PACKERVILLE, U.S.A.: Packers at Broncos Preview

Packers at Broncos Week 7 Preview is HERE.

Both Broncos and Packers are well rested as they search for an early season reset after recent flops

ASSOCIATED PRESS

GREEN BAY (2-3) at DENVER (1-5)

DAY / TIME / TV: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS

SERIES RECORD: Tied 7-7-1.

LAST MEETING: Packers beat Broncos 27-16 at Green Bay on Sept. 22, 2019.

LAST WEEK: Packers were off after losing 17-13 at Las Vegas on Oct. 9; Broncos lost to Chiefs 19-8 on Oct. 12.

PACKERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (28), RUSH (27), PASS (21), SCORING (13)

PACKERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (17), RUSH (28), PASS (9), SCORING (22)

BRONCOS OFFENSE: OVERALL (21), RUSH (19), PASS (20), SCORING (T17)

BRONCOS DEFENSE: OVERALL (32), RUSH (32), PASS (30), SCORING (32)

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Packers minus-1; Broncos minus-5.

Russell Wilson and Jordan Love are the latest examples of how quickly quarterbacks can go from sizzle to fizzle in the NFL.

Wilson started out the season looking nothing like the QB who struggled so mightily last year for the Broncos, and from the get-go Love looked every bit like a worthy successor to Aaron Rodgers with the Packers.

Wilson’s numbers through four mostly efficient games rivaled Patrick Mahomes’ stats as he threw for over 1,000 yards with nine TDs and two interceptions under new Denver coach Sean Payton’s tutelage. But he has three turnovers and eight sacks over the last two weeks, including another loss at Kansas City in which he threw for a meager 95 yards and was intercepted twice.

“We’ve done some really good things offensively, but didn’t play our best game the last game,” Wilson said. “I didn’t play my best game, but I’ve been feeling really confident all season long.”

Love played so well in the Green Bay’s 18-point rout at Chicago in its opener that he got a text congratulating him for “keeping the ownership in place.” That message was from Rodgers, who famously hollered, “I still own you!” after scoring a game-clinching TD at Soldier Field in 2021, one of his two dozen wins over the Bears.

After throwing for six touchdown passes without an interception in Green Bay’s first two games, Love has thrown six interceptions and two TD passes over his last three and is coming off a three-interception dud against the Raiders before the Packers’ bye week.

“Just having that sick taste in my mouth, it’s going to keep pushing me forward,” Love said.

The Broncos (1-5) and Packers (2-3) play Sunday at Empower Field, where the loser could see a swelling of the “ Collapse for Caleb ” sentiment as their fans further espouse the notion of stinking so badly that Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams will come to their rescue in 2024.

That would take a season-long slide and some leapfrogging of other struggling teams, but both of these storied franchises are squarely in the mix for the reigning Heisman Trophy winner as the weather begins to turn.

There are still plenty of games left to bounce back and salvage this season, but the Halloween trade deadline is approaching and teams are taking a hard look at being sellers if they deem the cellar a real possibility.

The Broncos have lost all three of their home games to underdogs, something that won’t be an issue Sunday because the Packers were installed as 1 1/2-point road favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

KEEPING UP WITH JONES

The Packers are hopeful their early bye will allow one of their top playmakers to return to form. Running back Aaron Jones scored twice on opening weekend but has missed three of the last four games with a pulled hamstring.

“I prefer a later bye, but I needed it now, so thank God it came when it did,” Jones said. “Everything happens for a reason. It worked out.”

HAMSTRUNG DULCICH

Broncos tight end Greg Dulcich focused on his hydration, stretching routine and hip mobility after pulled hamstrings caused him to miss seven games as a rookie last year. But it’s been even worse this season as he’s pulled up lame in both games he’s played and will miss his fifth game Sunday because of hamstring injuries.

Without Dulcich stretching the field and forcing defenses into difficult decisions, the Broncos rank next-to-last in the league with 19.7 receiving yards per game out of their tight ends.

“I’m sure he’s frustrated just like we are frustrated for him,” Payton said.

PASSIVE PACKERS

The Packers have been outscored 54-6 in the first half of their last three games. Not only are they dawdling, they’ve been mostly idle of late. Due to scheduling quirks, the Packers return to action Sunday having played just one game in a 23-day stretch.

The Packers hosted the Lions in a Thursday night game on Sept. 28, then didn’t play again until a Monday night matchup at Las Vegas on Oct. 9 ahead of their bye week.

PAYTON’S PLAYSHEET

The screenshots quickly reached Sean Payton following Denver’s loss at Kansas City, when the two-minute section of his playsheet was on display for everyone to read quite clearly. But he downplayed the significance of everyone knowing, for instance, that his code word for quarterback sneak is “Converse.”

“I don’t worry about it,” Payton said, explaining that the game unspools too fast for such keywords to matter to a defense.

When NFL reporter Dov Kleiman tweeted that Payton will have to change the tags for the next game, NFL commentator and former O-lineman Mark Schlereth hit the snark button with this reply: “Not because people see them but because they don’t work!”

PACKERS PLAYER TO WATCH

S Rudy Ford has intercepted a pass in each of his past two games. After winning an open preseason competition for the starting safety spot alongside Darnell Savage, Ford is producing a breakthrough season as he approaches his 29th birthday.

BRONCOS PLAYER TO WATCH

S Justin Simmons’ return from a hip injury two weeks ago has coincided with marked improvement on defense, particularly in the red zone, where Denver has allowed just one touchdown in its opponents’ past 10 trips inside the 20-yard line. Simmons has never had a winning season in his eight years in Denver and is seen as a prime trade target this month.

KEY MATCHUP

The Packers’ disappointing ground game versus the Broncos’ poor run defense.

INJURIES

LB De’Vondre Campbell (ankle) has missed each of the Packers’ past two games… RB Aaron Jones (hamstring) has been unavailable for three of Green Bay’s past four games… CB Eric Stokes (foot) has returned to practice, but still hasn’t made his 2023 debut for the Packers as he comes back from an injury that limited him to nine games last season… TE Greg Dulcich reinjured his hamstring at Kansas City last week shortly after being activated from IR. This marks the 12th game the Broncos’ second-year pro has missed because of hamstring issues… OLB Baron Browning (knee) and DT D.J. Jones (knee) were full participants in Wednesday’s installation day and are expected to be active Sunday.

**SATURDAY UPDATE: GREEN BAY PACKERS AT DENVER BRONCOS — GREEN BAY: DOUBTFUL: OLB De’Vondre Campbell (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: S Zayne Anderson (hamstring), G Elgton Jenkins (knee), RB Aaron Jones (hamstring), S Darnell Savage (calf), CB Eric Stokes (foot), LB Quay Walker (knee), DT Devonte Wyatt (knee), CB Jaire Alexander (back), OT Yosh Nijman (knee). DENVER: OUT: TE Greg Dulcich (hamstring).

SERIES NOTES

The biggest game between these teams came in Super Bowl 32 on Jan. 25, 1998, when Terrell Davis led the Broncos to a 31-24 upset of the defending champion Packers led by Hall of Famers Brett Favre, Reggie White and LeRoy Butler in San Diego. John Elway won his first of two Super Bowls to cap his Hall of Fame career.

STATS AND STUFF

The Packers have been outscored 54-6 in the first half of their past three games. They rallied from a 17-0 deficit to beat the New Orleans Saints 18-17, trailed 27-3 at halftime of a 34-20 loss to Detroit and were down 10-3 at the break in Las Vegas… After throwing six TD passes without an INT in Green Bay’s first two games, Packers QB Jordan Love has thrown six interceptions and two TD passes over his past three games. He’s coming off a three-INT performance against the Raiders… Ten rookies have played in each of the Packers’ five games this season. No other team in the NFL had that many rookies appear in all of its games… OLB Rashan Gary has had 4½ sacks while playing on only 74 pass rush snaps, according to TruMedia. The Packers have been limiting his workload as he comes back from a torn ACL that ended his 2022 season… K Anders Carlson, a rookie sixth-round pick from Auburn, is 7 of 7 on field goals and 10 of 10 on extra points. Two of his field goals have been from at least 50 yards… The Broncos are 0-3 at home with losses to the underdog Raiders, Commanders and Jets… QB Russell Wilson is coming off his worst passer rating (46.6) as a Bronco after throwing two interceptions and managing a meager 95 yards on 13-of-22 passing at Kansas City in Week 6… Wilson needs seven completions to become the 19th quarterback in NFL history to total 3,500 in his career… RB Jaleel McLaughlin is one of three rookie RBs (De’Von Achane and Bijan Robinson) with two touchdown receptions so far… This will mark S Kareem Jackson’s 200th regular-season game. Only 18 safeties in NFL history have reached that mark… S Justin Simmons had his 28th interception last week, fourth among active safeties… CB Patrick Surtain II had a season-best seven tackles last week… OLB Nik Bonitto has had a tackle for loss in five consecutive games and has had multiple sacks in two of his past three games… The Packers are 1-6 (.143) all-time on the road against the Broncos (the lone win came on an 82-yard pass from Brett Favre to Greg Jennings in overtime in 2007). That is Green Bay's second-worst road record against any current NFL team (0-7 on the road against the Bills)… The Packers have lost back-to-back games in the same season for the third time under head coach Matt LeFleur (since 2019). That is the second-fewest instances of back-to-back losses in the NFL during that span. Only the Chiefs (two) have fewer… Jordan Love has thrown six interceptions over his last three games. It is the most interceptions by a Packers quarterback over a three-game span since Brett Favre in 2006 (last three weeks of the season)… The Broncos lost to the Chiefs, 19-8, in Kansas City last week, their fewest points since a 23-7 loss to Baltimore in Week 4, 2021. Since the 2019 season, the Broncos have six games with eight or fewer points — three of those have come against the Chiefs… Russell Wilson finished last week's game with 13 completions for just 95 yards. It was his third career game with fewer than 100 passing yards — he had 93 in a 21-12 win over Dallas in Week 16, 2017, and 72 yards in a 21-7 win over Minnesota in Week 14, 2018… Rasul Douglas had two passes defensed against the Raiders on Monday Night. Since his first start with the Packers (Week 7, 2021) his 32 passes defensed are tied for most in the NFL with Darious Williams…

WEEK 5 NFL SCHEDULE

WEEK 7

Thursday, October 19

Jacksonville Jaguars 31, New Orleans Saints 24

Sunday, October 22

Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens, 12:00 p.m., FOX

Las Vegas Raiders at Chicago Bears, 12:00 p.m., FOX

Cleveland Browns at Indianapolis Colts, 12:00 p.m., CBS

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots, 12:00 p.m., CBS

Washington Commanders at New York Giants, 12:00 p.m., CBS

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 12:00 p.m., FOX

Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Rams, 3:05 p.m., FOX