Denver Broncos great John Elway says their win over the Philadelphia Eagles may be their biggest since Super Bowl 50 a decade prior. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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John Elway knows that this is a “signature” win for the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos are coming off of a 21-17 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Making matters even more impressive is the fact that Denver overcame a 14-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, which is just the second time (2-112) they’ve done so in franchise history when on the road.
Elway acknowledges this is probably their biggest win since Super Bowl 50 when he was the team’s general manager.
“Even though the Broncos made the playoffs last year, it’s been 2015 since we’ve been to a Super Bowl,” says Elway. “Working our way back to that, you don’t like to say regular season games are signature wins, but I think with where the Broncos are, I think it’s as good a win for them as far as just confidence.”
It’s a huge win for a franchise that has lacked those types of victories in recent seasons. In fact, while the Broncos made their first playoff appearance in nine years last season, they went just 1-5 – not including their Week 18 season finale against backup Kansas City Chiefs players – against playoff teams.
Beating an undefeated team in the Eagles that had won all of their close games this season – against contenders such as the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chiefs – speaks volumes.
“Understanding that they’re a good football team because they’re a young football team, and the confidence that they have to be able to go into Philadelphia and defeat the beat of defending champs, it gives them that feeling that they can compete with anybody in this league,” says Elway. “They’re as good as the Eagles are, as good as there are in this in this league. To be able to go into their backyard and beat them is just a tremendous boost for the Broncos and the organization and the fan base.”
John Elway: Win Over Philadelphia Eagles Gives Them Confidence They Can Beat ‘Anybody’
Elway – the greatest player in franchise history and former longtime general manager of the franchise – says the key thing to watch is whether or not the Broncos can sustain this level of consistent play moving forward.
The Broncos should be 5-0 right now, but last-second losses on field goals to the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers leave them at 3-2 right now. With that being said, they’re still tied at the top of the AFC West with the Chargers, with the Kansas City Chiefs 2-3.
“They’ve 3-2 now,” says Elway. “They had two really tough losses to Indy and the Chargers, and two games they they should have won and could have won – but they didn’t – and that’s the NFL,” says Elway. “But to be able to do this, I think will just hopefully vault them into the rest of the year and continue to they can continue to grow on this victory and understand how good a football team they are.”
The importance of this win can’t be understated; it’s something that can catapult the Broncos into truly believing they can beat the elite of the elite. Denver has struggled in recent years in doing this within their own division against the Chiefs and Chargers. Outside of the Week 18 season finale last year, the Broncos have gone 1-17 against the Chiefs dating back to the 2015 season, including 16 straight losses.
Meanwhile, they’ve also struggled against the Chargers, losing three straight games to them.
“When you’re young and you have a young football team, that’s the hardest thing to get — is to understanding how good they are,” says Elway. “I think this really helps them get to that point that they they can beat anybody in this league, and they can compete for Super Bowls.”
John Elway Talks About Dealing With Dupuytren’s Contracture
Elway, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, has dealt with Dupuytren’s contracture (DC) – a progressive condition impacting his hand – for a number of years. The condition sees a rope-like cord form beneath the skin of the palm, pulling the fingers inward.
This obviously makes it hard for people with the condition to throw a football or just doing basic tasks such as holding a coffee mug. Elway says he’s dealt with the condition for about 15 years now.
“It’s a disease that I’ve experienced probably the last 15 years now,” says Elway. “When it first showed up in my early 50s, and my it showed up in my left hand. When I went to our trainers, I had had no idea what it was and I was losing flexion in my ring finger. I end up going to the trainers, a trainer sent me to a hand doctor that told me I’ve been diagnosed me with the Dupuytren’s Contracture and I looked at different options.”
Elway, who says he has undergone 18 surgeries in his lifetime, says he didn’t want to do another surgery to deal with the condition. That is what led the 65-year-old to XIAFLEX, an injectable medication that helped him deal with the Dupuytren’s Contracture.
“This XIAFLEX flex gave me a non-surgical option,” says Elway. “I did it my left hand. It turned out very, very well. Then it showed up in my right hand too. I’ve had my right ring finger released, which I did probably four or five years ago. Then it showed up again in my middle finger on my right hand. That really started bothering me, because I couldn’t put my hand around a football, and couldn’t throw a football. I got 10 grandkids, so I got to be able to play catch with my grandkids.”
The Broncos legend says he’s thankful for the XIAFLEX medication for preventing him from having to do a 19th surgery. Elway played 16 years in the NFL and says his condition affects the palm of his hand, which is a big deal considering he’s a big golfer.
“I’ve heard people about the surgical side, it’s obviously a great surgery, but the recovery and everything was not something I’m looking for to,” says Elway. “Plus Dupuytren’s, I’ve had success with XIAFLEX, decided to go back to the non-surgical side of it. It’s something that is a disease that never goes away. I’m just thrilled that XIAFLEX is in the world, because my recoveries have been very fast.”