Tag: Troy Franklin

Broncos vs. Chiefs: 5 things to watch for on Sunday

Here are five things to watch for when the Chiefs host the Broncos on Sunday.

After facing the Baltimore Ravens on the road last week, the Denver Broncos are now set to take on the Kansas City Chiefs on the road this week.

The Broncos lost to the Ravens 41-10 and coach Sean Payton must now attempt to stop the bleeding before going up against a division rival.

“Listen there’s a little bit of UFC to our league,” Payton said this week.
“You’ve got to be able to, each week, I don’t care who you’re playing, if you’re not careful you can catch one on the chin. You’ve got to get back up and you’ve got to get back to work.

“That gets back to that mental toughness, the grit, all the things that we’re looking for. Not only in our players, but our coaches and everyone. You get excited to play the next game to hopefully get the taste out of your mouth.”

With the team looking to bounce back from last week’s defeat in Baltimore, here are five storylines to watch for ahead of the Denver vs. KC matchup.

1. Weekend roster moves: The Broncos have seven players set to return to the 53-man roster in the coming weeks, and they’ll have to make some cuts to make room for the returning plays. Denver has one open spot on the active roster after trading pass rusher Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals, but the team will probably need to create at least one more opening this weekend. Center Luke Wattenberg and linebacker Kwon Alexander seem to be likely candidates to get activated to the 53-man roster on Saturday.

2. Denver’s center decision: With Wattenberg expected to return, the Broncos will need to make a decision at center. Wattenberg started the first five games of the season before landing on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Alex Forsyth started the last four games while Wattenberg was on IR. Will the team now stick with Forysth or go back to Wattenberg?

3. Broncos backfield rotation: The Chiefs allow just 83.9 rushing yards per game, third-fewest in the NFL this season. That will be a tough test for starter Javonte Williams and change-of-pace back Jaleel McLaughlin. Payton also hinted this week that rookie Audric Estime could be more involved in the second half of the season.

4. Pat Surtain vs. DeAndre Hopkins: It didn’t take long for “Nuk” to get on the same page with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In his second game after being acquired from the Tennessee Titans via trade, Hopkins hauled in eight receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns in Week 9. Hopkins is still a formidable receiver, especially in the red zone. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Surtain follow Hopkins on Sunday.

5. Bo Nix connecting on deep throws: Despite playing with Troy Franklin in college, Nix has struggled to connect on deep throws to Franklin this season. Facing a Chiefs secondary that ranks near the middle of the pack, Nix will undoubtedly aim to get on the same page with Franklin this week. Going up a stingy run defense, Nix will need to step up for Denver’s offense to have success on the road.

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on CBS (view the TV map). Playing at home, KC is considered a heavy favorite against the Broncos.

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Broncos QB Bo Nix needs to stop ‘overthinking’ long passes

Bo Nix and Troy Franklin were college teammates, so why have they struggled to connect in the NFL? “It’s just a level of overthinking it.”

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix had a respectable game against the Baltimore Ravens last week, but he struggled on deep throws, failing to connect with fellow rookie Troy Franklin once again.

“I thought he did well [overall],” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Nix’s performance in Baltimore. “I think there were some plays certainly he would’ve wished he had back. He just missed Troy on a Cover Zero check, and there’s still so many learning moments for him. In other words, each week is another class for another test, and I like the way he’s progressing. I like the poise after each series and after the game. You feel his maturity.”

This week, Nix and Co. will travel to face the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. The quarterback was asked about his (lack of) connection with Franklin during his media availability earlier this week.

“I think with me and him right now, it’s just a level of overthinking it a little bit I think,” Nix said. “The pressure and the ambition of, ‘We’ve already done it. We have to do it again. It should be easy for us.’ That’s not the case. You’re going against different guys. You’re playing in a different system. You’re thinking a little bit too much. I’m also not going to make excuses. We have to hit them when they’re open.

“We practice well. We do a good job of making sure we get the reps in practice, and I think it’s only a matter of time before the explosives and the big ones are being hit again. It’s good to be able to have those other guys like ‘Court’ and all those guys to make explosive plays at the same time. You can really kind of spread the ball out and distribute it well. I just think we have to stop overthinking it.”

Nix and Franklin were teammates at Oregon from 2022-2023, but their chemistry has not yet translated to the NFL. We’ll see if that changes this week.

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on CBS (view the TV map). Playing at home, KC is considered a heavy favorite against the Broncos.

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Ravens vs. Broncos: Top photos from Baltimore’s 41-10 win in Week 9

Top photos from the Baltimore Ravens 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 9 at M&T Bank Stadium

Denver entered the game 5-3 with the NFL’s third-ranked defense, but the Baltimore offense shredded them, as Vance Joseph’s defense surrendered 396 yards and five touchdowns on the afternoon.

The Ravens are 6-3 after a 41-10 win over the emerging Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium.

Here are the top photos from the win.

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Lamar Jackson finished with perfect passer rating as Ravens demolish Broncos 41-10

Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson finished with a perfect passer rating in Week 10 as the Ravens defeated the Broncos 41-10

The Ravens spent all week talking about removing the taste of an ugly loss to the Browns in Week 8. John Harbaugh’s team responded solidly, dominating the upstart Broncos 41-10 at M&T Bank Stadium.

Denver entered the game 5-3 with the NFL’s third-ranked defense, but the Baltimore offense shredded them, as Vance Joseph’s defense surrendered 396 yards and five touchdowns on the afternoon.

With talk about Josh Allen potentially winning MVP, Jackson completed 16 of 19 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday, marking his fourth perfect passer rating.

Derrick Henry finished with 101 yards rushing and two touchdowns, moving past Barry Sanders for 10th on the all-time touchdowns list and going over 1,000 yards for the sixth time in his career.

Zay Flowers had another 100-yard game, finishing with 127 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

On defense, Zach Orr’s unit surrendered 319 yards, including 197 passing and, most importantly, just ten points.

Baltimore will now prepare for Cincinnati on a short week and Amazon’s Thursday Night Football.

Broncos rookie WR Troy Franklin ‘progressing pretty quickly’

“He’s progressing pretty quickly,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of wide receiver Troy Franklin.

After being a healthy scratch in Week 1, Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin made his NFL debut in Week 2, but he only drew one target.

Since then, Franklin has slowly started to become more involved in coach Sean Payton’s offense. Last week, Franklin posted highs in targets (six), receptions (five) and receiving yards (50) against the New Orleans Saints.

“I think there’s a confidence [in] not only what he’s doing, but confidence in playing at this level,” Payton said when asked about Franklin on Monday. “You certainly see it week-to- week. He’s someone that runs well. He knows how to separate. I think it’s part of being a young player, but particularly for him as a receiver, finding that role. He’s playing lot of ‘Z’ for us, sometimes in the slot, but I think he’s progressing pretty quickly.”

Through six games in the NFL, Franklin has 12 receptions for 110 yards and one touchdown. He has existing chemistry with quarterback Bo Nix from their time playing together at Oregon.

“His offensive retention [has improved],” Nix said this week. “Just his ability to learn the offense, grow and play a lot of the majority of the game. Being in a lot of different schemes, being able to block, run routes, [be a] deep threat and [a] short threat. Whatever it is, he’s been able to expand. It’s something that he obviously has done in the past in college, but it’s good to see him do it early in the NFL, too.”

As Franklin continues to get more comfortable in Payton’s offense, his role could expand as the season goes on. After a slow start, the 21-year-old receiver is trending up going into Week 8.

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Bo Nix explains what happened on bad pass that went viral during ‘TNF’

“I just tried to put it up there for him, missed and overthrew him,” Broncos QB Bo Nix said of his inaccurate pass to Lucas Krull.

In the first quarter of last week’s Thursday Night Football game against the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw a poor pass right in the middle of a pair of wide-open receivers.

Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin was the farthest down the field and tight end Lucas Krull was about 10 yards below him. Both players were wide open, but Nix’s pass dropped right between them (an ugly incompletion that went viral on social media).

After practice on Wednesday, Nix was asked what happened on that throw.

“We had a good three-level flood,” Nix explained. “They did a good job of rolling two and the boundary safety didn’t get all the way to the half. Troy was wide open, but he wasn’t really necessarily in the read. So I was going Lucas down [in progression]. The hook defenders were kind of in an awkward spot so I just tried to put it up there for him, missed and overthrew him.”

So there’s that.

The poor throw did not end up impacting the game as the Broncos eventually cruised to a 33-10 victory on the road.

This week, Denver will host the Carolina Panthers.

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Broncos QB Bo Nix excited about outlooks for Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele

“We’re excited about those two,” Broncos QB Bo Nix said of rookie receivers Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele.

After using their first-round draft pick to select Oregon quarterback Bo Nix this spring, the Denver Broncos later added two wide receivers. First, the Broncos picked Oregon receiver Troy Franklin in the fourth round, then they added Utah’s Devaughn Vele in the seventh round.

Both players impressed against the Los Angeles Chargers last week with Franklin scoring his first NFL touchdown and Vele leading the team with 78 receiving yards.

“We’re excited about those two,” Nix said after the game. “They’ve had great camps; they’ve had great seasons. They practice hard. They’re very smart players. They showed up today and played big in an important moment. There’s no flinch in their faces, there’s no batting their eyes. They’re really competitive players, smart players.

“[I’m] excited to see their growth as they continue to move forward. With those two, we’re going to have to count on and we need moving forward. They’re completely capable and ready to accept the challenge, and I’m excited to see it.”

There will be more opportunities for Franklin and Vele going forward after veteran Josh Reynolds was placed on injured reserve with a hand injury.

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Sean Payton hints at more playing time for 3 Broncos players

Broncos coach Sean Payton said he wants to see Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin and Audric Estime get opportunities going forward.

After falling behind early against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, the Denver Broncos battled back but came up short in a 23-16 loss.

There were several bright spots in the loss, including Devaughn Vele hauling in four receptions for 78 yards, fellow receiver Troy Franklin scoring his first touchdown and running back Audric Estime rushing twice for 13 yards right after returning from injured reserve.

After the game, coach Sean Payton said he was eager to see more from the three rookies going forward.

“We have to see these guys,” Payton said. “We are a young team. I want to see this runner as well. I want to see Estime. We are going to see Vele and we are going to see Franklin. We are not waiting to redshirt these guys. We will continue to see each week their involvement in the plan and how they fit. That is how you get confidence and get experience.”

It was easier to get Vele and Franklin more involved on offense in Week 6 after Josh Reynolds was placed on injured reserve following finger surgery. Payton pumped the breaks a little bit on the possibility of Estime getting a bigger workload during his Monday conference call.

“Estime, that [was] his first week off of the short-term IR,” Payton said. “Working with two backs and feeding two backs is easy, and kind of what I’m used to and what a lot of teams do. It’s hard with three.

“We did want to get him some work and get him some reps. Obviously, we would’ve liked more had we had more snaps. That’s a little bit bigger challenge maybe than the receiver position.”

So perhaps we won’t see a huge number of carries for Estime this week, but after Javonte Williams lost a fumble and dropped a pass on Sunday, Estime’s stock will be worth monitoring in the coming weeks. Vele and Franklin are already trending up.

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Broncos have a ‘pretty cool’ Oregon connection on offense led by Bo Nix

“I thought it was unique we had an Oregon player snap it, an Oregon player throw it and an Oregon player catch it,” Nix said of his TD pass.

In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw a two-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Troy Franklin.

That marked Nix’s fifth career touchdown pass and Franklin’s first career touchdown catch. They previously connected 23 times for touchdowns during their time together with the Oregon Ducks from 2022-2023.

“It was huge,” Nix said of Franklin’s first score as a pro. “I knew he was going to do it eventually. [I] expected it. He expected it as well. He ran a great route. We actually had a conversion on that play. He ran the right route, had great field vision, saw the opening, got behind there on the baseline.

“We’ve been practicing that play this week, and he was there for me. He got open and he made the catch. I thought that was perfect. [I’m] really excited about that. That was a great connection.”

Nix and Franklin weren’t the only Ducks involved in the play. With starting center Luke Wattenberg on injured reserve, Alex Forsyth got his first pro start on Sunday. Nix and Franklin both played with Forysth at Oregon.

“I thought it was unique we had an Oregon player snap it, an Oregon player throw it and an Oregon player catch it,” Nix said. “I don’t know if that’s ever happened in the NFL. It probably has as long as the NFL has been going. I think it’s pretty cool.”

After falling to the Chargers 23-16 on Sunday, Nix and his teammates will aim to bounce back against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.

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Broncos fall to 3-3 with 23-16 loss to Chargers

The Broncos made it interesting in the fourth quarter, but they weren’t able to overcome a big deficit against the Chargers, falling to 3-3.

The Denver Broncos dropped to 3-3 on Sunday following a 23-16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers (3-3) at home.

On the game’s opening drive, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw a pass that was intended for wide receiver Marvin Mims, who tipped it into the air and it was then intercepted by Chargers cornerback Elijah Molden.

Shortly thereafter, Denver cornerback Pat Surtain then left the game with a concussion and Los Angeles kicked a field goal to take a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh also briefly left the game with an illness but returned midway through the first quarter.

Following a Broncos punt, the Chargers extended their lead to 10-0 when quarterback Justin Herbert threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to running back Kimani Vidal. L.A. added a field goal in the second quarter to make it 13-0 and the Chargers then got the ball back Javonte Williams lost a fumble.

L.A. capitalized on that fumble with a four-yard J.K. Dobbins touchdown run to extend the lead to 20-0, which was the score going into halftime. The Chargers added a field goal late in the third quarter to make it 23-0.

After a rough first three quarters, Nix led an eight-play, 95-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown pass to Troy Frankin to make it 23-7. One series later, Nix led an eight-play, 64-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton, who made an impressive one-handed catch. After a failed two-point attempt, Denver made it 23-13.

After adding a 40-yard Wil Lutz field goal to make it 23-16, the Broncos drew within seven points with 0:59 remaining. Denver had no timeouts left so the team attempted an onside kick, which failed, sealing a loss.

Up next for the Broncos is a short turnaround before a Thursday Night Football showdown with the New Orleans Saints in Week 7. Denver will go on the road to face the Saints on Oct. 17 (watch on Prime Video).

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