The Denver Broncos (3-4) will be looking to get their 2017 season back on track against the Philadelphia Eagles (7-1) ... in Philly. Not exactly the most opportune time to need a win, but that is where Denver is at.
Changing quarterback did offer some hope and optimism with the staff, with several of us predicting victory. However, collectively we still predict a loss with the Eagles winning 19-17 over the Broncos on Sunday.
Here’s how we predicted things individually.
Broncos 20, Eagles 17
The Broncos season hangs in the balance, which is why head coach Vance Joseph had no choice but to insert Brock Osweiler into the starting lineup. The team hopes this will lead to a huge spark on offense that gets the team back into contention in the AFC.
Do I think Osweiler is an elite talent? Of course not, but I do think he is a heck of a lot better than his 2016 season with the Houston Texans. In seven games in 2017, Osweiler was throwing a lot of touchdown passes to the Broncos wide receivers. It would be nice to see some of that again. Broncos win a nail-biter. - Tim Lynch
In 21 starts in 2016-17, Siemian threw 4 touchdown passes to DT.
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) November 3, 2017
In 7 starts in 2015, Osweiler threw 5 touchdown passes to DT.
This TD drought for @DemaryiusT is going to come to an end very soon. #Broncos https://t.co/vHqvBSUzbH
Eagles 13, Broncos 9
The Eagles haven't played a defense of Denver's caliber so far this year, and Carson Wentz is still a young QB, and tends to hold the ball too long at times.
We've seen what our pass rush and the No Fly Zone has done to quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. Expect the Carson Wentz MVP hype to get at least a one week reprieve after he puts up less than 200 yards and 1 TD, to go along with a pair of turnovers.
Unfortunately for Denver, fans will be happy if that's the stat line Brock Osweiler can manage against this ferocious Eagles defense.
Should be another defensive slugfest full of sloppy football. Welcome to the Broncos 2017 season. - Jeff Essary
Broncos 17, Eagles 13
It's all about that Brock, 'bout that Brock. No Trevor.
I'm cautiously excited about seeing Brock Osweiler take the reins of the offense this Sunday. He plays differently than Siemian, and hasn't been seen much yet with this offense and coaches. So that makes the Eagles' defensive game prep against him significantly harder. That said, Osweiler is far from immune to bad decision making and derpy play himself, and hasn't had an abundance of practice time with the 1s in this offense. There's no guarantee that he'll come out and be good right off the bat, especially on a short week and playing in someone else's stadium. That said, the Broncos' defense is the truth and they've got to be excited about the change at QB. They'll be pumped, and it might just be enough to pull off a major upset. - Taylor Kothe
Eagles 23, Broncos 9
The switch to Brock Osweiler is huge for the offense. He knows his primary job is to not screw things up for the defense. If he can protect the football, the defense can keep the team in the game. However, the optimism may be a little too high in Broncos Country. Philadelphia is good. This game will be played early, on the east coast, and in an extremely hostile environment. As I stated on the MHR Radio podcast, the Broncos offense will struggle in a tough matchup, but I feel good about Brandon McManus getting back on track. - Adam Malnati
Brock is back for the #Broncos & hope springs eternal again in #BroncosCountry. @AdamMalnati16 & I touch on that & preview the #Eagles game in the latest @MileHighReport Radio Podcast. #DENvsPHI https://t.co/wGy6l7Cx3B
— Ian St. Clair (@IanStClair) November 2, 2017
Eagles 31, Broncos 10
There’s no doubt the Broncos had to make the move to Osweiler. I get the excitement given Siemian ripped the fun out of the game for everyone involved. But this idea Osweiler is anything but Siemian, just taller, confuses me. The last meaningful game Osweiler played, this was his stat line: 23-of-40 passing for 197 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. It’s crucial to point out that game was played in January, so it’s been 10 months since Osweiler last played and he’s had limited reps in his current offense. Sounds like a recipe to success this Sunday in Philly. That game in January saw the Houston Texans defense play incredible football and put its team in position to win. The Texans should have won that game. But the offense turned the ball over, was terrible in the red zone and on third down. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The reason Houston didn’t beat the New England Patriots ten months ago in Foxborough? Osweiler. - Ian St. Clair
Not fully grasping people’s logic that the #Eagles will struggle against #Broncos D, yet Osweiler is supposed to all the sudden be good.
— Tyler Steege (@TSteegeNFL) November 3, 2017
Broncos 27, Eagles 16
Its time to Rock Out with your Brock Out!! I've been screaming that this team needed to change the QB since the first quarter of the Giants debacle. Its finally been done and I have to believe that Brock can ignite a winning streak the way he did in 2015 when Peyton Manning was "wink wink hurt" and rehabbing. Love him or hate him, Brock is better than Siemian. And that should be enough to get the Broncos back on track and take a step towards their destiny. With this defense, we can beat every team in the NFL and the only thing separating the Broncos from 7-0 and 3-4 was our offense getting in their way. Well, its time to reverse that trend. Its time for the offense to finally aid our defense in a victory! The City of Brotherly Love will have none shown back in kind by this team. - Pete Baron