Are the Denver Broncos lucky, good or both?
Denver’s six-game winning streak is tied with the New England Patriots for the longest active winning streak and the longest winning streak in the NFL this season. But it has only defeated one team with a winning record during that stretch, the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
The Broncos lead the NFL with 40 sacks, becoming the 10th team ever with at least 40 sacks in its first nine games of a season and first since the 2000 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (41 sacks). But the Broncos have a plus-1 scoring differential through three quarters, outscoring their opponents by 60 points in the fourth quarter so far this season.
Offensively, the Broncos are averaging 25 points a game, 14th in the NFL. Justin Fields (92.6) has a better passer rating than Denver’s Bo Nix (88.5). That said, Nix played well in critical moments of the game, leading the Broncos to some important wins. And if the season were to end today, Denver would win the AFC West for the first time since 2015.
The red-hot Broncos get another opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division when they host the struggling Las Vegas Raiders in the first game of the week on Thursday.
Here’s a closer look at who’s hot and who’s cold entering Week 10.
WHO’S HOT
After drilling a 70-yard field goal during the regular season, many expected Little to have a shot at breaking the longest field goal record. And Little made it happen at the end of the first half in Las Vegas, converting on a 68-yard field goal to break the previous record of 66 yards held by Justin Tucker. I recently talked with some former NFL kickers, asking them why the reason for the uptick in long field goals this year.
Little even had a few yards to spare. Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, who most NFL observers expected to break the record first because he’s made five field goals from beyond 60 yards, failed to tie the record when he missed from 68 yards. So, Little is the FG king in the NFL.
London’s stat line from Atlanta’s one-point loss to the New England Patriots was impressive: nine receptions for 118 yards and three touchdowns on 14 targets. London’s 587 receiving yards are ninth in the NFL.
The rangy London is one of the best receivers in the league, but gets overlooked because he plays in Atlanta. London has accounted for 62.5% of the Falcons’ receiving touchdowns this season (Five of the eight total), the highest rate in the NFL.
The 41-year-old Rodgers was supposed to serve as a game manager, with Pittsburgh leaning on the highest-paid defense in the NFL and a strong running game to earn victories. Instead, the Steelers are leaning on the four-time league MVP.
Don’t look now, but Aaron Rodgers has statistically been one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks this season. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Rodgers is tied for third in the league in passing touchdowns (17) and eighth in the NFL in passer rating (103.1). Rodgers has five games with multiple touchdown passes this season and can surpass Peyton Manning (165 games) for third-most games in NFL history with multiple touchdown passes in Sunday night’s contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. Only Tom Brady (204) and Drew Brees (173) have more.
The Weber State product went from catching football from inexperienced passers like Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough to lining up opposite Jaxon Smith-Njigba, running routes for MVP candidate Sam Darnold and competing for the top spot in the NFC West.
Darnold has completed 54 of 78 downfield passes (10-plus air yards) for 1,271 yards and a league-high 13 touchdowns, according to Next Gen Stats. Shaheed provides another vertical threat to target down the field for Darnold.
Williams played one of the best games of his pro career in a comeback win on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals, finishing with 280 passing yards and four total touchdowns. Since Week 3, Williams has completed 61.5% of his passes for 1,499 yards, with nine touchdowns and three interceptions for a 94.9 passer rating. The Bears are 5-1 during that stretch.
Bears HC Ben Johnson explains how Caleb Williams has the ‘IT’ factor
WHO’S COLD
Garrett demanded a trade during the offseason, saying he wanted to play for a winner. He then had an about-face and signed a contract that, at the time, made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league, making $40 million a year.
Now, the Browns are predictably struggling, Garrett has expressed frustration with his team’s losing ways. The ship has sailed for Garrett to get an opportunity to play elsewhere this season, as the Browns declined to move him during the trade deadline. However, Garrett continues to put up big numbers. He ranks second in the NFL with 10 sacks this season, becoming the third player since 1982 with at least 10 sacks in eight consecutive seasons, joining Hall of Famers Reggie White and John Randle.
Goff was sacked five times in a loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings last week. The Cal product has been sacked 10 times over the last three games, with a pressure rate of 36.4%. The Lions have lost two of their last three games, averaging just 22 points a contest.
Considered one of the teams to compete for the top spot in the NFC Conference, Goff must get Detroit’s explosive offense back on track.
You can appreciate Quinn taking accountability, saying he was to blame for Jayden Daniels being on the field late in a blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks that resulted in his season-ending, dislocated elbow injuries. The situation harkened back to when Robert Griffin III suffered a scary, season-ending knee injury in an NFC playoff game, also against the Seahawks over a decade ago.
Dan Quinn has faced a lot of scrutiny this week after his decision to play Jayden Daniels well into the fourth quarter of the Commanders’ loss to the Seahawks caused the quarterback to get hurt. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
And while the apology is appreciated, it’s still baffling Quinn and the Commanders did not take better care of Daniels considering his injury history. In the future, Quinn must better protect Daniels, who helped to lead them to the NFC Championship game in his rookie season last year, considering what he means to the franchise.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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