Drayage Brokersin Denver, CO

• Dig into the numbers for yourself: PFF's Premium Stats is the most in-depth collection of NFL and NCAA player performance data. Subscribe today to get full access!

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

You can find a statistical review of Week 8 here.

The Chiefs generated just -0.35 expected points added (EPA) per play against the Broncos, 30th among the league's 32 offenses and their lowest single-game mark of the season. The defense also struggled, ranking 31st in defensive grade (51.8) and 32nd in coverage grade (41.7).

Despite putting up a season-high 365 passing yards, the 49ers lost to the Bengals. Their defense put up a 60.9 grade, 24th in the league, and they surrendered a season-worst 0.232 EPA per play.

The Vikings lost starting quarterback Kirk Cousins to a season-ending Achilles tear. At 4-4 in their division, will they be able to extend their three-game win streak without him?

The Broncos have rattled off two consecutive wins, the latest coming against the defending Super Bowl champs. The Denver defense held a reportedly flu-ridden Patrick Mahomes to nine offensive points and didn't allow a single offensive touchdown in Week 8.

Vance Joseph's group has slowly turned things around after a historically bad start to the season, allowing an average of 15 points per game in the last three weeks, with two of those games coming against the Chiefs.

One small reason for concern has definitely been how much Sean Payton has been trying to hide Russell Wilson. Wilson has eclipsed 30 pass attempts just once in the last five weeks, with Denver producing a -2.85 pass rate over expected in that span.

The Green Bay Packers have struggled this season and now sit with a 2-5 record and a point differential of -16. They have not scored more than 20 points since Week 2, and they have gotten off to some very slow starts.

Jordan Love has not earned a single-game passing grade above 70.0 and has thrown an interception in five straight games. On defense, the Pack ranks 25th among teams in both EPA per play and success rate allowed.

The Patriots leading receiver, Kendrick Bourne, will be out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury. Through eight weeks, New England's healthy wide receivers have combined for just 0.49 WAR, 24th in the NFL.

The Jets offensive line has taken more than a few hits. Centers Connor McGovern (0.15 WAR) and Wes Schweitzer (0.02 WAR) are both going on injured reserve, so the team is now down to fourth-string center Xavier Newman, who played 108 snaps for the Titans last season.

The Giants felt the injuries to quarterback Tyrod Taylor, tight end Darren Waller and offensive linemen Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal on Sunday when they passed for only 7 yards and posted a league-low 40.9 passing grade.

The Eagles converted 64.3% of their late-down plays into a score or a new set of downs, the highest rate of the week. The Eagles went for it only once on fourth down against the Commanders, and they managed to move the chains.

The Bears went for it four times on fourth down with rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent under center in Week 8, converting just once. Through Week 8, the Bears have gone for it 14 times, converting just five of those plays.

The Falcons and Bills struggled on defense in the red zone, ranking 22nd and 21st in defensive grade, respectively.

The Falcons allowed the most EPA per play in the red zone (1.26), and the Bills were right behind them (1.08). Neither team was able to sack the opposing quarterback on those red-zone stands.

The Browns defensive line combined for just a 64.8 defensive grade. They posted their worst run-defense grade (38.2) of the season, but they also managed to produce pressure on 41.0% of their pass-rush snaps, a season-best mark.

The Bills offensive line did well against the Buccaneers defense. Mitch Morse and Dion Dawkins finished with top-10 PFF grades, and Josh Allen was pressured on just 19.6% of his dropbacks, the fourth-lowest rate of the week.

In his first week back, Jalen Ramsey earned the highest PFF grade among Dolphins defensive players. He played every snap in the first half and allowed no catches, snagged one interception and forced a fumble. The Miami defense allowed only seven first downs in coverage, the third-best mark of the week.

Despite the loss, the Giants defense was stout against the Jets. Dexter Lawrence earned the highest defensive grade of the week (95.0) and produced one sack, 11 hurries and a 40.5% pass-rush win rate.

The Texans defense was also solid against the Panthers, sacking Young 11 times. They ranked 12th in team pass-rush grade in Week 8 (71.8).

It’s also sad to see Kirk Cousins get hurt — he played at a very high level this year, and head coach Kevin O’Connell did a terrific job putting him in great situations to succeed.

The Giants are inching closer to the Steelers in terms of how many three-and-outs they’ve had on offense this season. Obviously, it's tough to sustain drives with a third-string QB in the game, but the Giants' offensive regression is a major reason why they’ve taken a step back as a team.

Reactions

Like

41

Fire

3

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Five games ago, the Denver Broncos defense was in a full spiral after a 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins, when Mike McDaniel's offense put up 10 touchdowns, 350 yards rushing and 726 yards worth of total offense.

"After Miami,'' Broncos safety Justin Simmons said, "there was a lot of self-reflection.''

While nobody is saying the Broncos have found the magic elixir, the defense has somehow pushed its way far closer to even-keel headed into the team's bye week. The Broncos have won three of the five games since the disaster in South Florida, and with Sunday's 24-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, they have surrendered 19, 17 and 9 points over their last three games and held two of their last three opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing.

And in the season split with the Chiefs over the last three weeks -- Sunday's win snapped a 16-game losing streak to Kansas City that dated back to 2015 -- the Broncos held the Chiefs' offense to one touchdown in the two games.

"We knew if we needed to change this season around we needed to get after them,'' said Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper. "Winning at home [on Sunday] is a huge part of it, too. We just wanted to come out with that energy and that swag to us. I feel like we did that.''

Given the statistical anchor of the Dolphins loss, the Broncos are still at, or near the bottom of the league's defensive rankings in most major categories. But over the course of their last three games in particular -- wins over Green Bay and Kansas City to go with the Oct. 12 loss to the Chiefs -- they have defended the run better, cleaned up what was a shockingly high total of missed tackles and created turnovers.

Linebacker Josey Jewell said it all involved reeling in defenders who repeatedly tried to do too much on every play.

"We knew we we'd come out of it,'' Jewell said. " ... Everybody just looking at the playbook a little more, not trying to do too much.''

He added Sunday: "I think we can do this every week.''

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph drew a lot of attention after the Miami trip, which was followed by 171 yards and 234 yards rushing allowed to the Bears and Jets, respectively. All the while he promised "we'll get it fixed,'' and he did tweak the lineup in recent weeks.

Cornerback Fabian Moreau, a seventh-year veteran, was moved into the starting lineup in place of Damarri Mathis, and Ja'Quan McMillian was moved into the nickel cornerback spot. McMillian, who was signed by the Broncos as an undrafted rookie after the 2022 draft, spent 17 weeks on the Broncos' practice squad last season before starting in the season finale.

McMillian plays with a no-retreat edge and had his first career interception Sunday to go with two tackles for loss. Joseph has said McMillian has the "perfect profile'' to play the slot cornerback role.

The Broncos have also gotten Baron Browning back from offseason knee surgery. Browning has played in the last two games and had two of the team's three sacks on Patrick Mahomes Sunday to go with a forced fumble.

"I think it is just how do we fine-tune the details, because that was what we were missing,'' Simmons said. "... I'm not just coming up here and saying communication each and every week so it sounds good. That is really the No. 1 thing you work on ... I think you go, and you watch the tape, and you look at the communication and you look at the busted coverages or coverages that it looks like (we are) on top of it, it all comes down to communication and how you see it and how guys work in harmony together, from the linebacker position to the secondary.''

Even during the lowest points, the team's most veteran players, from Simmons to Jewell to linebacker Alex Singleton and safety Kareem Jackson, were adamant the troubles were far more rooted in players missing details than the plans from Joseph. After Miami, Jackson went as far as to say "we didn't execute anything'' that was in the defensive gameplan.

"People have to relax a little bit, it wasn't [Joseph's] fault,'' Jewell said.

The challenges, and the risk of reverting to those early struggles, certainly await with the Bills (No. 4 in the league in scoring) immediately following the bye to go with Detroit (No. 8), two games with the Chargers (No. 9) and Cleveland (No. 13) still on the schedule.

"We knew we could do it,'' McMillian said. " ... We just kept fighting.''

Two new lounges are opening at Denver International Airport: American Airlines’ Admirals Club lounge and the Plaza Premium Lounge.

The Admirals Club lounge opened on Oct. 18 after the project first started in late 2019 as a rebranding for the carrier’s airport lounges, said Dwayne MacEwen, founder and principal of DMAC Architecture and Interiors. The Plaza Premium Lounge – developed in partnership with Capital One – opens to the public on Friday, Nov. 3.

DIA spokesperson Ashley Forest called the latter lounge “the first common-use lounge here that technically is not connected to an airline or credit card.”

United Airlines also recently opened the carrier’s largest club in the world in DIA’s B East Concourse, with another club planned for 2025.

American Airlines’ Admirals Club Lounge

To access the Admirals Club lounge in Concourse C between Gates C30 and C32, travelers must be flying American Airlines, any Oneworld Alliance airline or JetBlue, except for those to and from Europe. “Any traveler can pay a fee for a day pass for entry, or become a member through an annual fee or by enrolling in a special American Airlines credit card,” said IBP Media spokesperson Mayra Agredas.

The lounge includes a kids club, a lounge pavilion and a dining pavilion with a bar, serving area and seating options. “It’s about making a space that you remember, that you want to be in,” MacEwen said in an interview.

DIA is one of four airports in the country chosen for the redesigned Admirals Club lounge model, joining Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J., and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas.

MacEwen described DIA as “an important travel destination” that suited it for the project.

“The timing was perfect,” he said. “The airport was pushing for it as well. They wanted American to take over the space.”

Plaza Premium Lounge

In Concourse A near Gate A34, the new Plaza Premium Lounge can be accessed every day from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. by any passenger – regardless of airline or credit card – if they pay the $65 daily fee and reserve their slot online on its related webpage.

If the passenger is a Capital One cardholder, then they can check their benefits on the bank’s website to see if they qualify for free entry.

The lounge features shower suites, relaxation rooms, a conference room, prayer rooms, nursing rooms, a children’s area, food stations and a bar, Forest said.

The project has been in the works for a couple of years. DIA is only the third airport in the U.S. with a Plaza Premium Lounge, along with Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas and Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Fla., she added.

One of Michael Malone’s core coaching philosophies with the Nuggets is rooted in an old-school but obvious idea.

“What I do now obviously is trying to have Nikola (Jokic) or Jamal (Murray) on the floor at all times, and that’s something that my father would always talk about,” Malone said Monday before the Nuggets defeated Utah and improved to 4-0. “Whether it was a guy like Phil Jackson always having either Scottie (Pippen) or Michael (Jordan) on the floor, you want to have one of your horses available and on the court at all times.”

That makes it easy to credit Denver’s success at any given moment to whichever of those two players is on the floor. But as for who is surrounding Murray or Jokic, this season was expected to be one big never-ending adjustment. No more Bruce Brown. No more Jeff Green. Some bench assembly required.

So far, somehow, the system appears seamless.

It’s only four games, but a sample size is starting to accumulate for Denver’s new-look bench, which Malone has mostly kept nine-deep with the exception of garbage time and a handful of Julian Strawther minutes. The early returns aren’t at all indicative of the work-in-progress nature that was anticipated.

Nuggets bench players are outscoring opponents’ bench players 132-105 and shooting 50.5% from the field with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.58. Opposing benches have been held to 38.3% from the field and a 1.44 ratio.

In 28 minutes on the floor together, the Nuggets’ most common lineup aside from the starting five — Murray, Reggie Jackson, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson and Zeke Nnaji — has a superb defensive rating of 83.6. Entering Tuesday night’s slate, only one lineup in the NBA with that many minutes played together had a better defensive rating.

“Anyone can go off any night,” said Nnaji, whose switchability has been the defensive glue.

That sentiment might be the key to sustained success. Consistency will be hard to come by with such a young bench. But if at least one of Denver’s sixth through ninth options has a standout game every night, the Nuggets will be in great position.

In Memphis and especially Oklahoma City, it was Watson. Malone was harsh on the second-year forward after the season opener, saying Watson shouldn’t assume bench minutes automatically belonged to him. They had a conversation to get that message across. Watson responded with 26 points, seven rebounds and four blocks across two games.

“It was a super-positive, constructive conversation,” Watson told The Post. “He wouldn’t take the time to do that if he didn’t feel like I had the potential to be super-great. So I obviously took in everything he said, soaked it up like a sponge. … I’ve had hard coaches all my life, so I know exactly how to deal with (tough love). I’m more flattered than anything, that he cares that much to say that stuff to me.”

In Memphis, it was Jackson as much as Watson. The 33-year-old point guard scored 18 through three quarters against the Grizzlies. Jackson has interestingly been first off the bench instead of Braun, despite Braun averaging more minutes. It’s working. The Nuggets’ third most common unit so far is the starters with Jackson subbed in for Murray. In 20 minutes, that lineup has an offensive rating of 125.6, a defensive rating of 90.9 and a 68.1% true shooting mark.

Now Braun has taken over the last two games. He scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds across the first back-to-back of the season and earned fourth-quarter minutes with the starters (minus Michael Porter Jr.) Monday. The day before, Porter got hot and played with the bench unit during the second quarter. Porter was more than happy with that setup.

“With the first unit, we have so many good players; we all have a role,” Porter told The Post. “With the second unit I can do a little bit more of what I’ve been doing my whole life.”

Role reversals like that signify the flexibility Malone has with his rotations right now. Within the parameters of the philosophy his dad taught him (at least one star on the floor at all times), almost anything he tries early this season is working.

Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.

Restaurateur Mary Nguyen knows third-party delivery apps are here to stay, but thinks how they do business with independent restaurants needs to change.

“We’re letting these huge companies come in and profit off the blood, sweat and tears of our small businesses that run our economy,” said Nguyen, the owner of Olive & Finch in Denver.

When the pandemic hit, companies like DoorDash and Uber Eats saw a wave of new use. With dine-in business reduced or eliminated, many restaurants felt obligated to use them, and cities including Denver passed temporary laws regulating what the companies could charge eateries.

Three years later, however, the local legislation has long expired. Plenty of people still use the apps, and many restaurant owners find them frustrating — but still keep using them.

Olive & Finch has two locations in Uptown and Cherry Creek, as well as a sister concept, Little Finch, along the 16th Street Mall. Another is in the works at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. The restaurant takes pick-up orders through its website, but doesn’t offer delivery itself.

Nguyen talked to BusinessDen about app commissions and pricing, her thoughts on what the city could do and what she wants customers to know about their Uber Eats order.

The following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

BusinessDen: Can you break down how much these third-party services actually take?

Mary Nguyen: It varies on what kind of agreement you have with the different vendors. For us, it ranges from 19 percent up to 25 percent. We specifically have relationships with Uber Eats and Grubhub.

BD: To offset this, do you mark up any of your menu items if they’re ordered through Uber Eats or Grubhub?

MB: We do sometimes. As a consumer, you may type in Olive and Finch but it doesn’t actually direct you to our website, it directs you to their (delivery services’) website. So then you think you’re ordering directly from us but you’re really not and the prices end up being higher.

BD: What’s your average markup?

MN: It depends on the fee that they’re taking. It’s really challenging. Our margins are really tight, they’re very low, so when a third party is taking 20 percent, they’re pretty much wiping any profit that we would be taking. If you’re ordering from Uber Eats, Grubhub or DoorDash, you’re going to be paying higher prices. But again, I don’t think the typical consumer realizes that because they’re so stocked and heavy in their ability to be able to market directly to the consumer that they may not realize they’re actually ordering from a third-party website and not our own website. People can order takeout online from our website. (Editor’s note: On Tuesday, a Farro salad at Olive & Finch cost $16.50 and $19.38 on Uber Eats. Delivering that meal to a LoDo apartment cost $35.80, including the suggested tip.)

BD: How much of your business is from these services versus people coming into the restaurant?

MN: We’re really lucky in that we have a dine-in business, to-go business and catering business. We see higher percentages depending on where people are ordering. For example, our Uptown location is a little bit heavier. It all kind of depends on the environment in that area.

BD: Do you contact Uber Eats and Grubhub about quality control issues?

MN: Absolutely. We really try to stay on top of our partnerships with third parties and reconcile all of our orders every day. We do see a lot of issues where something might be delivered incorrectly, or they pick up the wrong food. I think our challenge is that we don’t control the experience once it leaves our hands. As restaurants, we thrive on creating these experiences for our guests, whether it’s cravable food or beverage, the atmosphere, the service and the hospitality. Through a third party, it really becomes challenging for us to leave the guest experience in an unknown person’s hands.

BD: What could make that better?

MN: I think what change would be the most important is to ensure the fees that are charged to the restaurant decrease. I think for all restaurants we create a brand and we create loyalty and we create an experience. That’s built on our hard work and who we see profiting off that are third-party companies. We don’t make any money off these services, and our team doesn’t make any tips off the services. On top of that, if there’s an issue with the order we end up paying the cost. And most of those issues occur (due) to drivers grabbing the wrong food, delivering to the wrong address, leaving the food to sit too long or environmental factors that are out of our control. That shouldn’t be our responsibility because we made the food. We become the middleman – we’re reaching out and having to talk to guests and offering them gift certificates and making things right, because at the end of the day it is our brand. I think there needs to be more transparency about fees. Also, if there’s issues, they should reach out to Uber Eats or Grubhub or DoorDash directly.

BD: What do you wish the consumer knew about these services?

MN: I would say that if they understood they could order from us directly, we could control their experience a little bit better. They would probably be spending less money and there would be a lot more accountability. The minute they order on Uber Eats or DoorDash or Grubhub, they’re ordering through them, not through us.

BD: How do these services affect small businesses differently compared to large corporations like McDonald’s, for example?

MN: I would imagine that McDonald’s has the ability to negotiate a better commission. They’re probably paying a lot less than a typical independent restaurant like us. We’re paying on average 22 percent of a check to a third party; McDonald’s may be paying half of that. We have to understand delivery makes sense and a lot of people want that. They want to be able to order food and have it delivered to them. We see that every day whether it’s your groceries or your food or products that you’re ordering on Amazon. I think that’s how our day-to-day life has changed, so it’s important as a small business, you have to play. Otherwise you don’t stay relevant in that realm.

BD: Are you saying, in a way, it’s not possible for Olive and Finch to not be on these services?

MN: I don’t want to make a blanket statement, but for us, we’ve chosen to be on those platforms because we know that our guests order through that platform and value those platforms. They value the ease of doing that, of being able to order food and have it delivered to them.

BD: Have you explored adding your own delivery system?

MN: We did delivery during COVID and it just became really challenging after COVID because unfortunately, it isn’t something that is cost-effective for us to do. We see a lot of other independent restaurants have that same challenge and that’s why we have to rely on these third-party companies.

BD: The city implemented a 15 percent commission cap on how much these services could charge in 2020, but it expired in 2021. Do you think the city should be doing more?

MN: When we’re paying 19 to 25 percent, I think we could be doing better. When we’re letting these huge companies come in and profit off the blood, sweat and tears of our small businesses that run our economy, I think that government officials can help us do better. Decreasing the percentage cap would be helpful. Obviously COVID happened and now we’re seeing labor increase, we’re seeing our cost of goods increase, we’re seeing supply chain challenges still, we’re seeing the aftermath of that. I think there’s an opportunity to do better but also to make sure there’s a lot more transparency.

BD: Is there anything else consumers should know?

MN: I think ultimately they definitely offer a service that a typical consumer wants, but it needs to be in a way that’s beneficial to all parties, not just them. I value what they do. It’s not something we as an independent restaurant are able to do. And the way they have it set up, it makes sense for them, but ultimately they are the only ones benefiting, not even the delivery drivers.

Subscribe to our new food newsletter, Stuffed, to get Denver food and drink news sent straight to your inbox.

This story was reported by our partner BusinessDen.