The Denver Broncos are 2-2 with a point-differential of plus-29, nine points better than the 4-0 Eagles, who will be hosting Denver at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Broncos have suffered two losses by a total of four points (Indianapolis 29-28, and LA Chargers 23-20). They are an emerging in the AFC West under head coach Sean Payton—and rapidly maturing quarterback Bo Nix.
Eagles’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been so impressed by the second-year pro from Arkadelphia, Arkansas, that he compares Nix to another quarterback, someone more established who has had a history of giving the Eagles problems.
“He’s a lot like Baker Mayfield. I think he might be Baker’s younger brother. Really good, really, really good … I mean he’s a scrambler, he’s a competitor,” Fangio said about Nix this week during his media session. “He’ll throw the ball in tight places. He runs their offense really well. I think Sean’s [Payton] done a great job bringing him along and they got their quarterback for the future. They looked long and hard for many years and they’ve got one.”
As for Nix, he did not exactly take it as a compliment, nor did he take it as a cut. He has completed 90 of 137 passes for 861 yards and seven touchdowns against four interceptions. Over his first two years in the NFL, Nix has completed 466 of 704 passes for 4,636 yards and 36 touchdowns against 16 interceptions.
“Baker’s playing at a high level, so anytime you get compared to a good competitor like that, it’s great. But at the same time, I’m just in my lane doing what I can do to help our team win,” Nix said. “Comparison is sometimes the thief of all joy. Got to be careful comparing to other people or you’ll miss what’s right in front of you.”
Fangio will probably mix his pressure against Nix and test his patience. Nix feels he has a decent familiarity with Fangio’s defense from running against the schemes of Broncos’ defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
“I kind of feel like it’s similar to watching VJ’s. I think they come from the same tree,” Nix said of Fangio’s defense. “They obviously rely heavily on their front seven. They do a good job of flowing to the ball, getting pressure without bringing blitzes, and they keep everything in front of them in the back end.”
The Eagles enter the game as the No. 22 ranked defense (333.3 yards/per game) in the NFL, and 15th against the pass (207.3 yards/per game).
Nix knows what he may be in for against Fangio, who will no doubt back it up and throw his umbrella defense out there, mixing man and zone looks and preventing explosive plays. “It’s going to be a challenge to find explosive plays, but at the same time, it’s not getting bored, continuing to do the same stuff over and over throughout the game,” Nix said. “When it’s there, you also have to be able to hit it. They’ll give us our opportunities, we’ve got to hit it, but at the same time, we’re going to have to work for them.”
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