By Nick Kosmider, Brooks Kubena, Zach Berman and Keith McMillan
The Broncos hadn’t trailed in a fourth quarter all season, losing twice on last-second field goals. Sunday in Philadelphia, Denver entered the final period down two touchdowns and scored 18 unanswered points, including a gutsy two-point conversion with 7:36 left, in a signature 21-17 road victory.
Bo Nix led the Broncos (3-2) on 12- and 8-play touchdown drives and a 17-play field goal drive in the fourth as Denver’s defense put the clamps on after giving up a quick touchdown to start the third quarter. The Eagles remained a Jekyll-and-Hyde team half to half, letting a 17-3 lead slip for their first loss.
After a week in which much of the discourse surrounding Philadelphia concerned its ineffective passing game, the Eagles made a concerted effort to throw, attempting 38 passes and just 11 runs. They addressed the concerns of wide receiver A.J. Brown, targeting him and fellow wideout DeVonta Smith 18 times, while giving Saquon Barkley just six carries.
Nix finds his stride in the fourth quarter
The Broncos’ second-year quarterback was tied in knots by Vic Fangio’s defense for three quarters. Then, Nix came alive — with a little help from Denver’s marquee free-agent additions on offense.
The Broncos began turning the tide when they turned to J.K. Dobbins. The veteran running back found holes in Philadelphia’s defense in the third quarter and began the fourth with his fourth rushing touchdown of the season, cutting the lead to seven points.
On Denver’s next drive, Nix hit tight end Evan Engram on an 18-yard pass up the seam that lit the fuse on another touchdown drive. It ended with Engram, who had failed to make an impact on Denver’s offense through four games, scoring his first touchdown with the Broncos.
Denver coach Sean Payton decided to go for two after the Engram touchdown pulled the Broncos to within one point, and Nix hit Troy Franklin in the front of the end zone to give Denver the lead. Nix and the Broncos converted three straight third downs in the fourth quarter.
Nix had come close to authoring signature road wins before, only to fall short. On Sunday, he finished the job. — Nick Kosmider, Broncos beat writer
Another week, another Eagles sudden stall
The Eagles led 17-3 and had a chance to secure a three-score lead. Jalen Hurts pumped before launching a deep throw to A.J. Brown — enough hesitation for Brown to slow down and become unable to catch up to the throw. The Eagles eventually punted and did not recover.
During their next three drives, they totaled nine plays, negative-21 net yards and punted three times. They could not regain the up-tempo approach that helped them gain their initial two-score lead. Penalties and sacks compounded their issues. Trailing 18-17 with 7:29 left in the game, right guard Tyler Steen’s ineligible man downfield penalty negated an 8-yard reception by Smith on second-and-1. Later, on fourth-and-4, Hurts connected with Smith on a 30-yard pass along the left sideline — but that, too, was called back on an illegal shift penalty, committed by Barkley. The Eagles punted again.
They had one final drive with 1:09 left in the game. They made a late push, and the Eagles fan base will question a no-call with handsy contact against Dallas Goedert that would’ve placed the ball within the 20. But Hurts’ Hail Mary fell incomplete with the clock spent.
Once again, Philadelphia’s system worked well in one half, miserably in the other. The Eagles averaged 5.6 yards per play in the first half. They bolted to a 4-play, 74-yard touchdown drive with a 47-yard touchdown reception by Barkley to open the second half.
Yet again, however, first-time offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo must review why his system suddenly stalls. — Brooks Kubena, Eagles beat writer
Philly’s penalty problem
The Eagles were undone by inexcusable penalties, including an illegal shift and an illegal man downfield on offense to negate a potential go-ahead drive and a vexing personal foul by Zack Baun when the Eagles forced Denver to fourth down with 2:20 remaining in the game. These undisciplined moments make the difference in close games and should leave Nick Sirianni livid after the game. — Zach Berman, Eagles beat writer
Broncos’ D sets stage for comeback by harassing Hurts
The Broncos’ defense strung together six straight third-down stops between the second and fourth quarters. It sacked Hurts six times and mostly corralled Barkley. When Hurts did escape the pocket, the Broncos quickly closed to limit the damage.
The Broncos in the first quarter also became the first team this season to force the Eagles to kick a field goal on a red-zone possession.
It was an illustration of why the Broncos entered the season with a staunch belief that they could contend for big prizes. It wasn’t a perfect performance, though. The Broncos gave up a 47-yard touchdown pass to Barkley on a blown coverage to start the third quarter, continuing a troubling trend this season.
But the league’s best pass rush turned it on when it mattered most and kept the game from getting out of hand while the offense found its footing. Nik Bonitto remained on a torrid pace in his early bid for Defensive Player of the Year honors, adding 2.5 sacks to push his season total to seven.
It was a tour de force performance from a defense that has an early claim as one of the best in football. — Kosmider
Eagles’ defensive collapse
Through three quarters, the Eagles kept Denver out of the end zone — the first defense to do that to the Broncos this season. In the fourth quarter, it fell apart. The play that will haunt the Eagles was allowing a 34-yard completion on third-and-15 to put Broncos in position for a touchdown, not to mention allowing a successful two-point conversion. It was a bad collapse by the defense, but it wasn’t helped by an offense that stalled once it built a 17-3 lead. — Berman
(Photo of Bo Nix: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)