Things don't get any easier for the Eagles on Sunday with the Denver Broncos in town for a 1 PM kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field. The Broncos feature a balanced offense and a defense that gets ... after ... it in every way. Tough game. An opponent the Eagles haven't played since 2021, one coming off a 28-3 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football, and coached by one of the best, Sean Payton.

Should be a great matchup but, then again, hasn't it been that way every week this season? Here are some storylines to follow as the Eagles finish their preparations for Week 5 as one of only two (Buffalo the other) undefeated teams in the NFL ...

1. Eagles D faces a top-notch running game

Everything with the Broncos' offense starts with the running game, which cranked it up on Monday night against the Bengals for nearly 200 yards. This is a two-headed attack with J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey and the Broncos average 143 rushing yards per game, fifth-best in the league. Denver uses a six-man offensive line at times to establish the running game and the Broncos are committed to working it on the ground.

This is a great test for the Eagles.

"Great offensive line, good scheme, they do a good job," defensive tackle Moro Ojomo said. "They're going to run it. That's what they like to do. We will be ready for the challenge because they're going to keep coming at you."

2. Jalen Hurts and Co: Searching for a strong 60 minutes

No secret here, as the Eagles have shown moments and even a full half-plus of offensive excellence. They were fantastic against Dallas until the weather stoppage. They were efficient against Kansas City. They were explosive against the Rams in the second half and the offense was on point for the first half in Tampa last week.

But 60 minutes? Elusive to this point.

"We're trying to build something and that's the goal," running back Will Shipley said. "It's there. We know it. We just have to put it all together."

3. The Red Zone is so huge – again

Philadelphia is now 11-for-11 in the red zone. They run it well inside the 20-yard line and they've thrown it well. Zero penalties. Great execution. Can this continue against a physical Denver defense that leads the NFL with 15 quarterback sacks and that has allowed only 16.8 points per game (second in the NFL)?

"It has been a positive for us. Not easy to score there and we've done the job and need to continue to do that," wide receiver DeVonta Smith said. "We have had a good mix in the red zone and it has worked well for us. Now, the goal is to do that in the rest of the field and for the entire game. That's what we are working on."

4. The battle of the QBs

Jalen Hurts is the only NFL quarterback with more than 100 passing attempts (he has 101) and zero interceptions. He has had two consecutive games with two or more touchdown passes and at least a 100-plus passer rating. He's had at least two touchdown passes and a 100-plus rating in five of his last seven home starts. Great stuff. Hurts has accounted for nine touchdowns this season and his ball security has been admirable and there are many reasons why the Eagles have won 18 games in row started and finished by Hurts.

On the other sideline, Bo Nix is in his second season and he is on the rise after taking Denver to the playoffs last year. He had had at least two touchdown passes and a 90-plus passer rating in five of his last six road games. Also mobile, Nix averages nearly 20 rushing yards per game this season.

So, this is an interesting battle of the quarterbacks. So many games come down to the best quarterback. How legit is Nix, a quarterback the Eagles have never seen? This is going to be a really fun game against a team the Eagles just don't have a lot of history with.

5. Secondarily speaking ...

The Eagles have allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete only 56.9 percent of their passes, best in the league. The red zone defense has been ridiculous – 20 percent completion percentage, a 33.3 percent passer rating, and three takeaways. Quinyon Mitchell won the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award for his play against the Bucs. Denver has a lot of good receivers – Troy Franklin, Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims. Deep group. Nix spreads it around.

And then there is the Denver secondary, led by 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year cornerback Patrick Surtain II. How can the Eagles get some big plays for A.J Brown and Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert and Jahan Dotson? Great matchup to watch.

6. In the trenches is where it's at ...

The Eagles would love to get their running game cranked up and that starts at the line of scrimmage. The Eagles face maybe their toughest group in Denver's front, and here is a number to watch: Denver has not permitted a single fourth-down conversion this year. Meet that, Tush Push (presented by DUDE Wipes)!

Philadelphia's offensive line has its hands full and so does the defensive line. Which team will be more physical? Which team will make the fewest mental mistakes? Which team scores touchdowns, not field goals, in the red zone?

Expect a tight game here and consider this number: The Eagles are 28-7 in one-possession games since 2022 and all of their games this season have been one-possession outcomes.