Heading into Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season, one of the more interesting matchups belongs to the Philadelphia Eagles and the Denver Broncos.
Taking their home field for the third time in five weeks, the Eagles find themselves undefeated, having won a number of games in a variety of different ways, but have any of them really been to the level of expectations heading into the season? In Week 1, their shootout with the Dallas Cowboys was prematurely ended via a local lightning storm, with neither team doing much of anything after the break. In Week 2, a later interception by rookie Andrew Mukuba locked up a win in the highly anticipated Super Bowl LIX rematch.
And in their two most recent wins against the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Well, the Eagles blocked a punt for a touchdown and seemingly forgot how to play offense for an entire half in each contest and still somehow secured the win against a pair of playoff-caliber foes.
The Broncos, by contrast, have a well-earned 2-2 record, having taken care of business against the hapless Tennessee Titans and Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals. But when they faced off against actual playoff-caliber competition, Sean Payton's squad failed to reach that same level of success, falling to the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers in shootout fashion.
Can the Eagles, arguably the most talented team in football, finally put together a complete game against a team that has yet to score less than 20 points in a game so far? Or will they once again stumble for one reason or another, with Payton's squad earning a signature win and topping one of the two unbeaten teams left in the NFL?
Vic Fangio's defense gives Bo Nix's Broncos fits
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Vic Fangio called Denver home, being hired to coach the Broncos after spearheading the modern NFL defensive scheme that about half of the league uses today.
While Fangio's defenses in Denver largely lived up to expectations, his record never quite reached that level, recording a 19-30 record over three seasons without a single winning campaign on his resume.
And yet, with his focus fully back on defense, Fangio has been better than ever, leading the best defense in the NFL on the way to a Super Bowl win in 2025 and spearheading a unit that has bailed the Eagles' offense out in nearly every game this season. Fangio's squad has allowed the 15th-most passing yards and the 21st-most rushing yards of any team in the NFL, but they've only allowed 88 points through Week 4, which ranks 15th in the NFL.
Factor in the Eagles' +4 turnover differential, and Fangio's unit has done just enough to keep Kevin Patullo's offense in games.
Facing off against a second-year quarterback in Bo Nix, who has already thrown four interceptions in 2025 alone to go with 12 as a rookie, Fangio's defense has a chance to really make things tough. While Nix has been productive in 2025 for one of the better offensive coaches in the NFL, in the Broncos' loss to the Colts, he threw an interception and had to settle for an eventually-missed field goal in the fourth quarter, and in their loss to the Chargers, the Oregon product was just as ineffective, going field goal, punt, punt to cough up the loss.
If the game is tight at the end of regulation, Fangio has a chance to shake up his fronts and really force Nix into compromised throws, which, funny enough, the Eagles have been able to capitalize on so far this season.
The Eagles record less than 200 receiving yards
After watching both AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith express their dissatisfaction with how they are being used by the Eagles' offense, it would be easy to predict that this is the week when Kevin Patullo puts it all together.
After watching Jalen Hurts turn on the jets in the second half of Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams, it would be easy to see Week 4 as a wake-up call and predict that this is the week when Kevin Patullo puts it all together.
And yet, after watching the Eagles fail to throw for more than 150 passing yards in all but one game this season, reaching just 202 against the Rams, does it make sense to predict something that is statistically unlikely to happen, especially against a Broncos team that has allowed the eighth-fewest passing yards of any team in September?
While it's easy to point fingers and look for one major issue to blame for the Eagles' offensive issues, the truth of the matter is, there really isn't one singular culprit. After truly dominating in 2024, Saquon Barkley's efficiency has been way down, going from 5.8 yards per rush in 2024 on the way to the rushing title versus just 3.1 in 2025, cutting his yards-per-game in half as a result. Patulla, too, has struggled mightily with taking over for Kellen Moore, with the offense looking as lost as it ever has during the Sirianni Era for plays, drives, and even entire halves of games in September.
Could the Eagles look to get more aggressive through the air in Week 5? Sure, but they are facing off against a Broncos team that, much like themselves, are winning games with their defense. If Brown goes off, it will have to come with Patrick Surtain II on the other side of the line of scrimmage, which is easier said than done.
No, for Philadelphia, they'd better hope the run game, defense, and special teams all come correct in Week 5, as otherwise, it might be another long afternoon at the Linc.
The Eagles somehow remain undefeated
If Week 5 comes to a conclusion and there are no more undefeated teams left in the NFC East, it wouldn't be particularly surprising.
The Broncos' offense has scored more points than the Eagles', their defense has allowed fewer points, and they have the ability to get into a shootout thanks to the offensive savvy of Payton, who will certainly be calling on the remaining players from the Fangio era to get a little insight into his defense.
And yet, game after game, the Eagles just find a way to win. They blocked three straight kicks, including two straight that were returned for touchdowns, have recorded turnovers with the game on the line on multiple occasions, and seem to be able to turn on the jets like few others in order to maintain or even gain a win. Unless this streak, which dates back to December of 2024, comes to an end, it's hard to bet against the Eagles.
