5 matchups to watch for when the Eagles battle the Broncos in Week 5

The Philadelphia Eagles are off to a 4-0 start despite the offense not performing as well as it could while the Denver Broncos have relied on having one of the top defensive units through the first month of the season to go 2-2 in the first four week.

This can be one of the toughest tests this season for the Eagles who come in as a 3.5-point favorite. Denver leads the NFL with 15 sacks, has allowed the second-fewest points per game at 16.8, tied with Seattle, while ranking 11th in rush defense (99.3 yards per game) and tied for ninth in passing yards per game (186.0).

Here are five key matchups to watch in this one:

Jordan Mailata vs. Nik Bonitto

This matchup alone could dictate who wins this game on Sunday. The All-Pro left tackle in Mailata will have his hands full against Bonitto who is already garnering early consideration for the league's Defensive Player of the Year award. Bonitto has been a menace off the edge, leading the NFL with 27 pressures and tied for third in the league with 4 1/2 sacks.

To put it in perspective, Zack Baun, Jalen Carter and Jalyx Hunt have 29 combined pressures so far this season.

Bonitto, a second round pick out of Oklahoma back in 2022, primarily lines up on the right edge and has been giving opposing left tackles fits all season long, leading the NFL with a 31.35 pressure rate in a minimum of 50 pass rushes per Next Gen Stats. The Eagles may also use their running backs to help chip the pass rusher to give Mailata some extra help at times during the game to allow Hurts extra time in the pocket for routes to develop downfield.

A.J. Brown vs. Patrick Surtain II

Another social media post controversy has been put to bed for the most part after A.J. Brown spoke to the media on Wednesday apologizing for his cryptic post that the wide receiver said was not intended towards anyone in the building.

Brown certainly has a ton of respect for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, listing the Denver cornerback as his top cornerback in the game a few weeks ago with NFL Insider Jordan Schultz. Surtain II shut down Ja'Marr Chase last week, albeit Jake Browning is the quarterback for the Bengals, but Surtain II only allowed just one catch for eight yards on three targets across 13 matchups against the star wideout per Next Gen Stats.

The Broncos do like to play a lot of man coverage and Brown has shown he can beat corners one on one in that situation. It will be a tough task without a doubt for Brown and the Eagles to get much against Surtain II but expect them to trust their top wideout to win some battles.

Quinyon Mitchell vs. Courtland Sutton

Similar to Brown vs. Surtain II, on the flip side, keep an eye out on Quinyon Mitchell and the Broncos' top passing weapon in Courtland Sutton. Mitchell is coming off his best game as an Eagle, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after his impressive performance at Tampa Bay last week where he had five tackles and five passes defended. He held talented rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka to just two catches for six yards in 22 matchups playing in tight coverage.

He will have another tough test against Sutton, who is a big and athletic receiver. At 6-foot-4, 216 pounds, Sutton can stretch the field vertically, moves all over the field and is good at 50-50 balls. On the season, Sutton has 266 receiving yards on 18 catches with three touchdowns. In the last two games, he has exploded racking up 118 yards and a touchdown in Week three against the Chargers before having a five catch, 81-yard game last week adding another score against the Bengals.

Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis vs. Luke Wattenberg

This could be a big advantage for the Eagles. Jordan Davis has looked his best since becoming an Eagle and Jalen Carter is always a force to be reckoned with. The two will look to cause havoc in the middle of the line against Denver's struggling center Luke Wattenberg.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound center drafted in the fifth round in 2022 out of Washington had a rough game last week against the Bengals committing five penalties although two were declined. Wattenberg was called for multiple holding calls and being ineligible downfield while losing most of his matchups at the point of attack.

Now he has to face the dynamic duo of Carter and Davis and a defensive line who has been running stunts to help create pressure on the quarterback. The Eagles enter Week 5 tied for the third fewest sacks with four and have allowed 126 yards per game on the ground which ranks 21st in the NFL. If Davis and Carter can disrupt the middle of the offensive line, that could bode well for the Eagles.

Eagles' defense vs. Bo Nix

The Eagles are facing another dual-threat quarterback similar to the skillset of Baker Mayfield in Bo Nix. Not nearly as experienced as the Buccaneers quarterback, Nix has shown he has ability to sling the football but also tuck it and run when needed. As a rookie last year, Nix ran 92 times for 430 yards and four touchdowns, picking up 41 first downs with his legs on top of throwing for over 3,700 yard and 29 touchdowns to help lead the Broncos to a playoff berth.

Nix is coming off his best game of the season last week throwing for a season-best 326 yards to go with two touchdowns while rushing four another score. On the season, he the second-year QB has thrown for 861 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for 78 yards on 25 rushes.

Philadelphia's defense got burnt on a few plays by Mayfield when he was allowed to extend the play with his legs but also came up with a big interception in the fourth quarter when Jihaad Campbell picked of a Mayfield pass in the endzone. The Eagles will need to stay disciplined on their assignments and not allow Nix to extend drives with his legs.

The two teams square off at 1 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field as the Eagles look to start 5-0 for the second time in the last three seasons.