The Denver Broncos came away with a big victory against the Cincinatti Bengals on Monday Night Football to move to 2-2 on the season. This Sunday, they have a much tougher opponent in the Philadelphi Eagles. Without question, this road matchup will easily be their most difficult of the season to date. With that said, let’s take a deeper look at the Eagles, some key players, and what the Broncos have to accomplish on the road to topple the defending Super Bowl champions.
2024 Philadelphia Eagles Season
Review
The Eagles won the NFC East with a 14-3 record last season. They would go on to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs and win Super Bowl LIX. On offense, they were seventh in points scored and eighth in yards gained. On defense, they were second in points allowed and first in yards allowed.
2025 Philadelphia Eagles Offseason Additions and Departures
When you’re the Super Bowl champs, it’s hard to keep your roster intact. The Eagles had a lot of departures this offseason including veteran cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry who were released to help free up cap space. They even traded away safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Texans.
As far as outside additions, they add veteran running back AJ Dillion to backup Saquon Barkley on the offensive side of the ball. They also brought in several defenders such as Adoree Jackson, Joshua Uche, and Azeez Ojulari to replace the production of several key players who left.
The Eagles made upgrading their defense long-term a big focus of their efforts in the 2025 NFL Draft. In the first round they picked Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell. In the second round, they picked Texas safety Andrew Mukuba. Both players are already starters in Vic Fangio’s defense and should be quality long-term high-level starters for their franchise.
Offensive X-Factor: Running Back Saquon Barkley
The Eagles have a handful of players on offense that you could legitimately designate as an X-Factor. However, I’ve opted to go with running back Saquon Barkley for Sunday’s matchup. He was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year last season after a historic performance that will forever be etched in the record books.
Barkley had 345 carries for 2005 yards, 13 touchdowns, and added 33 receptions for 278 yards with two touchdowns in ’24. This season, Barkley and the rest of the Eagles offense has struggled to take flight. He is averaging only 60 yards a game on the ground and sports a paltry 3.1 yard per carry average. Nevertheless, the Broncos are going to have to limit his big-play ability as a rusher and receiver.
Denver’s run defense has been strong in three of their first four performances. The exception would have been against Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts. Barkley’s talent and ability are something the Broncos’ defenders are going to have to keep at bay on Sunday. This can’t be a game where he breaks out. One player who is going to have to set up is inside linebacker Alex Singleton. Denver can’t afford to let Barkley take over the game. If they can’t stop him, they will have a hard time finding a way to win on the road.
Defensive X-Factor: Linebacker Zack Baun
Eagles Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio is easily one of the best in the business. There’s no doubt he will go down as one of the greatest defensive coaches in NFL history. Over the years, he has found ways to get the most out of his players—regardless of position—with many having their best seasons under his tutelage. Inside linebacker Zack Baun is one of those players.
After spending four years with the New Orleans Saints, Baun was primarily a backup player and special teams’ ace. In fact, he had just 14 starts in 62 games during his time there. Baun joined the Eagles last year and put together a monumental season that earned him Pro-Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. The former Wisconsin Badger was one of the best defenders in the league. He amassed 151 tackles, 5 forced fumbles, 3.5 sacks, and 1 interception in sixteen starts.
He’s one of the most fundamentally sound players in coverage, defending the run, and is even a pressure player as a blitzer. While there are a lot of other talented players around him, he is the glue that holds everything together for their defense. That’s why I have him as the Defensive X-Factor to watch on Sunday.
How the Broncos can secure a victory over the Eagles
One of the big keys to success to winning on the road is controlling the clock and dictating the pace of the game. The Eagles sport an offense with a handful of top-tier playmakers like Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, Dallas Goedert, and DeVonta Smith. Limiting their impact will be critical. They can’t let this game be the one where they finally breakout and put together a good performance.
Denver has one of the most talented defenses in the league and they have the star power to combat the aforementioned. However, being successful on offense by running the ball and keeping the Eagles’ offense on the sidelines with limited opportunities would go a long way toward notching their third win of the season. Overall, I expect this to be a very close game, but I’ve opted to roll with the defending Super Bowl champions to come out victorious Sunday afternoon.
Hart’s Prediction: Eagles 23, Broncos 20.
