The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson gives his scouting report for Sunday’s game between the Broncos and Falcons at Empower Field at Mile High.

Offense

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has thrown for 200 or more yards in four straight home games and will look to make it five against a so-so Falcons defense. Rookie running back Audric Estime, who carried 14 times for 53 yards in last Sunday’s 16-14 loss to at Kansas City, will continue to get plenty of work and could secure his role as the top runner for 5-5 Denver. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins makes the first start at Denver in his 13-year career. After suffering a torn Achilles last season with Minnesota, he is rounding into form for 6-4 Atlanta, No. 5 in the NFL in total offense. Falcons second-year man Bijan Robinson is developing into one of the NFL’s top all-around running backs. He has 748 yards rushing and has caught 41 passes for 331 yards.

Advantage: Falcons

Defense

The Broncos are putting a premium on pressuring Cousins the way they did Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, whom they sacked four times. Denver will look to take advantage of Cousins not being overly mobile. Denver has 35 sacks this season, with outside linebackers Nik Bonitto (seven) and Jonathon Cooper (6 ½) leading the way. Safety P.J. Locke should be more comfortable in his second game back after missing two with a fractured left thumb. The Falcons feature safety Justin Simmons, who returns to Denver after playing the past eight seasons with the Broncos. Both Simmons and fellow Falcons safety Jessie Bates made the Pro Bowl last season. But while Denver is No 5 in the NFL in total defense, Atlanta is just No. 24.

Advantage: Broncos

Coaching

Denver coach Sean Payton, who coached New Orleans for 15 seasons through 2021, knows the NFC South quite well. The Broncos have beaten Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Carolina, and will try to go 4-0 against the division with a win over the Falcons. They were the top rivals when Payton was with the Saints. When coaching Tampa Bay from 2009-11 and Atlanta in 2020 in an interim role, Falcons coach Raheem Morris went 3-5 against Payton Saints teams. But he was able to pull a few upsets. Morris returned to the Falcons this season as head coach and has taken them to a commanding lead in the NFC South. He is a defensive specialist but made a keen move in hiring offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.

Advantage: Broncos

Intangibles

The Falcons figure to be very focused after they were upset 20-17 last Sunday at New Orleans, which entered the game 2-7 with a seven-game losing streak. Prior to that game, the Falcons had been 3-0 this season on the road, including a 22-21 win at Philadelphia in Week 2. The Broncos are also coming off a loss, but it was one the players said will be hard to forget. They have to be able to put out of their minds the stunning defeat to the Chiefs in which Wil Lutz’s 35-yard field-goal attempt was blocked on the final play. The Broncos haven’t beaten a team this season that has a winning record. Their five wins have come over teams with a combined mark of 15-34.

Advantage: Falcons