The Drive

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil breakdown the Nuggets improbable win over the undefeated Thunder. What were the major takeaways for the guys? Is Christian Braun’s start to the season sustainable throughout the season? The guys take a deeper look into Russell Westbrook’s performance and the energy he brings to the team when he’s on the floor. What should we expect from newly extended Jonathon Cooper during the time of his contract? How will his mindset change going from being a 7th round pick to now being a top paid pass rusher in the NFL? Are double digit sacks per season a reasonable expectation? We hear from Sean Payton and his thoughts on Cooper’s extension.  The guys examine the effect Coach Prime has had off the field in Boulder. How much money had Prime brought to the university in new applicants and out of state tuition? Zach compares Prime’s effect to that of Nick Saben at Alabama and Butler’s Final Four run in 2010. Will Coach Prime stick around in Boulder after his kids leave?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil preview the first matchup between Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix. Will this be a rivalry going forward? Phil shares a story about an interaction he had with Mahomes. Kansas City 610 Sports host, Alex Gold joins the show to discuss the undefeated but imperfect Chiefs team, what Kansas City thinks of Bo Nix, and the hunger to beat the Broncos after dropping a game to them last year. How focused on a three-peat are the Chiefs? Is this a “trap game” for the Chiefs with a look ahead to the Bills the following week? The guys give the Nuggets their flowers after beating the previously undefeated Thunder. How important will the Nuggets youth be to grow into roles throughout the season? Can Jokic go for a 4th MVP? We wrap up the show with quotes from Bo Nix on his connection with Troy Franklin and Sean Payton’s thoughts on taking a young team to win on the road. Zach makes his prediction for the Broncos and Chiefs game.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover. The guys discuss the Nuggets chances of beating a top end team in the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. Who will step up with the absence of Aaron Gordon? Which young Nuggets will seize their opportunity with extra minutes up for grabs? Zach explains why this weekend could be a huge opportunity for Shedeur Sanders to climb up the Heisman rankings. We hear from Coach Prime and his thoughts on the surging Buffs. The Avalanche have good news and bad news after ending their losing streak last night. Do the Avs finally have an answer in net? How long will Cale Makar be sidelined with his injury? Zach gives an animated speech about why Avs Gabe Landeskog needs to retire for the better of the Avalanche. Does Gabe owe it to his teammates to give them the salary cap room he has been clogging up?

In Hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil debate if the Broncos are a house built on sand. Zach reveals a stat about 4 of the Broncos 5 wins coming against teams that have fired their coach or benched their quarterback. Will the Broncos be able to compete with higher quality NFL teams in Kansas City and Atlanta? Would Phil take a guaranteed Broncos 9-8 record this season? Today’s “Three Count” includes a wild College Football Playoff scenario for Colorado and Jayson Tatum getting his revenge vs Steve Kerr and the Warriors tonight. How awesome would a home playoff game played in Boulder be? The Nuggets are in for a major test tonight in the Oklahoma City Thunder. Can the depleted Nuggets hang with the top team in the west? Will Jokic have something special for the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren tonight? Who will start in Aaron Gordon’s place?

In Hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil breakdown Travis Hunter’s wild weekend during the Buffs bye week. We hear from Coach Prime and his thoughts on Hunter’s appearances on national TV and promoting himself for the Heisman trophy. Will we see Shedeur Sanders’ best game of his season as he goes up against a leaky Texas Tech pass defense? What scenario could we see Sanders join Travis Hunter in New York for the Heisman ceremony? What were Coach Prime’s thoughts on CU getting ranked in the top 25? The Avalanche ended their 3-game losing streak, but it wasn’t all good news as Makar appeared to get banged up. Zach makes an impassioned speech for why Gabe Landeskog needs to retire. Does Landy owe it to his teammates and the organization to free up his cap space?

In Hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil examine the Broncos wins this season and the context of 4 of their 5 wins. Are the Broncos wins this season a “house built out of sand”? College analyst and former NFL QB, Brock Huard joins the show to discuss Bo Nix’s growth this season, the College Football Playoff committee’s rankings, Travis Hunter’s chances at winning the Heisman, and how his view of the Colorado Buffaloes has changed throughout this season. Does CU have a sustainable style of play to win out the rest of the season? Will Petersen of DenverSports.com joins the show to breakdown Zach’s idea of Gabe Landeskog retiring for the better of the Avalanche franchise. Has Gabe’s absence become a distraction in the Avs locker room? We wrap up the show with a preview of the Nuggets and Thunders game tonight. Can a short-handed Nuggets team hang with one of the best teams in the NBA?

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys react to the news of Aaron Gordon missing extended time with a calf injury. Will the Nuggets be able to stay afloat during Gordon’s missed time? What do we expect from Jamal Murray and the Nuggets during this stretch? The NFL trade deadline has come and gone, how do the guys feel about the Broncos moves? Did the Broncos need to add a piece for their playoff push? Tonight, the College Football Playoff committee will release their first edition of their rankings. Where will CU land on tonight’s rankings? Phil expects the committee to show love to CU because of the hunger to see CU and Coach Prime. The Nuggets pulled off another win last night, but it didn’t look pretty. Should we be concerned about the Nuggets struggling with lower competition to start the season? How long will Aaron Gordon be sidelined with his calf injury? Will the young Nuggets step up in Aaron Gordon’s absence?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil analyze what would a win in Kansas City mean for the Broncos playoff hopes. Is Patrick Mahomes having the best start to a career in sports history? How can the Broncos still be competitive with a dynasty in their division? Is the Chiefs being undefeated help the Broncos chances of pulling off an upset in Kansas City? How will Mahomes’s injury factor into next Sunday’s game? Today’s “Three Count” features a look around the trades made in the NFL today, Joel Embiid’s suspension after an altercation with a media member, and the College Football Playoff’s first rankings. Where will the Buffs land on the first edition of the rankings? Should the Broncos have made a move with one of their back-up QB’s? Zach asks if GM George Paton deserves more credit than people are giving him after a great 2021 draft class. Phil shares about his experiences with George Paton and John Elway.

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil breakdown if we will see more of Audric Estime. Sean Payton hinted as giving more touches to Estime, does Phil think this is a good idea? The Broncos sole move at the trade deadline was moving Baron Browning to the Cardinals, should the Broncos have brought in help for their playoff push? Will we see a better Browning now that he’s not in a Broncos jersey? Phil makes the case for why the Broncos should have brought in a tight end in to help Bo Nix this season and into the future. The Avs are back in action tonight and trying to snap a 3-game losing streak. We hear from Avalanche head coach, Jared Bednar who shares a concerning update about Gabe Landeskog. Zach reads this update as a setback and now doesn’t expect Gabe to return to the Avalanche in 2024. The guys set the table for the College Football Playoff committee’s rankings to be released tonight. Zach wonders how the committee will evaluate teams going to their respective conference championships.

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil preview the Broncos big divisional matchup vs the Chiefs this upcoming Sunday. Is the expectation for Broncos Country to win the Super Bowl still? What would a win or loss mean for the Broncos playoff chances? Veteran NFL reporter, James Palmer joins the show to discuss Bo Nix’s performance in Baltimore, the style of matchup between the Chiefs and Broncos, and the Broncos trade deadline moves. The College Football Playoff Committee released their first rankings of the season, where did Colorado land on the rankings? Does CU have a path to make the CFP? DenverSports.com’s Will Petersen joins the show to breakdown CU’s ranking and the College Football Playoff in a larger picture. We wrap up the show with Will’s thoughts on the Gabriel Landeskog “setback” and if we will see Landy in an Avs sweater again.