Broncos Fifth Quarter Offense can’t stretch field against Eagles
against extra rushers (8 out of 31 drop-backs; 21.6%).
Philadelphia QB Jalen Hurts was 8of-11 passing for 90 yards (one TD, one INT) against extra Broncos rushers. The defense rushed at least five players on 11 of Hurts’ 25 drop-backs (44%) and had only six pass-rush disruptions (one sack, two knockdowns and three pressures) after a combined 43 in their previous four games. DE Dre’mont Jones got the sack in 3.13 seconds. Harris had a knockdown and his pressure helped lead to Hurts’ interception.
The Broncos’ offense tied a season-high with four threeand-outs, which helped lead to going a woeful/season-worst 1 of 11 on third down (15 of 28 the previous two games). The offense needed an average of 9.4 yards per third-down play and only two of their attempts required fewer than seven yards. They gained no yards or lost yards on seven of the snaps.
The 58 offensive snaps were the Broncos’ second-fewest of the year (53 against Washington). Leading the skill-position players were WRS Courtland Sutton (55), Tim Patrick (53) and Jerry Jeudy (45), TE Noah Fant (44), RBS Javonte Williams (33) and Melvin Gordon (25) and TE Albert Okwuegbunam (24). On defense, S Justin Simmons and CBS Ronald Darby and Pat Surtain II played all 64 snaps. Rookie ILB Curtis Robinson played 39 in place of Baron Browning (back injury).
The Broncos’ averaged 5.3 yards on 18 rushing attempts, but score (trailing) and situation (second half) forced fill-in play-caller Mike Shula to prioritize the pass; the last 14 offensive plays were drop-backs. Williams had carries of nine, 11 and 20 yards and Gordon attempts of 15, seven, eight and nine yards. On his 20-yard rush, Williams broke two tackles and got blocks from Okwuegbunam and Patrick. Only four of the 18 rushes were considered “bad” run plays.
Shula, the Broncos’ QB coach, stepped in for coordinator Pat Shurmur, who tested positive for COVID-19 on
Friday morning. Focusing on one call we didn’t like and one we did from Shula’s afternoon. On third-and-goal from the 3 in the first half, the Broncos threw a fade to Patrick; that play has too low of a percentage to try on third down. Early in the second half, on first down, Shula called an eight-man pass protection to give Bridgewater time to throw 20 yards downfield to Sutton (26yard gain).