The Denver Broncos aren’t expected to need any excuses when they play a struggling Eagles team this Sunday, but Peyton Manning went ahead and made a few anyway.
“We’re coming off of a short week — it’s nice of the NFL to give Philly [10] days [off] and give us six,” the Broncos quarterback told reporters Tuesday, according to CSNPhilly.com. “So we’ve got to handle that. We’ve still got some guys injured. So we’ve got to get some new guys playing. We’re trying to kind of weather that storm with our injuries. We’ve got to get ready for an unfamiliar opponent who has got a really good team at home next Sunday.”
It is true that Philadelphia will come in a little more well-rested, having played their Week 3 matchup with their Chiefs last Thursday night. The Broncos had to wait until Monday night to play Oakland, whom they dismantled 37-21.
But, as Eagles head coach Chip Kelly pointed out, Philadelphia’s schedule isn’t exactly a cakewalk, either.
“We played three games in 11 days,” said Kelly, whose team has played on Monday, Sunday and Thursday already this season. “I don’t care. We only worry about what we can control, and we don’t control the schedule.”
That schedule has not been kind to Kelly’s team this season. After defeating Washington in the season opener, the Eagles have dropped consecutive games to teams that finished last season below .500. The Broncos, meanwhile, have been arguably the most dominant team in the NFL, averaging 42.3 points and 486.7 yards per game — both league highs — en route to a 3-0 start.
