The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson gives his scouting report for Sunday’s game between the Broncos (4-2) and New York Giants (2-4) at Empower Field at Mile High. 

Offense 

The Broncos seek offensive consistency throughout a game. Although they have won three straight, they have been plagued by both slow starts and slow finishes in games on offense. Quarterback Bo Nix would welcome playing more often at an up-tempo. The Broncos will look to establish the run with J.K. Dobbins, who was held to 40 yards when the offense struggled in last Sunday’s 13-11 win over the New York Jets in London. Giants rookie Jaxson Dart has gone 2-1 since replacing former Denver quarterback Russell Wilson as the starter. The Giants are coming off a surprise 34-17 win over Philadelphia on Oct. 8, when Dart threw for 195 yards and ran for 58. The Giants in that game got 98 yards and three touchdowns from rugged rookie running back Cam Skattebo. 

Advantage: Broncos 

Defense 

The Broncos are coming off a nine-sack outing against the Jets, giving them 30 sacks through six games. They are on pace to break Chicago’s NFL record of 72 sacks in 1984. An amazing 12 players have sacks for Denver, led by outside linebacker Nik Bonitto’s NFL-high eight. Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain II, after some early season ups and downs, is finding his groove. Giants edge rusher Brian Burns, who has seven sacks, welcomes challenging Bonitto for the NFL lead. The Giants also have rugged defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who had his first career interception in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers, returning it for 37 yards in a 21-18 upset win. 

Advantage: Broncos 

Coaching 

Denver’s Sean Payton is known for being an innovator on offense, but the Broncos are just No. 20 in the NFL in points scored and No. 15 in total offense. Still, Payton’s play calls down the stretch played a key role in wins at Philadelphia 21-17 in Week 5 and against the Jets. The Broncos easily could have lost both games. Payton has moved into a tie for No. 13 in NFL history with 174 coaching wins. Brian Daboll is still trying to live up to his first season as a head coach, when the Giants went 9-7-1 in 2022 and won a playoff game at Minnesota, and he was named NFL Coach of the Year. Daboll has been on the hot seat plenty since then, going 11-29. Daboll has now hitched his hopes to retain his job on Dart, who took over after Wilson began the season 0-3 as the starter. 

Advantage: Broncos 

Intangibles 

The Broncos figure to be fired up Sunday when they celebrate the 10-year reunion of their 2015 Super Bowl 50 team and the late Demaryius Thomas, a star receiver on that team, is inducted into the Ring of Fame. Denver has won seven straight home games, the longest ongoing streak in the NFL. The Broncos didn’t have a bye after playing in London, but Payton has talked about teams in their next game after playing in London having a better record without a bye than with one. The Giants have three additional days of rest after having played the Eagles on Thursday Night Football in Week 6. The Giants, though, have struggled plenty on the road. They are 0-3 this season and have lost eight straight overall away from home. 

Advantage: Broncos