.
Again, it wasn’t the best overall game for Nix, but he came up big in the end, on the road against the defending Super Bowl Champs, and outdueled defensive mastermind Vic Fangio.
There are a lot of haters out there, but Bo Nix is my quarterback, and he came up clutch in this one.
WINNER – JK Dobbins
Dobbins has been a huge addition to this offense, and his impact continued in this one. While the run game wasn’t as dominant in this game, Dobbins was explosive, showcased great vision, and ran tough between the tackles. He would score a touchdown in this game and averaged a solid 4 yards per carry against a tough Eagles defense.
Outside of maybe Courtland Sutton, Dobbins has been the Broncos’ best offensive player and one of their more reliable players on the team in general. He’s running well, has great vision, pass blocks, is a good pass catcher and is one of the top backs in the NFL this season.
WINNER – Evan Engram
The Joker finally arrived.
Through the first month of the season, Evan Engram has been MIA. He was either not really productive, had limited snaps, and/or was hurt. He was a much-hyped free agent signing and frankly, looked like a bust heading into this game. However, Engram showed up and made a crucial play in this game to give the Broncos what would become the go-ahead touchdown after the two-point conversion.
If the Broncos can get Engram going, it would add a much-needed pass-catching element to this Broncos offense. This is what they signed him for, and hopefully, we see more of this moving forward.
WINNER – Broncos defense
Before we talk about the good, we have to talk about the bad. They did give up two very big plays that would lead to the Eagles’ two touchdowns in this game. The first was a 50+ yard completion on 3rd and 17, where DeVonta Smith would get past Riley Moss and make the completion deep downfield. Two players later, they would be in the end zone. Later, running back Saquon Barkley absolutely cooked linebacker Alex Singleton for a touchdown down the sideline. Singleton simply didn’t have the ability to cover Barkley, and it led to a long touchdown reception.
Outside of that, the Broncos’ defense was nails throughout the game.
While Jalen Hurts had success through the air, the Broncos’ defense held the Eagles to 45 yards rushing. The Broncos entered this game leading the NFL in sacks, and they totaled 6 more in this game and came up with multiple big stops in the 4th quarter. Also, Pat Surtain II limited A.J. Brown to just 5 receptions for 43 yards. They wanted to get him more involved and Surtain limited his impact.
They did bend a few times, but did not break outside of two big plays. Overall, they played well and have reinforcements coming soon with Dre Greenlaw, Drew Sanders, and Malcolm Roach all HOPEFULLY returning from injury in the coming weeks.
LOSER – Alex Singleton and Riley Moss
I can’t write this without singling out these two for their struggles in this game.
Riley Moss often gets hate despite playing well overall, but he had a rough one in this game. DeVonta Smith beat him for a 50+ yard gain early, and he nearly had two big catches against him, but the receiver couldn’t get his second foot down, and a flag negated the big gain. Teams are targeting Moss, and he is giving up big plays on occasion. I think he plays better than most give him credit for, but it is hard to ignore his struggles in this one.
As for Singleton, he is a liability in coverage. You know it, I know it, and other teams know it. We saw it happen vs. the Colts and Chargers, and it happened again in this one. Saquon Barkley absolutely cooked Singleton one-on-one for a long touchdown reception. Barkley does this to most linebackers, but Singleton was clearly outmatched and continues the trend of him struggling in coverage.
He is an older linebacker coming off an ACL injury and was never really known for his coverage ability as is. The Broncos really need to get Dre Greenlaw healthy and playing like we expect.
Other notable Winners and Losers
WINNER – Courtland Sutton: He had 8 receptions for 99 yards and came up with multiple clutch catches. He did let a long reception go through his hands early, but he bounced back and had another big game for the Broncos offense.
WINNER – Wil Lutz: Had a clutch 50-yard field goal early in the game and had a big late-game field goal, which gave the Broncos a 4-point lead with under two minutes left to go in the game.
WINNER – Talanoa Hufanga: He flashed throughout the game in this one and had a near game-changing INT off a deflection. He didn’t do anything super noteworthy, but stood out to me in this one.
WINNER – Jeremy Crawshaw: The Broncos’ rookie punter, but his struggles behind him and had multiple big punts in this one while pinning the Eagles deep in their own territory multiple times.
WINNER – Broncos upcoming schedule: They play the Jets, Giants, Cowboys, Texans, and Raiders in the coming weeks. These are winnable games for the Broncos, and this big victory can ignite a playoff run for the Broncos.
