Broncos 52, Eagles 20: Denver Rolls to 15th Straight Regular Season Win
Sep 29, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) greet each other following the game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Eagles 52-20. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
History has not seen anything quite like this.
The Denver Broncos’ offense is absolutely unstoppable right now, and they have only room to get better. Peyton Manning continues to play at a level that no one has really ever seen before, and had another stellar day before being replaced by Brock Osweiler in the fourth quarter.
Manning completed 28-of-34 passes for 327 yards and four touchdowns, and took a rest after putting the Broncos up 42-13 with his second TD pass of the day to wide receiver Wes Welker.
The Broncos’ offense is absolutely razor sharp, and they torched the Eagles’ defense to the tune of 472 total yards, 35 first downs, and punter Britton Colquitt only had to utilize his booming leg twice on the entire day.
After the Eagles’ first drive went three-and-out, the Broncos drove it right down the field in nine plays and started off the scoring with a touchdown pass to Welker, who finished the day with seven catches for 76 yards and two scores.
Demaryius Thomas was his usual dominant self, catching nine passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns as well. Eric Decker led the team with 88 yards on five catches, including a 52-yard bomb.
Here are some of my observations from the Broncos’ dominating performance.
1. History in the Making
The Denver Broncos offense is absolutely unreal right now. They have a chance to do things this league has never seen before, and if they continue on the trajectory they’ve set, I don’t foresee any team in the NFL that can stop them.
Despite the loss of Ryan Clady at left tackle, the Broncos have only allowed two sacks in two games and a total of 144 plays.
The 52 points scored against the Eagles on Sunday were the most in team history for a single game.
2. The Running Game is Figuring it Out
Knowshon Moreno was the Broncos’ lead ball-carrier again this week after Ronnie Hillman stole the spotlight against the Raiders, toting the ball 12 times for 78 yards and a touchdown.
The Broncos rushed for a total of 141 yards on the day, and despite the fact that both Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball averaged less than four yards per carry, the Broncos still seem to be running the ball pretty well.
It’s been a slow process, but whenever the running game chooses to really break out, this Denver offensive dynamic is going to be really interesting.
3. LeSean McCoy Bottled Up
The Broncos completely bottled up LeSean McCoy. The NFL’s leading rusher finished the game with 94 total yards and no touchdowns, and Denver was able to focus on other areas in stopping the Eagles.
Philly was still able to move the ball pretty well, but the game was out of hand before they had scored 20 points, which came from a very late touchdown pass from backup Nick Foles to Jeff Maehl.
The point is, the Broncos needed to find a way to contain McCoy, and they had a fantastic gameplan in place. McCoy also seemed to be really struggling with the Mile High air, spending a lot of time on the sideline in the first half.