Kicking Off
They may be playing at a lower altitude than usual, but on Sunday, the Denver Broncos will be facing an uphill battle. Their opponent: the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, and the two teams are facing off in a city where the Broncos haven’t captured a victory since September 21, 1986 (granted, the teams are only guaranteed to play each other every four years).
The Broncos are looking to build off last season’s playoff berth by proving they can hang around with the best teams in the league. There is no better opportunity than a road game against one of the two remaining undefeated teams. Philadelphia has superior talent to Denver at the skill positions and is one of the few teams in the league with the potential to push the Broncos around in the trenches. Though Philadelphia standouts Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown have had quiet statistical starts to the year, the Eagles have been at their best in clutch moments and have been battle tested against playoff regulars like the Buccaneers and Rams.
A rematch against former head coach and current Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will be another story to track. The Broncos will have to hope this time is a more positive result than the last matchup against Fangio, a 70-20 loss to Miami in 2023. Last week’s 28-3 Broncos victory, which featured 101 rushing yards from J.K. Dobbins and 326 passing yards and a trifecta of touchdowns from Bo Nix, gives Denver reasons for confidence before playing against Philly’s vaunted unit.
The Buffaloes will also start their October slate with a key road game, this one against the Texas Christian Horned Frogs. Colorado came oh-so-close to its first Big 12 win last week against No. 25 BYU, jumping out to a 14-0 lead early and holding a 21-17 lead going into the fourth quarter. But the Buffs accumulated just nine yards from scrimmage in their final three drives, including a game-ending interception by Kaidon Salter, and will now look to this week’s late afternoon bout with the Horned Frogs to earn their first conference victory.
Once again, the Buffs enter as underdogs against a TCU team that held a top 25 ranking before last week. Like Colorado, TCU held a fourth-quarter lead against its Week 5 opponent, the Arizona State Sun Devils, but turned its four fourth quarter possessions into two punts, a fumble and an interception in a 27-24 defeat on the road. An obvious priority for Colorado will be ball security. The Buffs had turnover margins of negative 3 in their loss against Georgia Tech, negative two against Houston and negative one against BYU and did not force a turnover in any of those three losses.
Tuning In
Colorado Buffaloes at TCU Horned Frogs, 5:30 pm MT on Saturday
Watch on FOX, Listen on KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM
Denver Broncos at Philadelphia Eagles, 11:00 am MT on Sunday
Watch on CBS, Listen on KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM
Health Check
Colorado ruled out a staggering 17 players with injury ahead of playing TCU — more than the Horned Frogs have across all injury designations for the game, according to Big 12 Football Player Availability Reporting. Some absences to note: backup running backs DeKalon Taylor and Simeon Price, cornerback RJ Johnson and nose tackle Tavian Coleman. Defensive tackle Brandon Davis-Swain will be a name to watch among the four players with questionable designations, while fellow defensive lineman Anquin Barnes Jr. is listed as doubtful. Both players played last week against BYU. Quarterback Kaidon Salter was not on the injury report, one week after making the list with the designation of probable.
The major name to watch for the Broncos is All-Pro guard Quinn Meinerz, who missed Thursday’s practice with an illness per the Broncos’ injury report. His absence would be a substantial loss for a Broncos offensive line looking to build off last week’s encouraging run game performance. Outside linebacker Jonah Elliss (ribs) and wide receiver/returner Marvin Mims Jr. (ankle) will be important contributors to track through the weekend but have at least practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday and Thursday. Tight end Nate Adkins missed Wednesday’s practice due to a concussion but was upgraded to limited on Thursday.
Game Tape
On Guerilla Sports’ Big Al and CJ Podcast, Charles Johnson afforded high praise to the Colorado offensive line. The problem, in CJ’s eyes, is that the offense is not taking advantage and the talent is not translating to wins.
“This offensive line is one of the top 10 offensive lines in the country, in terms of their performance, how they’re grading out. You can see it on the field of play. They are running the ball — I think they ran for over 180 yards last week. … This offensive line is really great. I’m afraid that what we’re seeing is the most important unit on the team, the offensive line, and their great play [is] being squandered to some degree because we’re not able to figure it out on the perimeter.”
On the latest episode of the Going Deep show, former Bronco Nathan Jackson theorized why Broncos head coach Sean Payton has been so successful in October throughout his career. Payton is 47-16 in the month of October through his time in New Orleans and Denver, and the Broncos could certainly use a strong month with the Eagles, Jets, Giants and Cowboys on the docket.
“To me, he comes into the season with a lot of stuff. He wants to fire all his guns, he wants to use all his toys at once, and he tries to. And then he realizes what is working and what isn’t, how his players are responding and, like a good coach, adapts to that and shrinks it down to something they can get behind. That’s what I think he does, every year.”
Score Projections
TCU Horned Frogs 31, Colorado Buffaloes 24
Between last year’s Alamo Bowl, this year’s Big 12 opener and this game, the Buffaloes will be grateful they do not have to play their home games in the state of Texas. TCU pads its case to return to the Top 25 by stealing a Big 12 win from the Buffaloes, though Colorado keeps it close.
Philadelphia Eagles 25, Denver Broncos 21
October Sean Payton is not to be trifled with, but the Eagles will prove to be on a different level of contender as the Broncos. Denver’s defense holds advantages in the pass rush and secondary, but Philadelphia's offensive talent will outpace Bo Nix and Co. After not trailing for a single second of the fourth quarter so far this season, the Broncos will end that streak this week and dip below .500.
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