
Eagles opposing player to stop, Week 5 edition
The Denver Broncos are 2-2 with a point-differential of plus-29, nine points better than the 4-0 Eagles, who will be hosting Denver at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Broncos have suffered two losses by a total of four points (Indianapolis 29-28, and LA Chargers 23-20). They are an emerging in the AFC West under head coach Sean Paytonāand rapidly maturing quarterback Bo Nix.
Eaglesā defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been so impressed by the second-year pro from Arkadelphia, Arkansas, that he compares Nix to another quarterback, someone more established who has had a history of giving the Eagles problems.
āHeās a lot like Baker Mayfield. I think he might be Bakerās younger brother. Really good, really, really good … I mean heās a scrambler, heās a competitor,ā Fangio said about Nix this week during his media session. āHeāll throw the ball in tight places. He runs their offense really well. I think Seanās [Payton] done a great job bringing him along and they got their quarterback for the future. They looked long and hard for many years and theyāve got one.ā
As for Nix, he did not exactly take it as a compliment, nor did he take it as a cut. He has completed 90 of 137 passes for 861 yards and seven touchdowns against four interceptions. Over his first two years in the NFL, Nix has completed 466 of 704 passes for 4,636 yards and 36 touchdowns against 16 interceptions.
āBakerās playing at a high level, so anytime you get compared to a good competitor like that, itās great. But at the same time, Iām just in my lane doing what I can do to help our team win,ā Nix said. āComparison is sometimes the thief of all joy. Got to be careful comparing to other people or youāll miss whatās right in front of you.ā
Fangio will probably mix his pressure against Nix and test his patience. Nix feels he has a decent familiarity with Fangioās defense from running against the schemes of Broncosā defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
āI kind of feel like itās similar to watching VJās. I think they come from the same tree,ā Nix said of Fangioās defense. āThey obviously rely heavily on their front seven. They do a good job of flowing to the ball, getting pressure without bringing blitzes, and they keep everything in front of them in the back end.ā
The Eagles enter the game as the No. 22 ranked defense (333.3 yards/per game) in the NFL, and 15th against the pass (207.3 yards/per game).
Nix knows what he may be in for against Fangio, who will no doubt back it up and throw his umbrella defense out there, mixing man and zone looks and preventing explosive plays. āItās going to be a challenge to find explosive plays, but at the same time, itās not getting bored, continuing to do the same stuff over and over throughout the game,ā Nix said. āWhen itās there, you also have to be able to hit it. Theyāll give us our opportunities, weāve got to hit it, but at the same time, weāre going to have to work for them.ā