The Drive

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil are joined by DenverSports.com Senior Broncos writer, Andrew Mason. Mase discusses the Broncos injury report, the Broncos running game opening up the passing game, and Devaughn Vele. Will the New Orleans crowd have any effect on Bo Nix and the Bronco offense? Will tonight be a Bo Nix breakout game? We look back at Sean Payton’s history of prime-time games. Phil shares a story from the only other time Payton started a rookie QB during a prime-time game but playing for the other team. Zach asks Phil and the listeners, what would qualify as a breakout game for Bo Nix. How many passing yards? How many touchdowns? And how many total points for the Broncos? DenverSports.com’s James Merilatt joins the show to discuss who deserves the blame for the Broncos offensive struggles, the Saints terrible defense, and the Broncos playmakers.

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil react to James Merilatt’s time on the show. Zach shares his concerns about so many people picking the Broncos to blow out the Saints and why when that happens it typically doesn’t go well for the Broncos. Phil dives into the scripted plays for the Broncos and wanting to see Bo Nix get in a rhythm early. Should Sean Payton mix in a trick play during the game? The guys share an update of the Broncos injury report and who we will see and not see for the Broncos tonight. We wrap up the show with Phil and Zach’s predictions for the Broncos on Thursday Night Football tonight. What will Bo Nix’s final stat line look like?

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talking with Dover and Cecil. The guys breakdown what the split is for the share of blame between Bo Nix and Sean Payton for the bad Broncos offense. What is the guys sense of urgency for the Avalanche in tonight’s game? Zach asks if in a different scenario could Spencer Rattler have been the quarterback for the Broncos. The Colorado Avalanche have an opportunity to get their first win of the season tonight, how serious would an 0-4 start be for the Avs? The guys react to ESPN’s list of top 100 players in the NBA. Where did Jamal Murray, MPJ and Aaron Gordon rank? Are we being too hard on Jamal Murray? With the top 10 still yet to come out, the guys predict where Jokic will land in the top 10? Do either Zach or Phil think Jokic won’t be the top spot?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil breakdown what is in store for the Broncos in New Orleans tomorrow night. The guys list the “green lights” the Broncos have faced in each game this season as the green lights continue with the Saints starting their backup QB. Is tomorrow night a “must win” game for the Broncos playoff hopes? If the Broncos offense struggles again, will Sean Payton relieve himself from play calling duties? Phil takes us through what it’s like playing on a Thursday night off a short week. Today’s “Three Count” includes a potential renovation around Ball Arena, Lonzo Ball returning to basketball tonight, and Brandon McManus signing with the Packers. Zach and Phil react to an NFL mock draft with Shedeur Sanders at the top. Could we also see two top 15 picks go head-to-head this weekend in the Arizona and Colorado college football matchup?

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil look at how the Broncos loss this past Sunday affect the Broncos playoff probability. What would a loss or win on Thursday do to the Broncos playoff hopes? Zach and Phil each give their predictions for playoff percentages based on a win or loss. The Broncos will face off vs rookie QB, Spencer Rattler on Thursday night. Would Rattler have been a Bronco if Bo Nix wasn’t available when the Broncos drafted? We react to ESPN’s top 100 NBA player rankings. Where did Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. land on the list? Is Murray being disrespected too much with his fall in the rankings from a season ago? Is Michael Porter Jr. in line to have his best season of his career? The Avalanche look to rebound from their slow start to the season tonight as they take on Boston. How desperate should the Avs be in only game 4 of the NHL season?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil discuss the challenges the Saints will bring tomorrow night. How will Bo Nix and the Broncos be able to handle playing on a short week? Zach questions why the Broncos are not incorporating more pre-snap motion like the rest of the NFL. Is Sean Payton’s offense “outdated”? Phil states that the Broncos trying to design an offense on a short week, without an identity can be very difficult. DenverSports.com’s Will Petersen and Jake Shapiro join the show for the second half of the hour. The guys react to an ESPN mock draft, predicting both Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter to be the top 2 picks in the NFL draft. Do the guys like the organizations both Buffs are mocked to? We wrap up the show with audio from Travis Hunter and Travis making the case for himself to win the Heisman. Zach shares why Hunter’s most recent quotes rubbed him the wrong way.

Hour 1 of The Drive kicks off with Zach and Phil cross talk with Dover. The guys discuss if Bo Nix took a step back or forward in the Broncos loss to the Chargers. Zach is back and deciding who deserves the blame for the Broncos loss. The Avalanche start 0-3 for the first time in 15 years, what is going wrong for the Avs? How can the Avalanche overcome their injuries stay afloat till some of their players rejoin the team? Is all the blame on the goaltender, Georgiev? Are the stars of the Avalanche pressing too much, including Nathan MacKinnon? Has Coach Bednar’s message become stale in the locker room? The Nuggets are having concerns before the regular season has even started. Jamal Murray didn’t play in the second half of the Nuggets most recent preseason game, will Murray’s injuries from a year ago reappear this season?

In hour 2 of The Drive, Zach and Phil question if Sean Payton should be able to elevate Bo Nix as a rookie. How have other rookie QB’s around the NFL had success while Payton and Nix can’t seem to figure it out? How do the guys split the blame between Sean Payton and Bo Nix? Phil suggests that Sean Payton should hand off play calling. Today’s “Three Count” includes Jerry Jones berating a Dallas radio host, Davante Adams predictably getting traded to the Jets to rejoin Aaron Rodgers, and Amari Cooper heading to Buffalo to join Josh Allen and the Bills. Can Travis Hunter keep his name atop the Heisman race after missing most of last weeks game? Should CU limit Travis’ snaps on one side of the ball to protect him from injury? Zach explains why he was impressed with Colorado’s effort despite losing to Kansas State.

In hour 3 of The Drive, Zach and Phil debate if the Steelers starting Russell Wilson on Sunday, is the right move. Does Justin Fields and his legs give the Steelers the best chance to win? Could we see Russell Wilson traded to a team looking for a QB after suffering an injury? The guys breakdown Sean Payton’s return to New Orleans. How will Payton and the team deal with the extra distractions of a “homecoming”? We hear directly from Sean Payton and his thoughts on Thursday’s game. The Avalanche have started 0-3 for the first time in 15 years, is this a sign of things to come or just a slow start? We hear from Avs coach, Jared Bednar and his thoughts on the Avalanche performance from last night. Is it Bednar’s fault the Avs stars and goaltenders are struggling? We finish up the hour with Zach and Phil discussing the Denver Nuggets and Jamal Murray missing the second half of the most recent preseason game. Should we be worried about Jamal Murray’s health going forward?

In hour 4 of The Drive, Zach and Phil dive into Bo Nix and the Broncos performance from Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. Phil explains why he thinks Bo Nix and the Broncos offense actually got better this past weekend. The guys decide which members of the Broncos deserve how much of the blame for the loss. DenverSports.com’s Will Petersen joins the show to discuss the possibility of Russell Wilson starting for the Steelers and if Wilson could be traded to another team before the NFL’s trade deadline. We wrap up the show with what the guys learned today in Denver sports. Travis Hunter will play in Tucson next Saturday, are his Heisman hopes still alive? Will shares his thoughts on the Avs, their defense and his concern level.