In 2016, Gary Kubiak hired his 28-year-old son, Klint, onto his staff in Denver, a little over a week after coaching the Broncos to a Super Bowl 50 win in the Bay. Still, as Klint ascended to the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator and now the Raiders’ next head coach, he talks with his father every day. And before Seattle left for Santa Clara last weekend, Gary gave a key piece of Super Bowl advice to Klint.

“He said, ‘Put the game plan in a week early — don’t wait until you get there,'” Klint Kubiak told The Denver Post, standing in the locker room Sunday night. “So we took his advice.”

“Because when you get to the Super Bowl — there’s just so much stuff going on that it����ap hard to, like, gameplan,” the younger Kubiak continued. “You still keep game-planning, but there’s so many distractions. So we took his advice, and we dialed in the next week. And then we just kinda refined it when we got here.”

Indeed, the Seahawks installed their offensive plan for the Patriots on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the pre-Super Bowl bye week, Klint Kubiak told The Post. It was the same approach the San Francisco 49ers took in heading to the Super Bowl in 2023 under head coach Kyle Shanahan, when Klint Kubiak was then San Francisco’s passing-game coordinator and current Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was the backup.

“Super Bowl throughout the week, like — the week leading up to the Super Bowl can be pretty hectic with media,” Darnold told The Post. “So you want to get as much of the game plan in the week before, so you can really focus on it and dive deep on it.”

It worked, as the Seahawks ran over the Patriots 29-13 on Sunday night. Seattle finished just 4 of 16 on third downs offensively, and Darnold wasn’t particularly sharp: 19-of-38 for 202 yards and a touchdown. But the Seahawks controlled time of possession and pace behind running back Kenneth Walker III, named the Super Bowl MVP after running for 135 yards on 27 carries.

“I would do it 30 times over,” Klint Kubiak said, on his father’s advice. “We didn’t have a great night on offense — our defense did great. But I think it was helpful for our players to kinda know what to expect going in.”

In the locker room Sunday night, Klint Kubiak exchanged one final set of moments with Darnold and backup quarterback Drew Lock, a packed satchel slung over his shoulder. After two separate stints in Denver — hired again in 2022 under head coach Nathaniel Hackett and taking over play-calling duties midseason — he will now see the Broncos twice a year, tasked to lead an AFC West rebuild in Las Vegas that’ll likely start with projected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.

He’s ascended rapidly as an offensive mind since first calling plays in 2021 for an 8-9 Vikings team, a season in which Klint Kubiak readily admits: “I was not good at my job.” The Broncos didn’t exactly light the world on fire in 2022 with Klint Kubiak holding a play-sheet, either, in the first year of the Russell Wilson tenure.

Such is life, much in any job, Klint Kubiak told The Post ahead of the Super Bowl. Fail. Learn. Grow. He called the shots again in New Orleans in 2024, and authored the third-leading offense in the NFL in 2025 with Darnold and the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks.

“Klint����ap been in his bag all year,” receiver Jaxon-Smith Njigba told The Post Sunday. “And he put a lot on our plate this week to get it done.”

Gary was on hand Sunday, watching his son win a Super Bowl from the sideline in Santa Clara. Kubiak gave his father a “big hug” after the game, he said. And the son smiled postgame, a decade-long loop completed.

“I never could’ve dreamed that 10 years later I’d get to win a Super Bowl here,” Klint Kubiak said. “So, very special.”

And after it rained lime and blue on Super Bowl Sunday, cigar smoke twisted through the stuffy air in the caverns of Levi’s Stadium. Hardly any man walked around with red-rimmed eyes in Seattle’s locker room. Hardly any tears of joy flowed. Coors Light and Don Julio flowed, instead, after the Seahawks utterly discombobulated the Patriots 29-13 on the league’s grandest stage. Throngs of players set up their phones on an equipment cart and went straight to Instagram Live, forming a mini mosh-pit as bass-boosted speakers thumped Kodak Black’s “Skrilla” and Lil Baby’s “Freestyle.”

Off against one wall, All-Pro cornerback Devon Witherspoon — who had a sack and allowed just two catches against New England — boasted to a teammate that Seattle’s NFC title-game win over the Rams was actually their Super Bowl. On the north end of the locker room, outside linebacker Derick Hall posed with the Lombardi Trophy after two sacks and a forced fumble of his own. Across the way, left tackle Charles Cross stood more pensive, Seattle’s blindside protector for four straight years.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Cross told The Post. “I’m glad – I feel like God already has the story written, and I just have to live it.”

The three of them, though, had the start of their Seattle stories written by the trade that rocked the NFL four years ago. In March 2022, general manager John Schneider sent franchise quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver for a crop of players and a haul of future draft choices, one of the biggest blockbusters in recent NFL history. Witherspoon, Hall and Cross — “foundational pieces,” as Schneider put it Sunday night — all came from picks in the Wilson deal, and all played integral roles in Seattle’s dismantling of the Patriots.

And thus, much of the pieces to the Seahawks’ second Super Bowl title since 2013 were laid in place by the Denver Broncos.

“I don’t know about you,” Seahawks defensive passing-game coordinator Karl Scott told The Denver Post Sunday, “but I think John Schneider needs to go buy a lottery ticket tonight.”

“Because,” Scott continued, “everything he touches hits. Turns to gold.”

None of those former draft choices, really, give much thought to their origins in Seattle. Witherspoon said he’s here; that’s all that matters. Hall simply said the pieces Schneider brought “speaks volumes.”

Elsewhere Sunday, though, one of the key active pieces to that Wilson deal back in 2022 sat at his locker, mulling the past for a moment . Drew Lock, 29, has lived several lives in the span of six NFL seasons, a Broncos second-round pick in 2019 who was tabbed as a future franchise quarterback only to fall and be shipped off to Seattle after three years. Earlier this week, when asked about the effects of the Wilson trade on the Seahawks’ roster, Lock told The Post that the bird’s-eye view of the trade is “pretty gnarly.”

Lock’s now a Super Bowl champion, a key piece to the locker room after signing back in Seattle this past offseason to push starting QB Sam Darnold. And after the Patriots’ win, smile wrinkles formed in the corners of Lock’s eyes.

“It just goes back to, everything happens for a reason … I’ll let life happen, let God lead me in the right direction,” Lock said when asked about the Wilson deal Sunday. “Trust what����ap going on. It����ap already been written. And it����ap just my job to go live it out.”

A king’s ransom for Russ

Seattle’s only losing season in the last 14 years came in 2021, when a 33-year-old Wilson was named to his fifth straight Pro Bowl. Schneider and Seattle decided it was time to shop Wilson, after his 10th year with the franchise.

Wilson, though, had a no-trade clause baked into a four-year, $140 million extension he’d signed in 2019, necessitating that he and agent Mark Rodgers needed to sign off on however Seattle tested the market. And Wilson, as Rodgers recalled this past week to The Post, wanted to go to Denver — a historic franchise that was temporarily operating with no head coach (the team fired Vic Fangio in January 2022) and no owner (the team was put up for sale in February 2022).

“Understand — we were talking, and negotiating, in what I would call a vacuum,” Rodgers said.

Broncos general manager George Paton, entering his second year in Denver, was maneuvering to get a quarterback. The Broncos wanted Wilson enough for Paton to promise Rodgers — before he was traded — that Denver would sign him to a long-term extension once he arrived. And Schneider, who’d already won a Super Bowl with Seattle in 2013, wrestled away a treasure trove of assets from Denver: former first-round pick Noah Fant, former second-round pick Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, and five future draft choices.

On March 16, 2022, then-Broncos tight end Eric Saubert was working out with Fant at a gym in Orange County when a television above them flashed. The news of the Wilson deal broke to their complete shock. The two enjoyed one brief, fleeting second of shared euphoria.

“Oh! We got Russ!”

Then Fant’s agent called with the news.

In the years since, the move has set Denver and Seattle on two diverging trajectories that nearly looped them back to a meeting in Super Bowl LX after the Broncos came four points away from beating New England in 2025’s AFC title game. Paton, of course, swung and missed on Wilson and on hiring Nathaniel Hackett in 2022, then swung a course-correcting trade for Sean Payton as head coach, and since has delivered nothing but hits. Schneider, meanwhile, added three key contributors with those Denver picks: Cross was drafted at No. 9 in 2022, and Witherspoon at No. 5 and Hall at No. 38 in 2023.

“The beginning of all of this was his understanding Wilson, the trade market, and getting that value from the Denver Broncos,” Rodgers said. “Interestingly – so, that����ap the beginning of that rebuild … and John’s done a phenomenal job. I mean, John’s as good a personnel guy as there is in the league.”

‘We just really hunted’

For four quarters in Santa Clara on Sunday, the Seahawks’ defense put on a masterclass in football torment. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye played like he heard footsteps awaiting at every corner of the pocket, getting sacked six times with four turnovers. After blitzing Witherspoon just 21 times in 2025, according to Next Gen Stats, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald sent him repeatedly on timely defensive-back pressures, and the 25-year-old recorded three quarterback hits.

“We just really hunted,” Hall said. “I feel like we showed we’re the number-one defense in the world.”

The Patriots were fully prepared for this. They were simply helpless to stop it.

“I didn’t even know that he blitzed that fewest amount of times,” Patriots receiver Trent Sherfield said. “Because we were so — just so ingrained in our minds that like, ‘Hey, we need to be prepared for the DB blitz.'”

In many ways, Seattle’s formula was exactly akin to Denver’s throughout 2025. A quarterback who avoided mistakes, turned a few negative plays into positive ones and delivered a few shots. A running game that buoyed the offense for long stretches. A defense that combined exotic pressure with sticky coverage.

The Seahawks simply had a cleaner run and were buoyed by branches from a trade that has reshaped the NFL.

“Looking back at it, it was kinda like the hamster wheel started turning,” said Scott, who was originally hired in 2022, a week before the Wilson deal. “And you have a vision for what it can be. But no one truly knows what it����ap going to be.

“And to see it come to the light, it����ap kinda cool to see.”

“Very,” he told The Denver Post Monday night. “Very. There’s always the — you get traded, little animosity.There’s not anymore. I feel like time has done the healing.”

The Seahawks backup is 29 years old now. The baby face from his Denver days is long gone. In its place, though, is a Tom Selleck-style mustache, still visibly adjusting to the space above his upper lip. The quarterback has changed; the charisma hasn’t, really. It’s why Seattle brought him back in the first place this past offseason to back up Sam Darnold, after a lost year in New York — an opportunity, as Lock’s longtime quarterbacks coach Justin Hoover told The Denver Post, to see if he could “still play.”

“You always heard about his infectious personality, and that all proved to be true,” Seahawks quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko told The Post. “But he’s a heck of a competitor. And that was something we kinda expected from him — to come in and push Sam mentally, push him physically, and be ready at the drop of a hat that, ‘Hey, it����ap your turn to go.’”

Four years after the Broncos tossed in the towel on a former second-round pick, four years after they shipped Lock off to Seattle in the Russell Wilson blockbuster, Lock has stuck it out long enough to experience his own kind of renewal. He has thrown all of three passes in 2025 behind Darnold, the 2018 No. 3 pick who’s revitalized his career the past two seasons. But during Seattle’s run to a Super Bowl berth, a funny thing’s happened: pushing a reclamation project in Darnold has given Lock the confidence he can be reclaimed, too.

“To me, Drew’s a lot like Sam,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak told The Post. “He’s going to get an opportunity — like Sam did — to be someone’s starter here. And he’s going to do a great job.”

Lock remembers, of course. The waters of the Pacific Northwest have not washed away the sting. There are good memories: he still looks back at old photos of Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick from the Denver days, telling The Post in December that “those dudes still hold a special place in my heart.” And the bad is still fresh, of course: the March 2022 day when his phone buzzed while at home with now-wife Natalie.

Lock picked up. Broncos general manager George Paton spoke.

“We’ve made a trade for a quarterback,” Paton told him, as Lock remembered. “This is going to be a good situation for you.”

“Awesome,” Lock replied.

Paton hung up, and called back, and walked Lock through it, and Natalie stood across from him, gesturing with her fingers in the air as if pointing at an invisible map of the United States. Were they going up? Down? East? She was from Florida and wanted to go to Florida. She wanted some semblance, really, of how their life was going to change.

Salvation in Seattle

They landed, of course, in Seattle, which wound up being salvation. It did not feel like it, at first.

“There was some feeling of, not being good enough,” said Hoover, who has worked with Lock for 14 straight offseasons. “Not necessarily like he didn’t believe in his own game, but it was just the rejection piece of it that affected him.”

In 2019, Lock came out of Missouri as a prototypical 6-foot-4, 225-pound Southern gunslinger. He’d thrown an SEC-leading 44 touchdowns at Mizzou two years earlier, and the Broncos took him No. 42 overall, needing to hit on a new franchise quarterback in the two years since Peyton Manning’s retirement. Lock, as Hoover recalled, came to Denver wanting to prove he belonged as a first-round pick — on the same level as Kyler Murray, Daniel Jones and Dwayne Haskins, the three QBs drafted before him in ’19.

Lock went 4-1 as a starter in 2019 after taking over from veteran Joe Flacco, but faltered in a rocky 2020, with a league-leading 13 interceptions in just 13 games. In 2021, journeyman tight end Eric Saubert came to Denver as Lock was locked in a quarterback competition with Teddy Bridgewater in camp. Saubert’s initial impression: Lock had a cannon.

He just deployed that cannon on everysinglethrow.

“You get out of your break,” Saubert recalled, “and it’s like, ‘Oh! Ball’s out.'”

Since growing up in Missouri, Hoover reflected, Lock was always a kid who wanted to take the last shot. Sometimes, every shot felt like the last shot. Mizzou was at a talent disadvantage compared to the Alabamas and the Georgias of the SEC world, and Lock had to play “lights-out” in those matchups, Hoover reflected, to have a chance. He became wired as such.

Then, he stepped into a building in Denver, well aware of the franchise’s history, and of John Elway walking around as the general manager. Lock “recognized the logo,” Hoover said. Internal pressure grew with that.

“I think he learned a lot about the fact that, in the NFL — you really only need to be Superman five times a game,” Hoover said.

An asset in the QB room

The Wilson trade, though, brought him to a particular spot: Seattle, where noted players’ coach Pete Carroll was in the final years of his run with the Seahawks. Carroll and general manager John Schneider made Lock feel wanted, even as he started just two games over two years behind Geno Smith.

“I don’t think I would go as far as to say that it saved his career, but I definitely think it shot the energy back into his work ethic, and into his mental approach,” Hoover said. “And so, in a way, I think it did save him.”

After a one-year deal in New York to compete with Jones in 2024 ended in disappointment, Schneider brought Lock back in 2025. By all measures, teammates and coaches describe him as a genuine asset. Saubert, now playing alongside Lock in Seattle, told The Post that he’d “roll with Drew any day” — noting he’s now added more touch as a quarterback. Lock pores over concepts and opposing defenses with Darnold every morning and bounces reminders off him.

“He’s going to bring up things that I don’t think about, that coaches don’t think about,” Darnold said Tuesday. “And yeah, just, he’s a brilliant guy to be around.”

It’s certainly not lost on Hoover, now, that Lock’s developed for years behind two starting quarterbacks — Smith and Darnold — once labeled as busts in a massive New York market. In particular, Lock and Darnold have been friends since they roomed together as high schoolers at the 2015 Army All-American Bowl, and the two came up in the same QB-prospect class.

“I do think their skillsets are similar, and so I think that����ap given Drew a lot of confidence to know, like, ‘I’m right there,'” Hoover said, who saw both Darnold and Lock in 2014’s Elite 11 quarterback class. “And I think that����ap been really good for him.

“I love seeing the smile on his face playing football again,” Hoover said. “And Sam’s given him some of that, and Coach (Mike Macdonald) has given him some of that.”

Still, Seattle’s room won’t let Lock forget who he used to be. In meetings throughout 2025, as Janocko said, the quarterbacks have fired up the December 2019 clip of Lock rapping along — between drives of his fifth-ever NFL start — as Empower Field blasted Young Jeezy.

“Oh, yeah,” Janocko said Monday, feigning shouldering on a backpack. “I mean, we still strap it up.”

The legend of “Put On” lives on. And Lock can smile now, looking back.

“I appreciate that place, taking me in, cheering me on as much as they did,” Lock said “Fighting through some of the struggles, and excited when the good things happen.”

And for the first time since the Hall of Fame quarterback retired, Denver has a long-term answer under center. However, with Nix suffering a fractured ankle in the divisional round game, the Broncos turn to backup Jarrett Stidham to face the Patriots.

Broncos players express faith in backup QB Jarrett Stidham after Bo Nix’s injury

From Trevor Siemian to Case Keenum to Nix, here’s a look at the Broncos’ different starting quarterbacks since Manning retired, who they are, how they fared in the role and where they are today.

Trevor Siemian

How he landed with the Broncos: Siemian was selected in the seventh round (250th pick overall) in 2015.

How he fared in Denver: Siemian played 25 games, making 24 starts for the Broncos and leading them to a 13-11 record. He completed 59.3% of his passes for 5,686 yards, 30 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. He was traded to the Vikings along with a 2018 seventh-round pick following the 2017 season for a 2019 fifth-round pick. The fifth-round pick was used to select linebacker Justin Hollins.

Where he is now: The 34-year-old journeyman was signed to the Tennessee Titans' practice squad following training camp and remained on it all season long. He made numerous stops in the years after Denver, including with the Vikings, Jets, Saints, Bears and Bengals.

Paxton Lynch

How he landed with the Broncos: The Memphis standout was selected in the first round (26th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. “He was the guy,” general manager John Elway said after selecting Lynch. “And we’re thrilled to have him.”

How he fared in Denver: Lynch didn’t live up to his first-round hype in Denver, playing just five games (starting four) in his two seasons with the Broncos. He had a 1-3 record while completing 61.7% of his passes for 792 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. He was cut before the start of the 2018 season.

Where he is now: Lynch, 31, signed with the Colorado Spartans of the National Arena League on Nov. 1.

Brock Osweiler

How he landed with the Broncos: Osweiler was originally selected in the second round (57th overall) of the 2012 NFL draft. Following the Super Bowl 50 win, he signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Houston Texans. He was traded a year later to Cleveland but was released before the start of the 2018 season. Shortly after, he re-signed with Denver after Lynch suffered a shoulder injury.

How he fared in Denver: His second stint with the Broncos wasn’t as memorable as his first. He played in six games (starting four) and finished with an 0-4 record in his starts. He finished the year completing 55.8% of his passes for 1,088 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions.

Where he is now: Osweiler, 35, retired from playing in 2019. He now works as a .

Case Keenum

How he landed with the Broncos: Keenum signed a two-year, $36 million deal before the start of the 2018 season.

How he fared in Denver: Keenum became the first Broncos quarterback to start every game in a season since Peyton Manning’s 2014 season. He opened strong, leading Denver to a 2-0 start, but the team finished the season 6-10. Keenum completed 62.3% of his passes for 3,890 yards, 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He was traded along with a seventh-round pick to Washington for a sixth-round pick following the end of the season.

Where he is now: The 37-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Bears last April. He was the team's third-string quarterback behind Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent.

Joe Flacco

How he landed with the Broncos: The former Super Bowl MVP was traded to Denver in February 2019 for a fourth-round draft pick.

How he fared in Denver: Flacco started eight games before the Broncos placed him on injured reserve for a herniated disc in his neck. Denver went 2-6 in his starts, where he completed 65.3% of his passes for 1,822 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions.

Where he is now: Flacco, 41, finished the 2025 season as the backup quarterback for the Bengals. He opened the year as the Browns' starting quarterback after signing a one-year, $4 million contract. He was benched by Cleveland after four games in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel. Later that week, he was traded to Cincinnati, where he took over the starting job until Joe Burrow returned in Week 16. He finished the year with a 60.3% passing percentage, throwing for 2,479 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Brandon Allen

How he landed with the Broncos: Allen was claimed off waivers from the Rams before the start of the 2019 season.

How he fared in Denver: He started in three games for the Broncos after Flacco suffered a season-ending injury in Week 9 of the 2019 season. He won his first game and lost the other two, completing 46.4% of his passes for 515 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Where he is now: Allen, 33, signed a one-year, $1.42 million deal with the Titans before the 2025 season. He appeared in one game, completing 17 of 30 passes for 72 yards and an interception.

Drew Lock

How he landed with the Broncos: Lock was selected in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2019 NFL draft out of Missouri.

How he fared in Denver: Lock made his first start during his rookie season in Week 13. In his five starts, he helped the Broncos to a 4-1 record to close out the season. He started 13 games in 2020 and three in 2021. He finished his time in Denver with an 8-13 record, 59.3% completion percentage, 4,740 yards, 25 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

Where he is now: Lock, 29, signed a two-year, $5 million contract last April to be Sam Darnold's backup in Seattle. It's his second stint with the Seahawks. He made five appearances, completing 2 of 3 passes for 15 yards this year.

Jeff Driskel

How he landed with the Broncos: Driskel signed as a free agent before the 2020 season.

How he fared in Denver: Driskel made his first appearance in Week 2 of the 2020 season after Drew Lock suffered a shoulder injury early in the game against the Steelers. He started in Week 3 in a losing effort to the Buccaneers but was pulled in the fourth quarter. In three appearances (one start), he completed 54.7% of his passes for 432 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Where he is now: The 32-year-old signed with the Commanders in December off the Cardinals' practice squad after Marcus Mariota's injury. He did not play in 2025.

Brett Rypien

How he landed with the Broncos: Rypien signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019.

How he fared in Denver: The nephew of former Washington star quarterback Mark Rypien came on in relief of Jeff Driskel in Week 3 of the 2020 season during Denver’s loss to Tampa Bay. He earned the start in Week 4, leading the Broncos to a 37-28 road win against the Jets. He also had four appearances (two starts) in 2022, coming in for an injured Russell Wilson. In eight games (three starts) in Denver, he completed 61.5% of his passes for 778 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Where he is now: Rypien, 29, opened the 2025 season on the Bengals' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster after Joe Burrow's injury, but was released after Cincinnati traded for Joe Flacco. He signed with the Colts but was released in December. The Vikings picked him up off waivers a day later.

Kendall Hinton

How he landed with the Broncos: Hinton signed as an undrafted free agent in April 2020. He was waived before the start of the season, but signed to the practice squad that November.

How he fared in Denver: Hinton was a quarterback at Wake Forest but was projected to be a receiver in the NFL. He became the Broncos’ emergency starter in Week 12 of the 2020 season after all four of Denver’s quarterbacks were ruled ineligible to play due to COVID-19 protocol. While Phillip Lindsay technically started under center, Hinton was the team’s primary passer for the game. He completed 1 of 9 passes for 13 yards and two interceptions in a 31-3 loss to the Saints.

Where he is now: After emerging as a depth receiver for the Broncos from 2021-22 (39 catches for 486 yards and a touchdown), he was waived during training camp in August 2023. The 28-year-old is currently a free agent. He's also a , according to his Instagram.

Teddy Bridgewater

How he landed with the Broncos: Denver traded a 2021 sixth-round pick to the Panthers to acquire Bridgewater in April.

How he fared in Denver: The journeyman quarterback emerged as the team’s starter after beating out incumbent Drew Lock in the preseason. The Broncos’ record was 7-6 through his 13 starts. He has completed 66.9% of his passes for 3,052 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Where is he now: The 33-year-old quarterback backed up Baker Mayfield for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2025. He had four appearances, completing 8 of 15 passes for 62 yards.

Russell Wilson

How he landed with the Broncos: In one of the biggest trades in Denver sports history, the Broncos traded for Wilson and a fourth-round draft pick in exchange for quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, two first-round picks, two second-round picks and a fifth-round pick.

How he fared in Denver: Before the 2024 season, Wilson had been the most stable starter for the Broncos since Peyton Manning retired. He started 30 games for Denver, completing 63.3% of his passes for 6,594 yards, 42 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. The Broncos compiled an 11-19 record during that span. In addition, he and his wife, Ciara, bought a $25 million mansion in Cherry Hills Village (and sold it for $21.5 million).

Where he is now: Wilson, 37, signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the Giants before the 2025 season. He opened the season as New York's starter but was benched in favor of Jaxson Dart following an 0-3 start. He later fell to the No. 3 spot behind Jameis Winston. He completed 69 of 119 passes for 831 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Jarrett Stidham

How he landed with the Broncos: Stidham signed a two-year, $10 million contract in March 2023. He signed a two-year, $12 million extension prior to the 2025 season.

How he fared (so far) in Denver: Stidham, 29, made his first start in Week 17 of the 2023 season against the Chargers. In three appearances (two starts), he's completed 60.6% of his passes for 496 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He beat out Zach Wilson to be the team's backup in 2024.

Where he is now: He's spent the last two seasons as Denver's backup quarterback to Nix. He'll be the Broncos starter on Sunday against his former team, the Patriots, in the AFC Championship game.

Bo Nix

How he landed with the Broncos: Nix was selected in the first round (12th pick overall) in the 2024 NFL draft out of Oregon.

How he fared (so far) in Denver: The 25-year-old has led Denver to back-to-back playoff appearances since getting drafted. He's started 34 regular-season games, completing 64.8% of his passes for 7,706 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. He also has 786 yards rushing and nine touchdowns in his career. His win over the Bills in the AFC divisional round was just Denver's second playoff victory by a quarterback they had drafted, joining Tim Tebow.

Where he is now: He is Denver's starting quarterback but is out for the season after suffering a fractured ankle in the AFC divisional round.

He saw Bo Nix and Courtland Sutton maneuver on the grass at the Broncos’ facility during organized team activities (OTAs) in June. He saw a quarterback and receiver who could �ڱ�����where the other was. This was the training ground for the second year of the Nix-Sutton partnership, the two growing a shared awareness of space and timing. A tango. A rumba. Swaying to each other’s movements.

Morris knew them both from his days as a college coach. Sutton was Morris’ captain when Morris was rebuilding at Southern Methodist University, from 2015-17 . Nix was Morris’ quarterback when he was an offensive coordinator at Auburn in 2020 , still the most competitive player he’s ever coached. And Morris knew, from just Day 1 at OTAs, that Sutton trusted Nix. And Nix trusted Sutton.

After practice, the three grabbed lunch at the team cafeteria at Dove Valley. At that moment, Sutton’s future in Denver was still unclear, engrossed in extension negotiations after a career-best 81 catches in 2024 . So Morris asked Nix, at that table, about Sutton’s contract.

“Look,” Nix said, as Morris recalled. “We’ve got to get this guy signed. This is my guy.”

Sutton, Nix told Morris, was so much of Denver’s pulse. And so much of its heartbeat.

“I know Bo,” Morris repeated, Nix’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Auburn. “I know Bo. And I know Bo was sharing that with the management and the ownership of the Denver Broncos. I know that for a fact.”

Less than two months later, on July 28, Sutton came bounding out for practice as his representation finalized the particulars of a four-year, $92 million extension with Denver brass.

The Broncos signed the player. Really, though, they signed the pillar.

Sutton has played in 110 of a possible 117 games (excluding a torn ACL in 2020) in his years in Denver . He , while playing for 11 different starting quarterbacks in eight seasons . He’s had five offensive coordinators and five head coaches. And he has never once requested a trade in those eight seasons, sources close to Sutton told The Denver Post.

Sutton’s presence — from Vic Fangio to Sean Payton, from Pat Bowlen to the Penners — sticks in the minds of those who’ve shared a locker with his corner cubby in Denver.

“He wants to be the face of a program, of a franchise, of a building, of a team, however you want to phrase that,” former Broncos quarterback Drew Lock told The Denver Post.

“And honestly, that place — with how much turnover there has been — they’re lucky to have a guy like that … (who) can be so even-keeled,” Lock, now the Seahawks’ QB, said.

Has it been easy? No. Heavens, no. Every offseason brought a new offensive carousel. Around Sutton’s third or fourth year in Denver, his frustration started to boil as the end of his first deal approached, fellow former Broncos receiver Tim Patrick recounted. Fellow former Bronco Kendall Hinton chuckled, remembering the times he’d pass Sutton and remember to steer clear.

If Sutton isolated himself, or got quiet, Hinton knew: Let me give ‘Court’ some space right now.

Sutton and the Broncos have found stability in each other during the Payton Era. Nothing’s ever perfect. Frequently, opposing secondaries have shaded Sutton’s way in 2025; Denver’s WR1 is second to Troy Franklin on his own team in targets over the last 12 weeks. Frequently, Sutton’s old high school coach Glen West will flip on a Broncos game on Sundays and wonder if his former receiver is even on the field.

None of it fazes Sutton anymore. Ask Denver’s receivers: Their leader does not care about his touches. He provides a “sense of security” for the rest of his room, as Franklin says. Kyrese Rowan, an undrafted rookie receiver who’s bounced around Denver since May, swears — straight face and all — he’s never seen the 30-year-old vet in a bad mood.

For more than a decade, Sutton has been committed to mastering his own mind. Nobody else’s.

“He has a calmness to him where he knows what he can do on this field, and nothing really surprises him anymore,” Patrick reflected.

“He has stability now with a coach and a quarterback, to where … you don’t have to worry about every offseason or every week, some years, where you don’t know who’s going to be the starting quarterback,” Patrick continued. “So you can tell, he’s at peace.”

The beginning

In late 2014, a book called “The Mental Game of Football” made its way to Morris, who’d just been hired as the head coach at SMU. Morris loved it enough to get his recruiting director, Mark Smith , to call the book’s author, Brian Cain . The three met and agreed that Cain would come on in an official role as a mental-performance specialist.

Sutton was one of the first players the staff wanted Cain to work with.

“If a coach says, ‘Hey, I think this is going to be beneficial for you and your development,’ he doesn’t ask, ‘Why?’ ” Cain said. “He says, ‘when.’ And that����ap Courtland Sutton to a T.”

Sutton was coming off a redshirt-freshman season for a 1-11 program , and was converting from defensive back to receiver. He wanted his development to happen right then, Morris recalled. So the head coach asked Cain to work with him on mental transitions: flushing the bad, keeping him grounded.

Through Sutton’s next three seasons at SMU and beyond, Cain worked with Sutton on what he called “process goals.” Breathwork. Meditation. Visualization. Journaling. Teammates voted Sutton a captain, and voted him as having the best work ethic on the roster, one of many core values that Cain and Morris tried to establish at SMU.

During fall camp before Sutton’s senior season, core players held a two-hour meeting to deliver individual presentations on implementing the core values.��Long after players cleared out at the end of the meeting, Sutton lingered in the back of the room, re-stacking chairs the group had taken from another space down the hall.

“I think of any guy in that program — and any guy I’ve worked with as a college athlete — he understood what was controllable and what was not as good as anybody,” Cain said.

On Wednesday, when asked about Cain, Sutton grinned. Sutton estimated 60% to 70% of football is mental. He is a man of routine, and his routine established at SMU has only compounded in pursuit of self-actualization.

Still, Sutton said he lives by a set of “ABCs” that Cain preaches: Act big. Breathe big. Commit big.

“It’s something so simple,” Sutton said, “but being able to bring yourself back into focus. Into the now. Into where your feet are. I’m a big ‘be where your feet are’ type of person.’ ”

Act big

On Sept. 9, 2018, in the third quarter of his NFL debut against Seattle, Sutton came off the field on third down. Fellow rookie wideout Patrick cycled in, and missed a ball over the middle from then-Broncos quarterback Case Keenum.

Emmanuel Sanders, a 31-year-old veteran receiver, came back with Patrick to the sideline, pulled both he and Sutton aside, and gave both a lashing that would last a lifetime. Four-letter words. Biting words. Patrick was cussed out for not catching the ball. Sutton was cussed out, more importantly, for simply not being out there on third down.

Patrick would not reveal Sanders’ specific words to Sutton, because they are not fit for print. But the sentiment was simple, as Patrick recalled: No matter what’s going on in a game, be on the field on third down. That’s the money down. That’s how you get paid.

“I swear, after he cussed us out, embarrassed us on the sideline,” Patrick recalled, “there was just a different ‘Court.’ Like, he just turned into a different animal on the football field after that.”

With first and second-round quarterbacks, with veterans and backups, Sutton’s reliability on third down has only grown in Denver, even as his overall role has fluctuated. Over the past two seasons, Sutton has single-handedly accounted for 39% of the Broncos’ conversions in third-and-long situations (greater than 7 yards), according to Next Gen Stats data compiled by The Post. It’s where his physical leverage best comes into play: Isolate his 6-foot-4 frame, long limbs, and 216-pound strength in press coverage, and he establishes “a lot of trust” from quarterbacks on third down.

“(Nix) understands that …. If you get into any trouble whatsoever, just find me,’ ” Sutton told reporters in late September. ” ‘I’ma be somewhere around.’ ”

A 23-year-old Sutton learned that from Sanders, Patrick believes. They had two veterans in that room in 2018, their rookie year: Sanders and the late Demaryius Thomas, who Sutton still reveres. And a 30-year-old Sutton carries the torch in Denver, years later.

These days, Broncos rookie Pat Bryant goes to Nothing Bundt Cakes on gamedays to pick up specific orders for the entire receivers’ room. Franklin and Devaughn Vele did the same as rookies in 2024. Sanders and Thomas started the tradition; Sutton enforces it now.

He followed Sanders’ words, back then. And he followed Thomas’ actions.

“They’ve had some guys like Demaryius in the past that have been those kind of people, that are just the rock of that place,” said Steelers receivers coach Zach Azzanni , who coached the Broncos’ wide receivers from 2018-22. “And I think (Sutton’s) that.”

Breathe big

At SMU, Sutton and Cain developed a method they called the “clap” technique. If Sutton dropped a pass, or a play didn’t connect, he’d slap his hands together as a sort of Pavlovian self-conditioning. Wipe the slate clean.

Over the first five years in Denver without a consistent starting quarterback or a stable offensive staff, Sutton learned to control what was within his own sphere, as Azzanni reflected. And the thorn in his side, always, was drops. He dropped nine of his 51 targets in his rookie year in 2018. Six years later, even in a career year with 1,081 yards in 2024, Pro Football Focus credited Sutton as tied with the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb for the most drops in the NFL (11).

His response to any adversity — within his control or not — has always been internal. Sutton wears his emotion on his sleeve, Hinton said. But he doesn’t erupt. If Sutton puts his hands on his hips and crosses his legs while standing on the sideline during games, he’s in the middle of processing, according to Morris.

“I know he likes that — throw a little tantrum,” Patrick cracked. “And then once he gets that tantrum out, he’s back to normal.”

Sutton’s process has rarely wavered over the years. Undrafted rookie Rowan has sat next to him often in meetings and noticed the veteran’s notebook is still filled to the brim with scribbles. He’s still the most diligent note-taker in the room — in Year 8.

Azzanni began every practice in Denver for years with seven minutes on the JUGS machine; Sutton would be the first receiver out, Azzanni recalled, no matter what.

Sutton’s drop rate in 2025 (6.7%) is now the lowest it’s been in any full season since his only Pro Bowl nod in 2019, according to Pro Football Focus. The misses still come. They linger less.

In Week 5 of October, the Broncos traveled to Philadelphia to play the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles in one of the biggest regular-season games of Sutton’s career. On Denver’s third play of the game, Nix dropped back to loft a one-on-one pass to Sutton down the right sideline. The ball slid through the empty air between Sutton’s open forearms, and the receiver tumbled face-first into a rough drop.

He got up, tossed his head back, and clapped his hands together.

“You see some guys that may not be as mentally strong, or have that release,” Sutton said. “And one play turns into two plays turns into three, and it carries over to the next game. And then some people spiral. And the last thing you want to do is to have something spiral, because you can’t get out of your own head.”

Sutton went on to catch eight passes for 99 yards, including three massive fourth-quarter first-down conversions, and the Broncos beat the Eagles 21-17.

Commit big

Before Bo Nix, there was Ben Hicks.

In the third quarter of the first game of Sutton’s junior season at SMU, starting quarterback Matt Davis tore his ACL. SMU’s season suddenly rested on the shoulders of Hicks, the backup QB and a redshirt freshman. Strength coach Trumain Carroll realizing the importance of the coming minutes, went over to Hicks to impart a few words.

Except Sutton was already there, feeding him reassurances, Carroll remembered.

You got this. It’s go time. This is what you’ve been preparing for.

In the season that followed, Sutton spent 15 to 30 minutes after every practice running routes with Hicks and talking through coverages, former SMU safety Jordan Wyatt said. SMU went 5-7 that year, and then 7-5 in Sutton’s subsequent senior season, with Hicks fully running the show.

“He helped Ben grow up,” Carroll reflected. “He helped Ben gain the respect and earn the right to lead the locker room.”

A decade later, Nix shares a certain ESP with Sutton — and a trust — different from any other Bronco receiver. After the Broncos’ win over the Bengals in early October, Nix’s wife, Izzy, and Sutton’s wife, Brea, posted a picture of themselves wearing shirts with Nix and Sutton’s faces A week later, Nix credited Sutton for constantly reminding him he had his back in the Broncos’ comeback win over the Eagles.

“In that situation, it’s almost like — who wants the football?” Nix said, “And ‘Sutt’ wants the football.”

Sutton has committed to Nix. And the rest of the building. Take undrafted-rookie Rowan, who just re-signed to the Broncos’ practice squad this week after being cut last week. He is waiting out a short-term rental home. He knows his current stay might be short. The 24-year-old has no family in Denver, and no partner, and no kids, and no dog, he rattled off to The Post on Thursday.

Sutton knew all this. So he invited Rowan to his home for Christmas.

“I can talk about him all day,” Rowan said. “I talk about him all day with my friends. Because I thought he was, like — if you’re a WR1, you’ve been in the league for as long as he has, you’ve done what he’s done, you’d expect a little bit of an entitled, cocky (guy).

“But nah. Not at all.”

Sutton has put together another great, if unspectacular, campaign this season: 56 catches, 773 yards, five touchdowns through 13 games . Where could he be, perhaps, if he hadn’t torn his ACL in 2020? Or had more early-career stability? Or played in a different system entirely, where he was force-fed targets?

All of that, though, exists in the past or the future. Not the now. Denver is a “place that appreciates him,” as Lock reflected. And Sutton, Lock believes, understands that.

“There’s so much going on that you can miss,” Sutton told The Post, “if you’re looking past what����ap right in front of you.”

Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo have injected enthusiasm into the veins of a long-suffering fanbase, hope into a long-suffering franchise. They have a cool aforementioned nickname.

Skattebo has been a revelation. Cast as a situational player in the draft, he boasts 338 yards rushing and five touchdowns. He is Brian Bosworth meets Mike Alstott, inspiring teammates with his rock’em, sock’em robot running style. He leads with his chin in every conversation and carry.

But Dart needs to cool his jets. If, for no other reason, based on what just happened to the Jets.

Some cayenne pepper got sprinkled on Sunday’s game with trash talk, sanitized as it was. Reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Week Jonathon Cooper made it clear he is not impressed with Dart, saying, “He’s feeling himself a lil’ bit. He’s out there running around. He’s got the chain on. He’s dancing. I feel like everybody needs something, you know.”

It was a warning. Dart found it amusing.

“I think a lot of guys wear chains and dance when they score touchdowns,” . “I appreciate him following my dance touchdowns.”

Covering players like Dart is a blast. But quarterbacks lacking humility get clobbered by reality.

He was the singing QB with the nifty backpack celebration until he wasn’t. He has been cast as a career backup since 2021. Dart is more athletic than Lock, but his total disregard for his body and overconfidence have helped him lead the league in blue tent visits the past three weeks.

This Broncos defense is frothing, eager to put on a show to impress the Super Bowl 50 champions, who will be honored at halftime.

Dart is great for the Giants, even if his yards per play are worse than Russell Wilson’s. He loves attention. He just picked the wrong week to engage in verbal jousting. The Broncos have not allowed a touchdown at home, while posting nine sacks.

Good luck “Hanging with Mr. Cooper” on Sunday, Dart.

It is the team, not QB: Time to stop pointing the finger at first-round quarterbacks who fail when history shows coaching and organizational dysfunction is largely to blame. Baker Mayfield is 5-1, and an MVP candidate. Daniel Jones is 5-1 and an MVP candidate. Sam Darnold is 4-2 for Seattle. Here are the records of the teams that drafted them: Cleveland is 1-5, the Giants are 2-3-1 and the Jets are winless.

Wrong tone: The Chiefs welcome back receiver Rashee Rice this week. Can folks stop acting like he is returning from knee surgery? He was suspended for six games for his involvement in a six-car crash that resulted in multiple injuries and led Rice to plead guilty to two felony charges. His absence had nothing to do with his health.

Latin for winning: Talked to Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas. And teammates about Jonas Valanciunas. It is clear he has bought into his role as Nikola Jokic’s backup on a team with championship expectations, following the “Age Quod Agis” message posted on the practice wall. Translated, it means: “Do what you do.” Valanciunas gets it.

“Whatever it takes to win. We all got to put our egos away and come into the building knowing that only together can we do big things,” Valanciunas said.

Stats don’t always lie: Some good news has surfaced in the Rockies’ promised front office overhaul. According to Patrick Saunders, the club will create a chief revenue and strategy officer position to help invest money in data, analytics and strategy. For all of the reasons the Rockies stink, not understanding the infrastructure of the sport ranks high on the list. The job title is eyewash. But modernizing the baseball operation, which has been operating in the Stone Age for more than a decade, is absolutely necessary.

�³���:��11 a.m. Sunday

�³�����:��Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pa.

�ճ�/�����徱��:��CBS, 850 AM/94.1 FM

Broncos-Eagles series: Denver’s only won once in seven tries at Lincoln Financial Field, as the Broncos face an incredibly tough test on Sunday. The Broncos are 5-9 all-time in 14 matchups against the Eagles, last dropping a game 30-13 in November 2021, when now-Eagles DC Vic Fangio was the head coach.

In the spotlight: Bo Nix faces Vic Fangio defense in massive early test

If you ask Vic Fangio, the Broncos’ second-year quarterback is a heck of a lot like the one the Eagles just played: Baker Mayfield.

“I think he might be Baker’s younger brother,” Fangio, now the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, said Monday. “Really good. Really, really good.”

It’s a fairly apt comparison. Mayfield, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ fiery 30-year-old Pro Bowler, stands 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds. Bo Nix, the Broncos’ fiery 25-year-old QB, stands 6-foot-2 and 217 pounds. Both fall somewhere in the vague realm between on-time game manager and creative shot-taker.

It’s unclear if such a comparison will end up being a compliment, though, after the Eagles just held Mayfield to a 55.0 completion percentage and an 84.3 quarterback rating in a Philadelphia win last Sunday.

“He’s a scrambler,” Fangio said of Nix. “He’s a competitor. He’ll throw the ball in tight places. He runs their offense really well. I think Sean’s 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.”

Fangio, of course, knows as well as anyone. In Fangio’s three years as the Broncos’ head coach from 2019-2021, Denver cycled through six starting quarterbacks. Those were the days of a not-yet-reborn Joe Flacco, and the weirdness of Drew Lock, Brandon Allen and Jeff Driskel. Payton found his offensive leader in the first round in 2024, after Fangio found the Broncos’ current defensive leader, Pat Surtain II, in the first round in 2021.

Now, after an inconclusive four-game start to 2025, Nix steps into one of the most important moments of his early Broncos career. Head-to-head with the Super Bowl champions. Head-to-head with a Fangio defense that tormented Patrick Mahomes himself last February. Head-to-head with 65,000-plus roaring Philadelphians.

Here’s the thing: The Eagles’ defense has looked considerably more vulnerable through four games this season, despite a 4-0 start. They stiffen in the red zone — tied for the fewest red-zone TDs allowed (4) of any NFL team thus far — when the field tightens and their playmakers shine. Inside linebacker Zack Baun has been worth every penny of a $51 million March extension, racking up nine pressures as a blitzer and allowing just 73 yards on 16 targets in coverage. Quinyon Mitchell is rounding into one of the best young cornerbacks in the game not named Pat Surtain II, surrendering a 44% catch rate early in 2025.

When the field lengths, though, the Eagles are vulnerable. Philadelphia’s allowed the second-most average yards on deep balls thus far this season, according to Next Gen Stats. And they haven’t been able to consistently pressure quarterbacks on such looks: Fangio’s defense sits in the middle of the league in pressure rate, and near the bottom of the league in total sacks.

“I don’t think our rush has been bad,” Fangio said Monday. “The ball’s been coming out pretty quick at times. I haven’t felt an epidemic during the games, when I’m calling them, that our rush isn’t good enough.”

Nix ripped a 28-yard shot to Marvin Mims Jr. against the Bengals in Week 4, one of his most impressive throws of the year. Still, his deep-ball accuracy has been an early talking point. If Payton’s play-calling opens up opportunities against Philadelphia, Nix can’t afford to miss them.

“It����ap going to be a challenge to find explosive plays, but at the same time, it����ap not getting bored, continuing to do the same stuff over and over throughout the game,” Nix said Thursday. “When it����ap 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.”

Who has the edge?

When Broncos run: Sean Payton unlocked a two-back effectiveness against the Bengals that he’d never quite found in his two previous seasons in Denver, and the Broncos’ ground attack is suddenly rolling. They’re fifth in the NFL in average rushing yards per game. Veteran back J.K. Dobbins has answered the bell at every call, and rookie RJ Harvey added 58 yards on 14 carries Monday night. The Eagles defense has allowed the seventh-highest yards per carry in the league thus far, but this area gets interesting if .��Slight edge: Broncos

When Broncos pass: Vic Fangio made the joke this week that every rookie you start equates to one loss. The Eagles, though, are rolling with second-round pick Andrew Mukuba at safety. He’s largely been solid to start his NFL career, but he got torched for a 77-yard touchdown last week. Philadelphia has solid cornerback play in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, but sits right in the middle of the league in pass defense thus far. Edge: Even

When Eagles run: The follow-up to a league-altering Super Bowl rushing attack has been … fine. All-world back Saquon Barkley has averaged 3.1 yards a carry thus far, and is going for just 2.5 a pop on between-the-tackles runs. But the Eagles have still run for seven touchdowns on the ground, and the Jalen Hurts Tush Push remains as lethal as ever. Edge: Eagles

When Eagles pass: You’re in a tough early-season spot when your WR1 is . A.J. Brown has been fully neutralized in all but one of the Eagles’ four contests this season, currently averaging fewer than 40 yards a game. Hurts has been remarkably efficient as a thrower, but the Broncos just shut down arguably the best receiving tandem in the league last week in the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. ���岵��:��Broncos

Special teams: Fangio went on a diatribe this week about how the NFL’s new kicking rules — teams being allowed unlimited time to break in balls — have “drastically changed” field goals around the league. Eagles kicker Jake Elliott probably won’t complain, though, as he’s 3 of 3 on kicks longer than 50 yards this year. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has blocked three combined field goals or punts in just the last two games. This could be a bloodbath. Edge: Eagles

Coaching: Sean Payton’s play-calling popped in Week 4 against the Bengals, and the shift to full series for Dobbins and Harvey showed clear self-evaluation. Vance Joseph’s defense, meanwhile, was allergic to letting the Bengals across midfield for most of the game. For all the combined years of experience there, though, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is currently piloting a football team that is 20-1 in its last 21 games and has overachieved in 2025 relative to yardage ranks.��Edge: Eagles

Tale of the tape

By the numbers

217:��Passing attempts since Jalen Hurts last threw an interception.

3.5:��Eagles running back Saquon Barkley’s average yards-per-carry in 2025 when facing a light box (less than seven defenders).

92.3%:��Philadelphia tight end Dallas Goedert’s catch rate in 2025.

50%:��A.J. Brown’s catch rate in 2025.

40.9%: Eagles’ pressure rate against Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers last Sunday, their highest since the start of 2024.

158.3: Bo Nix’s quarterback rating when pressured by the Bengals on Monday night.

X-factors

�����DzԳ��Dz�:��DL Zach Allen. Denver needs its interior defensive linemen to step up massively against the Eagles’ ground game, and Allen has yet to record a true breakout game in 2025 despite doing the dirty work for edges Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper to shine. Philadelphia guard Landon Dickerson has allowed 13 pressures in four games this year. There’s an opportunity for Allen to do some damage.

�����������:��LB Nakobe Dean.��The Eagles opened Dean’s practice window to return from the PUP list after a torn patellar tendon in last year’s playoffs, and his presence could massively shift Sunday’s outcome. If Dean’s healthy, Philadelphia could stick him next to rookie Jihaad Campbell at ILB and shift Baun to the edge to try to generate more pressure on Nix.

Post predictions

Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Eagles 26, Broncos 23

The Eagles haven’t really hit their stride yet this season and yet are 4-0. The Broncos haven’t really hit their stride yet — though perhaps Monday night was the start — and are 2-2, with a pair of brutal road losses. Those games matter Sunday in this context: Sean Payton’s team hasn’t learned to close away from home yet. Philly, on the other hand, has won 20 of the past 21 games it’s played over the past calendar year-plus. That and special teams could be the difference.

Luca Evans, beat writer: Broncos 24, Eagles 21

Let’s get a little crazy. Philadelphia has way overachieved its underlying offensive and defensive numbers this year, winning games with fantastic special-teams and red-zone play. The Broncos have one of the best red-zone defenses in the league, and their run game is rolling. Darren Rizzi’s special teams will face its test of the season, but if they play a clean game and don’t spring themselves off any linemen, the Broncos have a real shot here.

Troy Renck, columnist: Eagles 24, Broncos 20

This screams upset … if Denver were at home. The Eagles are vulnerable. Their wings are clipped in the passing game. They have an A.J. Brown problem. They had zero yards through the air in the second half last week. The Broncos could run the ball, take care of the ball, and shock the Eagles. But not in Philadelphia. The Eagles have won 11 straight home games, and haven’t lost there in 13 months. A special teams play will prove the difference.

Sean Keeler, columnist: Eagles 24, Broncos 21

With apologies to the great Reggie Jackson, Sean Payton is the new Mr. October. Since 2016, the Broncos head coach sports a 13-2 record, straight-up, in October road games. Like Tampa and the Meadowlands last year, nobody outside the Front Range gives the orange and blue much of a chance. Bo Nix and the Broncos found something on Monday night. Unfortunately, I think what they mostly found is that the Bengals stink.

Hey Parker, it was great to see our running game actually work for once. J.K. Dobbins is looking like he’s our best offseason pickup. Just patient and waiting for holes to open up. Do you think we’ll re-sign him?

— Mike, Denver

Hey Mike, thanks for writing in and getting us going this week.

Indeed, the Broncos got their running game into gear early in the game Monday night and kept it humming most of the game. Even in their second-best rushing game under head coach Sean Payton by yardage, the Broncos hit midway through the fourth quarter with twice as many drop-backs as called runs. It goes to show a couple of things: You don’t have to hand it off 45 times to have an effective run game, but also, if you run the ball effectively, it naturally opens up everything else rather than trying to force all of your passing concepts early in a game.

Obviously, Denver is going to face tougher tests than Cincinnati’s beleaguered defense — like, for example, Sunday at Philadelphia — but it����ap a blueprint to try to build off of, at least.

As for Dobbins, he’s been a terrific addition to the Broncos backfield. His efficiency metrics — an NFL-best 11 carries of 10-plus yards and a 5.7 per carry average — start to show that the Broncos were right to think they had a good offensive line and needed an overhaul among the ballcarriers. But Dobbins has done more than just that. He brings energy and leadership, and he’s got a terrific combination of patience and decisiveness once he sees what he wants to do.

As for re-signing him, he looks and feels like a candidate right now, but let����ap give it three months before getting to that kind of thought process. There’s just not much reason to go down that road at this point.

Along somewhat related lines, for all the talk about the 100-yard streak ending, the 186 total yards and tweak Payton made to get Dobbins and rookie R.J. Harvey more consecutive snaps between substitutions, there’s another element here that is worth mentioning.

That����ap that Harvey ended up with 33 snaps compared to Dobbins’ 36 — the most even workload split between the two this season.

That����ap important not just because of the change in the usage sequencing Payton and players talked about Monday night, but because of the actual workloads at play.

Dobbins says he feels great, and it����ap impressive how positive he is on a daily basis despite all of the injuries in his history. Perhaps he’ll go on a run here of injury-free play.

In the meantime, though, the reality is he hasn’t played more than 13 games since his rookie season, and he’s coming off a 2024 campaign in which he set a new high-water mark with 227 combined touches. Through four games, he’s on pace for 263 this season.

Harvey, of course, has his own developmental track and sizable expectations given the Broncos drafted him No. 60 overall in April’s draft, but his ability to earn and maintain the kind of trust that leads to a relatively even workload going forward is important as it pertains to keeping Dobbins fresh, too.

Lather, rinse, repeat? Parker, it is disappointing to see what appears to be the same problems from last year and the year before and the year before, happening with the team this year. Seems like the Broncos still don’t have a tight end, still can’t run the ball and still can’t stop the run. Would you agree? Please tell me that I’m wrong.

— Frank, Frisco, Texas

Hey Frank, thanks for writing. And you’re wrong. Well, at least on two of the three counts. Or two-ish.

They showed Monday night that they can run the ball. The bigger question all along in my mind has been whether Payton is willing to commit to running it even when the going is tough early in games. We could start to see more data on that question against the Eagles on the road.

As for the rushing defense, the Broncos have struggled against Indianapolis and Jonathan Taylor each of the past two seasons — including Week 2 last month — but otherwise have been really stout. In fact, they led the NFL in several rushing defense metrics last season.

In the early going this year, they’re 11th overall in rushing yards allowed per game, tied for 17th in per carry allowed and sixth in EPA/rush allowed. With still a relatively small sample size at hand, that helps paint a picture of how they’ve been pretty good down to down, but the big plays like Taylor’s 69-yard gallop have hurt. So, some good and some bad there, but overall, Denver’s done a pretty good job so far of surviving without Malcolm Roach in their defensive rotation. Oh, and he’s eligible to return from injured reserve as early as this week.

There’s no question this weekend provides a huge test against the Eagles and Saquon Barkley. Philly, quite surprisingly, is 29th in the NFL so far at 3.5 yards per carry.

Tight end… yeah, that����ap still an issue. Let����ap see what it looks like with Evan Engram over the next few weeks. He didn’t put up big numbers on Monday night, but seven targets is certainly more along the lines of what most expected. He still played just 43% of snaps, but he’s dealt with calf and back issues already, so perhaps all of the numbers will still trend up some in the next few games. It was the first time this season that Engram and Nate Adkins have both been available, and that led Lucas Krull to being inactive. Adam Trautman played 42 snaps, Engram 35 and Adkins 34. That����ap a better mix than earlier in the season, but it could still tilt more toward Engram and Adkins depending on game flow and situation.

In 2024, Broncos tight ends averaged three catches per game for 28.6 yards. The year before was even worse: 2.3 catches and 21.3 yards.

It����ap still early this season for fully relying on trend data, but so far this season, Broncos tight ends are averaging 4.5 catches and 32.3 yards.

What is the long-term answer at tight end?

— Marvin, Pea Ridge, Ark.

Marvin, have you seen Kenyon Sadiq play at Oregon?

Lotta ballgame left in both the NFL season and the college season, but at this point, it’d be something of a surprise if Sadiq is actually still on the board when the Broncos pick next spring.

The sentiment, though, is the same either way. It����ap a position Denver is likely going to have to address in the draft, free agency or both again next offseason in order to truly fortify for the future.

The Broncos have a lottery ticket in seventh-round rookie and converted college basketball player Caleb Lohner, but they don’t have a guy who you look at and say, “yup, he’s definitely the future of the position.”

The Broncos have already experienced how much a player at that position can matter to an offense with rookie Tyler Warren in Indianapolis, who has given the Colts an added dimension to go with their young receiving corps and Taylor in the backfield. If you can find a guy willing to block in the run game like Warren, all the better.

So far, this upcoming tight end draft class doesn’t get the same kind of love as last year’s, where Warren and Colston Loveland were first-round locks the entire fall and several others like Mason Taylor, Terrence Ferguson and Elijah Arroyo all ended up in the second round, too.

The Broncos, naturally, will continue to develop players like Lohner and Adkins, and they’ve got a player they think fits their system really well in Engram under contract this year and next. Trautman’s been a steadily available player since Payton got here.

Parker, I’ve noticed some players involved in the Russell Wilson trade are now with other teams. Any of them still with Seattle? Any out of the league? Thanks.

— Fred Waiss, Prairie du Chien, Wis.

Hey Fred, thanks for writing, and good question. All three players involved in the original trade have moved around since, but they’re all still playing. TE Noah Fant is on the Bengals but was out with a concussion Monday night in Denver. DL Shelby Harris is playing his third season in Cleveland and in Week 3 blocked Green Bay’s game-tying field goal attempt in the final minute. That block came against Packers kicker Brandon McManus, to continue the former-Broncos theme. QB Drew Lock is actually back in Seattle this year, but only after spending 2024 with the New York Giants.

Of the five picks Seattle got, though, four players are still with the organization, and they all are or have been regular starters. They are S Devon Witherspoon, OLB Boye Mafe, OT Charles Cross and LB Derick Hall.

Can we talk about that Bo Nix interception in the end zone? That was ugly. Who was he throwing to? It would’ve been way behind RJ Harvey, and Troy Franklin was pretty much out of the play at that point. I don’t know why we didn’t just give it to Harvey or J.K. Dobbins to try to run it in.

— Mark, Arvada

Yeah, Mark, really nothing good happened on that fourth-and-2 snap for Nix and the Broncos.

The Browns had Denver’s receivers — trips to the right with Courtland Sutton in the slot, Trent Sherfield No. 2 and Troy Franklin outside — manned up.

Sutton turned inside like he was going to block and then didn’t really release to the backside or turn his opening steps into a route.

Sherfield looked like he was in position to maybe help rub or pick No. 44, who had running back RJ Harvey out of the backfield. Franklin ran a slant at first and then worked back to the back-right corner of the end zone after the play started to break down.

Tight end Adam Trautman started on the left of the formation but worked down the line of scrimmage to the right, looking for either the shovel pass type of action early or just as another option along the goal line.

Nix booted to his right and was looking for Harvey in the flat, but Knight had good coverage, and Sherfield didn’t cause any mess to work through, either. Trautman was covered immediately, too.

It certainly looked as though Nix would have had a chance to get to the pylon if he’d kept it and run, though there was pursuit and Knight was starting to come off of Harvey as Nix got outside the numbers.

In hindsight, getting stopped short of the goal line would have been a better failure than a pick in the end zone that comes out to the 20-yard line.

Nix also could have squeezed the ball in to Franklin had he let it go a beat earlier. Instead, the functional outcome was that Knight defended Harvey, dissuaded Nix from trying to get to the pylon, and then stepped into the passing lane to pick off the pass toward Franklin. Quite a play.

The Broncos could also have gone back to the run, as you suggested. They’d just run Harvey on a Wild Cat snap for no gain. That was his first goal-line carry of the season.

Denver’s run 13 plays from the 10-yard line and in so far this season, and is about even run-pass at seven rushes and six called passes (plus an OPI Week 3 against Troy Franklin that doesn’t officially count as a play).

Running the ball in the low-red zone is tough business. Dobbins has five carries for 7 yards and a TD inside the 10-yard line, though three of them have gone for minus-1 or no yards. Nix got one on a QB draw against the Chargers on first-and-goal from the 6 and then scored on a 6-yard scramble that was a called pass play against Cincinnati.

“You don’t think Mike Shanahan wasn’t in those team meeting rooms telling us that we’re a Super Bowl team? Yes, he was,” Davis, the Broncos icon and Hall-of-Fame running back, told me earlier this week at Foothills Golf Course. “Now, if you say it, if some coaches say it, even the players don’t believe it, let’s be honest. When Sean says it? You listen.

“You believe what he’s telling you because he’s drawing from his experience. He’s seen what Super Bowl teams look like. So I’m taking a lot of stock when my coach says, ‘I’ve seen six or seven teams that were Super Bowl-contending teams. This is one of them.’ Man, I’m taking that to the bank.”

The problem isn’t saying the quiet part out loud. Did Payton have to scream it?

Shanahan writing it on a white board is one thing. is the sort of neon sign they can read from Prairie Village, Kan., to

Bo Nix, the Broncos’ second-year quarterback, got chucked into the deep end by Payton last fall. Paxton Lynch sank. Drew Lock and Brett Rypien were eaten by sharks. Nix swam Denver back to the playoffs for the first time since Peyton Manning retired.

Now, after just 18 NFL starts, you’re asking him to beat Michael Phelps to the other end of the pool and back?

“Bo’s not on the team by himself,” Davis countered. “Everybody’s on the team.

“You have to understand, (the ’90s Broncos) went three years where we were the hunted. Did we care about the pressure? Yeah, we knew there was pressure there. Pressure is an interesting word. Sometimes it’s self-produced. Sometimes it comes from the public. But you play a pro sport. Why wouldn’t you expect to win a Super Bowl? And it’s OK if people know that’s what your intentions are.

“Last I checked, the Chiefs were expecting to win the Super Bowl the last five, six years. I don’t see them folding and crumbling under the pressure.”

Sunshine Sean’s schtick reminds TD of the Broncos’ leap under Shanahan from 8-8 in 1995 to 13-3 in 1996. The rest is Mile High history: Davis, 52, helped John Elway carry Denver to back-to-back Super Bowl victories in 1997 and 1998. The California native ran for 1,750 yards and 15 scores for the 12-4 Broncos in 1997, then took home NFL MVP honors in ’98 after 2,008 regular-season rushing yards and 23 scores.

This past Monday, TD teamed up with a different legend, World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam,

Roughly 100 kids beat the heat to tee off with Davis and Sorenstam. “Golf with Us,” which aims to lower the barriers of entry via rounds priced at $5 or less, had more than 1,500 Colorado kids registered as of Tuesday.

“Golf and football mimic life,” Davis said. “And it’s the same things that I talk to my kids about. If you want to do something, there’s a certain amount of work you have to put in to get that.

“You also have to realize you’ve got to be resilient. Because when you go on that tee box, you tee off, you hit that ball, and then the first drive goes left and it’s out of bounds, you’ve got to be able to wipe all those thoughts out and be like, ‘I’ve got to reset. I can’t worry about that. I’ve got to be able to bounce back.’ It’s the same thing in sports, same thing in life. So it rewards those who bounce back quickly. That’s what golf is all about.”

Like golf, the shortest path in getting from good to great in the AFC West runs between the ears. Which is why TD thinks Payton’s madness could play out like a stroke of genius.

Those 10 wins last year might be banked in the hearts of ����apountry forever. To the rest of the league, they don’t carry over. You’re 0-0, baby. You need a new mission. A new mantra.

“I love the fact that (Payton) said that,” Davis said. “I love the fact, man. The difference between the team we had in ’95 and ’96 (was) the way we thought. Our mentality was the only thing that changed from the year before.”

As in an older, Broncos-era Russell Wilson.

“He will not outrun NFL defensive ends,” , told me as we discussed the former CU Buffs quarterback earlier this week. “There’s a slowness to him that I don’t like in the pocket. There’s a lack of twitch.”

Ergo, the lack of consensus.

Every NFL draft has a wild card, a pivot point, a domino that, once toppled, could send the narrative of the first round down a completely different direction.

On Thursday, Shedeur, the best passing QB in Buffs history, is shaping up to be very much 2025’s domino.

“It’s going to be a crazy draft,” Syvertsen said, “because there are only a couple of blue-chip prospects. And then you have like a dozen guys that grade out very similar to those blue-chip guys, and a lot of them don’t play at premium positions.”

Miami’s Cam Ward is expected to be snapped up by the Titans as the top overall pick and the first QB taken. After that, when it comes to Sanders, even the cream of the draftnik crop have been throwing darts.

As of early this week, ESPN’s NFL Nation mock had the son of CU football coach Deion Sanders heading to Pittsburgh with pick No. 21. So did Bucky Brooks of NFL.com. Rob Rang’s mock at FOXSports.com had him off the board at No. 3 to the Giants.

“A GM told me once, ‘Listen to everything, but believe half of it,'” Jon Cooper,

If you believe even half of it, then the teams most likely to make a play for the Son of Coach Prime are: The Browns (who draft second); the Giants (third); the Jets (seventh); the Saints (ninth and now in need a replacement for Derek Carr ASAP); and the Steelers (21st).

Or they all could pass on Shedeur and grab Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart instead.

“Oh, man,” Syvertsen laughed. “I would say there’s probably a 25% chance of that happening. I don’t want to say, ‘None.’ I think there would be a lot of commotion for him at the top of the second round.”

Second round? Drew Lock territory?

Sanders is 10 times the prospect Lock was coming out of Mizzou six years ago. The Broncos snapped him up with pick No. 42 in 2019, in love with the moxie and the arm strength. Only the kid’s footwork was so poor that nobody knew where the ball was going a third of the time.

If anything, the scouts told me, Shedeur is the anti-Lock: A supremely accurate collegiate passer with good feet, a good base and superlative ball placement. A guy who processes what’s happening on the field in a hurry. A guy who’ll adjust quickly, too. A guy who can be the “face of a franchise” off the field and won’t be fazed by the size of the market or the heat of the spotlight.

Many of the criticisms have less to do with Maybachs and rap songs and confidence and land more along the lines of athleticism, hero ball and bad habits.

“I just don’t think he’s very good physically,” Syvertsen explained. “He’s more talented than, say, Brock Purdy. But first-round QBs, on my team, they’re the guys who make every guy on the team around them better. I think Shedeur Sanders’ success requires support around him that lifts him up. I don’t think he’s capable of making other people better.”

There’s also what happens when the pocket goes to heck in a handbasket. Pro coaches prefer you to step up while always keeping the eyes forward.

“He doesn’t play well when the pocket’s not clean,” Cooper added. “You’re going to have to protect these guys, and a lot of times, the teams at the top of the draft aren’t really good at protection. Look at Caleb Williams (in Chicago) last year. By the end of the season, he was looking to see who was the guy that was going to hit him instead of, ‘Who is the guy (I should throw to) downfield?’

“Shedeur Sanders doesn’t have the same mobility that Caleb Williams has. So I think Pittsburgh — that’s a team that’s always physical, so I think the Steelers would love to bring a guy like him in who has that kind of arm strength and that kind of ability.”

He paused. Cooper looked at all the wild cards left in his hand and let out a soft sigh.

“And maybe Rodgers signs with them the day before the first round. And I’m all wet.'”

Join the club, man. Join the club.