The Good, Bad, & Ugly from Broncos' 21-17 Upset Win Over Eagles

We continue sifting through the aftermath of the Denver Broncos' massive upset win over the defending World Champs.

Oct 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receivers A.J. Brown (11)] and Devonta Smith (6) reach for an incomplete pass on the final play of the game against the Denver Broncos at Lincoln Financial Field. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos completed a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles 21-17. It was a statement win.

Perhaps it was far from a clean game, but winning ugly beats losing pretty any day, especially for a team that has lost two heartbreakers. Even in victory, there is a ton for this Broncos team to work on, but as we chronicle the good, bad, and ugly from this game, let's start with the huge positive.

The Good: Defense Comes Up Big

The Broncos’ offense will get most of the credit for putting up 18 points in the fourth quarter, but those points went unanswered due to the stinginess of the Denver defense. The Broncos allowed only 45 rushing yards from the Eagles’ offense, with Saquon Barkley being held to 30 yards on six carries.

Taking away the ground game made the Eagles one-dimensional, and while they still had some success through the air, they were held to only 17 points. The Broncos also kept Jalen Hurts under pressure, sacking him six times, with Nik Bonitto coming away with 2.5 takedowns. While not perfect, this defense is the best in the NFL at defending in the red zone, giving the Broncos a chance against any opponent. 

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The Bad: Penalties Persist 

Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton in the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Even in a statement win, the Broncos continue to put themselves in precarious situations due to a lack of discipline, resulting in several flags. On the day, Denver had 12 penalties for 121 yards, as both sides of the ball couldn’t gather themselves on even some of the most routine aspects of the game.

False starts have been a problem across the Broncos’ offensive line, and their secondary has been very grabby this year, with Patrick Surtain II getting called for pass interference, setting up Philly on the 2-yard line. Head coach Sean Payton needs to figure out how to get this team to take some accountability; otherwise, it will continue to ruin drives and give up yards. 

The Ugly: Alex Singleton 

Singleton could be in this category every week, with just how much he drags the rest of the defense down. He’s a liability in pass coverage, never being in a good position to make a play on the ball, as evidenced by allowing a 47-yard touchdown reception while covering Barkley.

Singleton makes one solid tackle, then misses the next four. It’s hard to see why the Broncos didn’t look to upgrade the linebacker position outside of signing the often-injured Dre Greenlaw, and the fact that Singleton was coming off an ACL tear.

As long as he keeps seeing the field, the defense will be held back. Singleton needs to be benched, and opportunities must be given to the other linebackers on the roster, as there’s no way they could be as atrocious from down to down.

The Takeaway

The Broncos finally won a game in the clutch against a playoff contender in the Eagles. As sloppy as it was at times, this team has finally figured out how to close out a game instead of handing it away.

If the Broncos can continue to stay in games and deliver the dagger, they’ll look much better than the first month of the season.