The Denver Broncos have a legitimate shot at a huge win in Week 5, but one key player could embarrass them if they are not ready. Denver faces the 4-0 Eagles this coming Sunday in a game that is going to be a lot closer than you might think.
Philly is simply not nearly as good as its record indicates, and I could easily argue that the Broncos have been the better football team this year. Anyway, the Eagles are still the defending Super Bowl champions and are 4-0 for a reason. Denver is going to have to be on their A-game no matter what, and this game being away from home is going to make things a lot more challenging.
In fact, the most obvious player could totally embarrass the Denver Broncos if they are not ready, and it's clearly running back Saquon Barkley.
Saquon Barkley has struggled, but that doesn't mean it will continue
In the 2024 NFL Season, Saquon Barkley was the offensive player of the year and also had a Pro Bowl nod, and an All-Pro nod, and was third in the NFL MVP voting as well. Barkley had a whopping 2,283 yards on offense and 15 total touchdowns. He ran for 2,005 yards on 345 carries and averaged 125.3 yards per game.
He also averaged 5.8 yards per carry and was simply unstoppable. Well, through four games in 2025, Barkley has run for just 237 yards on 77 carries, averaging a horrible 3.1 yards per tote. He's currently on pace for 1,008 yards, which is nearly half of his total from 2024.
While it's more likely that Saquon Barkley again struggles on the ground, what if he doesn't? I would find it hard to believe that the 2,000-yard runner from just a year ago all of a sudden lost it all. Sure, he might be on the decline, but Barkley was a second overall pick and is close to being a generational type of running back.
Denver's defense still has to watch out for the potential damage that he can do on the ground, as if the Eagles can get its run game going, the Broncos will absolutely lose. Despite Barkley's slow start, Vance Joseph still has to devise some type of plan to contain him.
Philly's interior offensive line has not been good this year, so Denver should exploit that weakness, contain Barkley, and tee-off on Jalen Hurts.