Initial thoughts from the Broncos’ 21-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5 at Lincoln Financial Field:
1. Bo Nix gets his statement victory: Want to be the Super Bowl champs? You’ve got to beat the champs. And Bo Nix, Sean Payton and company just did it on the road. The Broncos have a signature win, one that’s going to have talking heads and fans outside the Front Range buzzing. After a pair of frustrating, last-second away losses at the Colts and at the Chargers, Denver was due for a little football luck. Payton made his own — sticking with the run game late, getting massive catches from Courtland Sutton in the clutch, and electing to go for two on the road after scoring a pair of quick TDs to stun the Philly crowd. Can the Broncos close out a game? Heck, yeah, they can.
2. Too many flags early: Zach Baun bailed the Broncos out with a late hit — which is ironic, given how much Denver’s self-inflicted wounds at Philadelphia felt like killers early. The Broncos committed eight penalties for 83 yards of infractions through the first three quarters. And it wasn’t just the volume, it was the timing. Of Denver’s first seven drives, three of them saw the Broncos called for a penalty on second down, flags that turned a second-and-short into a second-and-7 yards or more. Against a good team? With a tiny margin for error? That’s a formula for living dangerously.
3. Sutton’s drop, Hufanga’s tip? Pure pain: The major thing missing from The Bo Nix Experience — still — is hitting on the home run ball. Because in Philadelphia (or Kansas City, or Buffalo, etc.), those shots don’t come around often. On the Broncos’ opening drive of the game, Courtland Sutton had a step on his defender on a third-and-4 deep ball up the right boundary. The throw was perfect. Sutton wasn’t. The toss appeared to go right through Sutton’s hands, Nix-ing a completion that would’ve given Denver the ball at about the Philly 29. “Almosts” are how the football gods torture Broncomaniacs. Safety Talanoa Hufanga’s tipped, “near” pick-6 in the third quarter? Same thing. They add up.
4. Dang 2-minute blues: NFL math isn’t hard — it’s a possession game. As a general rule, if you have more turns with the ball, you tend to win. But not if you don’t take serious advantage of those chances. The Broncos came into the weekend ranked third in the NFL in points scored over the final two minutes of a half. Denver got the ball twice with 2:18 left in the second quarter, once at its own 20, then — again — its own 44. One problem? They came away with nada to show for it. Can’t have that on the road. Or against the defending champs.
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