How the Denver Broncos and their 'play-dough' quarterback could halt that Kansas City Chiefs' dominance.
Former Buffalo Bills assistant coach Phoebe Schecter serves as an NFL pundit and represents the UK's national squad.
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Week six of the 2025 NFL season
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We're in the sixth week in the NFL season , after recent talk about two top teams being possible championship contenders, they both lost their unbeaten records.
Notable in those games were the amount of penalties each conceded. Philadelphia committed them in key moments so they essentially beat themselves having led 17-3 entering the final quarter against Denver, set to play in London this Sunday.
But it proved good to observe that Denver's QB the rookie managed to have that deficit before lead three scoring drives on three possessions in the fourth quarter, securing the game 21-17.
The Broncos boast the top defender with CB their star corner. They are first in red zone defence, whereas the Eagles lead the league in red zone offence, yet the Broncos prevailed in that battle.
They executed effective strategies in terms of disguised blitzes. They did not always sending more than four pass rushers but they might plug two linebackers in the interior then drop them out and dispatch a nickel from the outside.
Early on in the campaign, we said during a show how Denver might emerge as this season's dark horses. They ended last season well then did a good job of building upon that.
Are the Denver Broncos this year's underdog story?
New tight end Evan Engram has excelled significantly and new RB their rusher is a guy they believe in. He's currently 5th league-wide in ground gains (over 400) as well as tied for fourth in rushing scores (four).
It's impressive how head coach Sean Payton displays "RUN IT!" at the top of his playcall sheet.
This demonstrates that the Broncos represent a team that wants to run first, since one can do a lot based on that approach. It slows opposing rushes and keeps you in favourable down and distances.
It's also helped QB Bo Nix, who came into the league as a first-round selection last year, throwing 29 touchdown passes – just behind Justin Herbert for the rookie record (31 back in 2020).
Josh Allen and Herbert possess powerful arms to pass all over, however they lack in the same way that Nix has. He has exceptional passing ability, a unique trait, and he's highly agile.
His assets include his movement, the capacity to pass while moving, and finding varied release points to make the pass when he rolls outside protection, the bootlegs. He can deliver that layered pass across the middle or past defenders.
As a rookie QB, at 25, he's got great poise in the pocket and is not bothered by the blitz. He aims to evade a sack whenever possible and is able pass under pressure. He has a high football IQ and remains quick to decide.
If you consistently rush it consumes time and makes the defence to be on the field for longer, and if you've got a mobile QB the defense must defend the field downfield side to side. This proves exhausting.
Nix has pushed back at Payton on the sideline sometimes and I think Payton likes that fire, that he's such a competitor. In my view it's fun for him to have a rookie QB that is kind of like play-dough. He can really develop him the way he wants to shape him. I think it's a special experience for the coach.
The head coach owns a championship and now surpassed a legend in all-time victories (173 - tied 14th overall). He's seen it all. I think the achievements Denver are experiencing offensively is mostly due to his guidance, his schemes, his situational awareness – and the combination with Nix helps shape him into who he is.
You wouldn't want a better guy in your ear, to help you through difficult moments and boost self-belief.
I have faith in Denver's defence, in the QB's grit and calm. But are they good enough to go against a top squad at full strength? Since that wasn't championship-level play from Philadelphia last Sunday.
Right now, I don't think the Broncos are elite. They're working above average, that's a good place to be in their division. The key is to continue this path.
They're really good at embracing their forte, that is running the ball, and this is precisely what they should do against the New York Jets in London. It's going to be the JK Dobbins show, in essence.
The Jets have surrendered 140 yards on the ground each contest (among the worst), five ground scores so far (10th worst), and they are the only team yet to win a game.
Since the NFL began tracking takeaways in 1933, this team are the first team to go without any turnovers in five outings, which is kind of shocking considering that their new coach Aaron Glenn a defensive coach at the Detroit Lions.
The Chiefs' QB says the Chiefs have 'already lost too many games' after a recent loss by the Jaguars.
After this Sunday's game, the Broncos face a manageable slate up to their break (in week twelve) - the Giants, Dallas Cowboys, the Texans plus Las Vegas Raiders before the Kansas City Chiefs.
Looking at their division, the Chiefs hold a losing record while Denver are tied with the Chargers at 3-2 so they could challenge at leading the West.
This hinges on what version of the Chiefs they face since the Broncos {beat|def
