Eagles-Broncos staff predictions

Paul Domowitch: The Eagles have won six in a row and the Broncos are reeling, having lost three in a row, all by double digits.

They have benched Trevor Siemian and turned to Brock Osweiler, a guy with a career 77.3 passer rating.

That's the good news. The bad news is the Broncos have a very good defense that is pretty much going to make it impossible for the Eagles to run the ball Sunday and make points hard to come by in general.

What the Eagles are going to need is for their defense to force a couple of turnovers that the offense can turn into points.

This game is going to be close. It's still going to be anybody's game deep in the fourth quarter. But the Eagles will win. Maybe on the leg of Jake Elliott. Maybe even with no time left on the clock.

Prediction: Eagles 20, Broncos 17

Les Bowen: I figure at this point, you have to just go with the flow, even though the longer streaks last, the closer they are to ending. Even though the Broncos' defense is quite capable of bringing the Eagles down to earth.

I'm taking the Eagles to win and to cover, and the heck with doubts. Maybe the Broncos' offense will be better with Brock Osweiler than it was with Trevor Siemian, but I like the Eagles' defense against the guy who couldn't win a job in Cleveland this year. Good time for Lane Johnson, who played poorly last week, to really show us something against Von Miller.

Prediction: Eagles 20, Broncos 10

Jeff McLane: The Broncos defense may be the best the Eagles will face this season and that includes the Seahawks. Edge rusher Von Miller is always a potential game wrecker. Corners Aqib Talib and Chris Harris can lock down receivers on either side in man coverage. Inside linebacker Brandon Marshall is a three-down field marshall. And that's just a small sampling of the Denver's elite defenders. Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense will have their hands full. They may need new running back Jay Ajayi to step in immediately and make an impact against a stout run defense – the Broncos are allowing just three yards a carry. The Eagles will need tight end Zach Ertz, who suffered a hamstring strain in Thursday's practice, to be healthy and bring his best. The Eagles aren't exactly slackers on defense either. And they face an offense that will have a new quarterback under center after Trevor Siemian was benched for Brock Osweiler. C.J. Anderson is a tough runner and Demaryrius Thomas is still a productive receiver, but the Denver offensive line should be susceptible against the Eagles' pass rush. Brandon Graham could give tight tackle Menelik Watson all he can handle.

Prediction: Eagles 20, Broncos 17.

Zach Berman: This is a tough matchup for the Eagles, even if the Broncos are on a three-game losing streak and made a quarterback change. Denver's defense can play with anyone and keep them in any game. The Eagles must rely on Carson Wentz, whose wide receivers will have hard time against Denver's cornerbacks. Don't expect offensive fireworks against the NFL's No. 1 defense that keeps opponents to 188 passing yards and 73 rushing yards per game. Tight end Zach Ertz will be the key, like Travis Kelce was for Kansas City last week. That's the matchup the Eagles can win. The key will be whether the Eagles defense forces turnovers. Brock Osweiler emphasized ball security in his public comments this week. If he avoids the turnovers that plagued Trevor Siemian, the Broncos can pull off the upset. But Denver is minus-11 on the year in turnover differential, and my guess is that will be the difference in the game on Sunday.

Prediction: Eagles 23, Broncos 21