The Drive

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil debate what a win or loss would mean for the Broncos in Los Angeles on Sunday. We hear from Sean Payton and his thoughts on Jim Harbaugh. How can Payton keep Bo Nix upright with a clean pocket? With the Broncos struggling to stop the run and the Chargers struggling to run the ball, which side will bust out of their slump? What were Sean's thoughts on the Chargers defense and where to attack? DenverSports.com's Will Petersen joins the show for the reminder of the show. The guys discuss Will's time down at Avalanche media day today. We wrap up the show with the expectations for the Avs and how the team will monitor Gabe Landeskog's health this season. 

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys discuss Cecil's clothing choices and Deion Sanders defensive press conference today. What is the Colorado Buffaloes identity? How does Phil grade the Broncos run game through two games? Has JK Dobbins solidified himself as the Broncos number one running back? After debating all off season, has Troy Franklin officially emerged as the number two receiver for the Broncos? Zach shares what Franklin's stats would look like, prorated through the season and describes what traits he has that led to his early success. Could Troy Franklin be a future number one wide receiver? 

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil examine the new outlook on the Colorado Buffaloes season. What do the guys make of the Buffs' new expected win total? We hear from Deion Sanders and his thoughts on CU's identity or lack thereof. How will the remaining schedule shake out for Colorado? We pivot to the Broncos and Zach shares the shocking stats for their defense in the last 7 games. Have we mismanaged expectations for what we thought would be an elite defense? Today's "Three Count" includes the Broncos poor record in one-score games since last season, CSU's Jay Norvell staying with Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi as his quarterback, and Tom Brady's conflict of interest of being a minority owner of the Raiders while calling NFL games for Fox. We react Sean Payton being named as one of the coaches for a flag football classic in Saudi Arabia next March. 

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil are joined by veteran NFL reporter James Palmer to discuss the Broncos moving on after a last second loss, what aspect of the game deserves the most blame for the Broncos' loss, and the Tom Brady drama with his "competitive advantage" as a Raiders minority owner and Fox broadcaster. Phil grades the Broncos run game after two games. Are the Broncos featuring Tyler Baddie too often? Will RJ Harvey earn more carries as the season progresses? After debating all off season, has Troy Franklin officially emerged as the number two receiver for the Broncos? Zach goes in depth into the qualities Troy Franklin has shown this season to be successful. What do the guys make of Colorado's updated win total for the 2025 season? We examine the remaining schedule for the Buffs and how difficult of a road it will be. What is CU's identity? 

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil debate if the Broncos defense has been misrepresented as an elite defense. Zach shares the shocking stats from the Broncos defense the past 7 games. How much pressure is on Vance Joseph to get the Broncos defense fixed and quickly? How will the defense respond vs an upper echelon quarterback in Justin Herbert? With the Chargers starting 2-0, how do the guys feel about the landscape of the AFC west? We react Sean Payton being named as one of the coaches for a flag football classic in Saudi Arabia next March. Should Sean be putting all of his focus into the Broncos instead of dipping his toe into flag football? We wrap up the show with DenverSports.com's Will Petersen joining the show to admit he was wrong about the Colts being a worthy opponent. 

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Cecil. The guys discuss the Broncos crushing loss on Sunday to the Colts. What did the guys make of the final field goal attempt by the Colts? Why did the Broncos defense struggle so much on Sunday? Phil and Zach explain why they agree with the referee's call on the Colts missed field goal to close out the game. Have we been overrating the Broncos defense this offseason? We dive into Colorado's butt kicking on Friday night. What is Colorado's identity? Should the Buffs go back to Kaidon Salter at quarterback? How much of the defenses' struggles are to blame on the offense's poor time of possession? 

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil take a deep dive into the Broncos and Colts game yesterday. Although Bo Nix played better than a week ago, what criticism did the guys have for Nix? How much blame does Wil Lutz deserve with his missed field goal late in the game? Today's "Three Count" features the Broncos getting a "green light" in Joe Burrow going down with a toe injury that should have him miss the Bengals and Broncos game, the Chiefs starting 0-2 and in sole possession of the last place in the AFC west, and Arch Manning struggling vs UTEP over the weekend and getting booed by his home crowd. We react to the report that Shedeur Sanders turned down an opportunity to be drafted by the Ravens because he didn't want to sit behind Lamar Jackson. Was Shedeur being short sided when preferring the Browns over the Ravens because it gave him a "better chance to start"? 

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil debate what was the biggest mistake that led the Broncos losing on Sunday. Where will this go down in Broncos' history as missed opportunities to win? What happened to the Broncos presumed "top defense" in the NFL? How were the Colts able to get the best of reigning defensive player of the year, Patrick Surtain? Why was Jonathan Taylor and the Colts able to run at will on the Broncos defense? Even in a loss, what were the bright spots for the Broncos? What did the guys make of Sean Payton's emphasis to run the ball better from last week? We breakdown the Colorado Buffaloes embarrassing loss to Houston on Friday. Will the Buffs be able to improve their running game to help whoever they start at quarterback? Does Deion Sanders have a "culture" and "buy-in" problem by using the transfer portal too much? We hear from Deion Sanders and his thoughts on how he can improve and who the Buffs quarterback will be. 

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil breakdown the Broncos surprising loss yesterday. Did the Broncos "blow" the game or did the Colts earn their win? How were the Colts able to pick on the reigning defensive player of the year in Patrick Surtain? Zach and Phil explain how it was not only Surtain that struggled but the whole defense. Should the Broncos look into cutting Lutz? What was the biggest reason for the Broncos loss? We react to the report that Shedeur Sanders turned down an opportunity to be drafted by the Ravens because he didn't want to sit behind Lamar Jackson. Was Shedeur being short sided when preferring the Browns over the Ravens because it gave him a "better chance to start"? We wrap up the show with our final thoughts on the Broncos week 2 loss in Indianapolis. Phil describes what this week in the Broncos facility will feel like for the players. 

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Cecil. The guys discuss the upcoming Broncos and Colts game this weekend. Will the Colts see this game as a "revenge game" from blowing their lead last year? Zach shares the latest injury report on the Colts including missing two of their cornerbacks. Will Bo Nix be able to take advantage of a depleted secondary? We take a deep dive into the weekend in football and list our top 5 games we are looking forward to in college football and the NFL. We are a few hours away from Colorado kicking off in Houston, could this be the swing game that sends CU down two different paths this season? Will Colorado be able to improve on their run game?