Tom Brady. Peyton Manning. Tony Romo. Philip Rivers. Ben Roethlisberger. The Denver Broncos haven't allowed a 300 yard passer all season, despite playing against some of the most productive quarterbacks in the NFL. In fact, only the Jets allow fewer passing yards per game.
In years past, this would be a reason for serious concern heading into the game. Things are a bit different these days though. Lately the Eagles are running the football, particularly on their five game winning streak. Ray Didinger broke down the alarming trend earlier on in the week:
Against Chicago – 30 runs, 33 passes.
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Against Washington – 29 runs, 36 passes.
Against Atlanta – 26 runs, 27 passes.
Against Giants – 24 runs, 28 passes.
Against 49ers – 33 runs, 36 passes.
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Total – 109 runs, 126 passes.
That's an incredibly reasonable, not to mention extremely effective pass-run ratio of 53/47. If the coaches can continue to lean on the running game, it should take some of the pressure off Donovan McNabb to carry the offense on his shoulders.
Speaking of the running game, Brian Westbrook makes his return today. LeSean McCoy is expected to start, and the coaches anticipate Leonard Weaver remaining a big part of the gameplan, so it will be interesting to see exactly what capacity 36 is used. Could we see him lined up in the slot a few times today?
Brian Dawkins v. DeSean Jackson
I'm sure a lot of people believe I have it in for the guy by now, but this is a potentially advantageous match-up for the Eagles. Opposing defenses have watched all season as Jackson runs right past safeties who were futilely trying to take away the deep ball. Is Dawkins next to fall victim?
Maybe not. The Broncos defense has only allowed one passing play for over 40 yards all season. That's one part coverage, one part tackling, and one part safeties who haven't been caught with their pants down. Something's gotta give today.
The problem for Denver is they haven't seen a receiver with this kind of explosive speed, but Dawkins has, and he's kind of familiar with the Eagles playbook. It's gotten to the point though where defenses can't honestly single cover Jackson, yet he still manages to catch safeties sleeping. This could be an interesting cat and mouse game where one side finally baits the other into making a terrible mistake.
Ordinary Broncos
With Kyle Orton at the helm, the offense is pretty ordinary. They're not going to beat defenses with a lot of big plays down the field, and as this fact has been exposed, Denver has begun to slide. Since beginning the season 6-0, the Broncos have won just two of their last eight games, and are watching their playoff hopes possibly evaporate before their eyes.