DENVER — In front of a slew of Super Bowl 50 champions, the 2025 Broncos will look to deliver their own winning performance.
On a weekend when the Broncos will honor both that championship team and new Ring of Famer Demaryius Thomas, this year's group will aim to earn its fourth consecutive win and improve to 5-2 with a victory over the New York Giants.
After an 0-3 start, though, the Giants have found recent success. Led by rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, the Giants have won two of their last three games and head to Denver looking for more.
In their first home game since Sept. 29, the Broncos will look to turn back New York and continue their league-leading seven-game home win streak. The matchup with New York begins a critical stretch in which Denver will play four of its next five games at home, but the focus remains on the initial challenge.
As Denver aims to keep pace in a tight AFC West race, here are the questions that will determine if the Broncos can earn a win back at home:
CAN THE BRONCOS STAND STRONG VS. THE GIANTS' DEFENSIVE FRONT?
The Broncos have faced several talented defensive fronts during the early weeks of the season, including a championship-caliber group in a win over Philadelphia.
The test against the Giants, though, may be the biggest yet.
"You just go through the group, and there's a lot of first-round picks there that are playing with a ton of confidence," Head Coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. "Usually, there are one or two. This week, there's a number of them across the front, different than anyone we've played to date. The interior linemen, they're just rushing the passer well. They're able to rotate guys in, and it's been really effective."
New York's front features former fifth-overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, two-time Pro Bowler Brian Burns, three-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro Dexter Lawrence and 2025 third-overall pick Abdul Carter.
Led by that group, the Giants boast the lowest red-zone touchdown percentage in the league over the last three weeks while allowing the seventh-fewest points and forcing the seventh-most turnovers in that span. Burns' seven sacks are the most through six games in his career, and he's just one sack behind the NFL leader in Nik Bonitto. Carter's 16 quick pressures, meanwhile, also rank second behind Bonitto's 17.
The Giants are one of just three teams with three different players with at least 20 quarterback pressures in 2025. The Broncos, of course, are one of the others.
"They have like four werewolves in there," Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi said. "Yes, it's a challenge. Even the guys that are not the big names are real solid, good players. It's going to be a challenge. It's something that we'll pay close attention to, and the way we set up our plan certainly takes all that into account. It's impressive watching them on film. You kind of get caught just watching how good they are, but we have good players too, and it will be a good fight."
The Broncos will feature a new left guard after consecutive weeks in which they've lost their starter to IR, but they'll look to continue to keep Bo Nix upright. Nix hasn't been sacked more than twice in a game this year, and the Broncos' sack differential is the best in the NFL. Should Denver improve that differential by three sacks in Week 7, the Broncos would boast the best sack differential through seven games in NFL history. Denver will also look to get the run game back in a groove after rushing for at least 118 yards in each of the first five weeks of the season.
As the Broncos aim to find more offensive consistency to score points, success may start at the point of attack against the Giants.
CAN DENVER SLOW JAXSON DART AND CAM SKATTEBO?
A pair of Giants rookies have electrified New York in recent weeks, and Denver will look to halt their momentum to earn a Week 7 win.
Since entering the starting lineup in Week 4, Jaxson Dart has posted a 2-1 record and led the G-Men to quality wins over the Chargers and Eagles.
The 25th-overall pick's six touchdowns since Week 4 are tied for the seventh-most in the NFL, and he's one of three quarterbacks since 1950 with at least 50 rushing yards in each of his first three starts.
"The team is rallying behind him," cornerback Pat Surtain II said. "He is very confident. It seems like he's playing with a chip on his shoulder. You can just see the poise and intangibles. He can make every throw across the field. A very underrated part of his game is his scrambling ability and his ability to create second-chance opportunities for his offense on his feet. You saw it last week against Philly. He had a few possessions where he made plays [with] his feet. That is something we will have to take [into account], but I think he will be a great player for sure in this league."
Dart did fall in his lone road start, and the Broncos will try make Dart the latest rookie to leave Empower Field at Mile High empty-handed. The Broncos have defeated six consecutive rookie quarterbacks at home, with their last loss to a rookie signal caller coming in 2019.
If Denver's NFL-leading pass rush can get to Dart, that trend could continue. While Dart has completed 73.3 percent of his passes for three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 104.1 passer rating in a clean pocket, he hasn't fared as well under duress. When facing pressure, Dart has completed just 48 percent of his passes for one touchdown, two picks and a 48.6 passer rating. That final mark is the fifth lowest in the NFL, and he'll face a defense with a league-high 46.1 percent pressure rate.
With back-to-back AFC Defensive Players of the Week Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper rushing Dart, the Broncos' defense will try to add to their blistering start as a pass rush.
Dart, though, isn't the Giants' only rookie playing at a high level. Since Week 3, running back Cam Skattebo's 425 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns are seventh and tied for fourth in the NFL, respectively. The Arizona State product has forced 23 missed tackles, including 21 since Week 3 — tied for the third most in the NFL in that span.
"I see two guys that are playing with great confidence that [have] changed their team's hope moving forward," Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph said. "The quarterback's playing with great confidence. He is making big plays with his legs and his arm. He's giving them a reason to play hard. And the runner, man, he is old school. Runs behind his pads. He's breaking tackles, he's confident. Again, he's giving them juice. That's what you need in this league as a young football team that's trying to turn it. Those two guys are obviously a big part of that, and it's fun to watch them play."
With both Dart and Skattebo making an impact, Denver's defense will need to slow the Year 1 standouts to help earn a fourth consecutive win.
CAN THE BRONCOS FORCE TAKEAWAYS?
The Broncos' defense ranks first in yards per play, sacks, quarterback hits, third-down defense and red-zone defense.
The unit is second in both scoring defense and total defense.
Through six weeks, the unit has been nothing short of dominant — and there may still be room to improve.
Despite the fast start, Denver hasn't forced a turnover since Week 3 and is tied for 26th in takeaways. The Broncos' success despite the lack of takeaways is encouraging and suggests Denver's defense could still reach another level, but the group believes the tide will soon turn.
"They come in bunches," Joseph said. "Right now, winning third down, winning red zone, keeping the points to a minimum, that's our main goal. I think think the ball will turn, and hopefully it turns quickly."
Joseph did note the lack of turnovers "speaks to how teams play us" and that opponents are playing "close to the vest" to avoid mistakes. There may be no better example than in Week 6, when Denver did not record a turnover — though the group did have one overturned by review — but notched nine sacks.
Surtain said the Broncos' focus on forcing turnovers has remained in practice, and he joined Joseph in his optimism regarding a future flurry of takeaways.
"I think the takeaways will come," Surtain said. "We make a constant effort in practice by punching the ball when the ball is in the air and making sure that we make that play. [Trying to] create the right habits so that when the game comes, we execute at a high level. Turnovers will come, and once they come, they come in bunches. We all know that. That's how the league goes. We're waiting patiently, but we know that our time will come."
The Broncos may have a chance to make that happen against the Giants, as Dart turned the ball over three times — including a pair of interceptions — during his only other road start.
If Denver can snag a turnover or two while also continuing its high level of overall play, it could be a recipe for success on Sunday.
