Packers head to Denver looking to end the Broncos’ 10-game winning streak
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Green Bay (9-3-1) at Denver (11-2)
Day / Time / TV: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EST, CBS.
Series record: Broncos lead 8-7-1.
Last meeting: Broncos beat Packers 19-17 at Empower Field at Mile High on Oct. 22, 2023.
Last week: Packers beat Bears 28-21; Broncos beat Raiders 24-17.
Packers offense: overall (13), rush (19), pass (12), scoring (10).
Packers defense: overall (5), rush (9), pass (7), scoring (6).
Broncos offense: overall (10), rush (14), pass (13), scoring (14).
Broncos defense: overall (3), rush (2), pass (10), scoring (4).
Turnover differential: Packers plus-4; Broncos minus-3.
For the first time in a decade, Denver Broncos (11-2) stand atop the AFC playoff race heading into the holidays. They’re the league’s only unbeaten team at home. They’ve won 10 consecutive games and they’ve saddled their last 11 visitors with a loss going back 14 months. And they are 2½-point underdogs at home to the Green Bay Packers (9-3-1) on Sunday, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
It’s the NFL’s Week 15 marquee matchup, a tussle featuring Micah Parsons and Nik Bonitto, Jordan Love and Bo Nix, and pitting teams with obdurate defenses and opportunistic offenses that could very well serve as a Super Bowl appetizer. Oddsmakers, though, have joined the legions of NFL fans who view the Broncos’ longest winning streak in the post-Peyton Manning era with equal doses of criticism and skepticism. “I love it. It fuels me, honestly,” Bonitto said. “I like when people doubt us. They can stay on that side. We’ll go out and prove what we’ve got to prove.”
Just like they’ve been doing ever since their last-second loss at the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3, which followed a walk-off loss at Indianapolis. Since then, the Broncos have set an NFL record with nine consecutive comebacks, a streak that ended last week with a comfortable win at Las Vegas, and tied another mark with four straight wins by a field goal or less. “Personally, I couldn’t care less,” All-Pro kick returner Marvin Mims Jr. said. “But I mean some guys feel disrespected by it.” Bo Nix isn’t among those who feel offended by the national suspicion of the Broncos’ championship bona fides — or those who install them as home underdogs. “My mom thinks we’ll win,” the Broncos’ second-year quarterback said with a laugh. “So that’s all that matters.”
Watson’s emergence
Packers wide receiver Christian Watson didn’t start playing until Oct. 26 as he returned from a torn ACL, but the 2022 second-round pick still could end up having his best season. Watson has scored five touchdowns, all in his last four games. He has 25 catches for 452 yards in seven games. The TD total is his highest since his rookie season, when he had nine. “He’s making plays, it feels like, every time the ball comes his way,” Love said. “I think he keeps elevating and getting better and better.”
Packers facing a streaking team
According to Elias Sports Bureau, this marks the second straight year — and the fourth time ever — that the Packers have faced a team that has won at least 10 straight games with all the victories in the same season. Last season, the Packers lost 34-31 at Detroit for the Lions’ 11th straight victory. The Packers won their other two times in this situation. They beat Detroit 3-0 on Nov. 25, 1934, and they defeated Seattle 23-17 on Jan. 1, 2006. The trip to Denver is sandwiched between two games against the rival Chicago Bears. The Packers snapped Chicago’s five-game winning streak with a 28-21 victory at Lambeau Field on Sunday. The Packers face the Bears again on Dec. 20 in Chicago. “What a great challenge,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “But also, I think there’s great opportunity that goes with that.” The Broncos also have a challenging stretch run with visits from the Jaguars and Chargers, both 9-4, sandwiched around a Christmas night game at Kansas City, where the Broncos haven’t won since 2015.
Premier pass rushers
Sunday’s game features two of the NFL’s most prolific pass rushers in Green Bay’s Parsons and Denver’s Bonitto. They each have 12½ sacks this season, putting them in a tie for third in the league. Since the NFL started officially tracking sacks in 1982, Parsons is the first player to have at least 12 in each of his first five seasons. Bonitto could join Simon Fletcher as the only Broncos ever to have at least 13½ sacks in back-to-back seasons.
Strength in numbers
It’s not just Bonitto the Packers are concerned about. The Broncos lead the league with 55 sacks, putting them on pace for 72, which would tie the NFL record set by the 1984 Bears. “I think they have a really solid group all around,” Love said. “It’s not just one guy that you can finger-point out, but all around that defense and especially that D-line, you look at it and they got playmakers and guys who are making plays and winning their 1-on-1 matchups. It’s a little bit different than a team that maybe only has one solid edge rusher that you make sure you get chips and lockdown that side.” And don’t forget Denver’s stout secondary, led by reigning NFL defensive player of the year Pat Surtain II. “There’s sometimes you see on film when he’s breaking on things before the receiver’s even breaking,” Love said. “I think it just goes into his film study, his knowledge of the game and his confidence in himself. I think he does a lot of things at a very high level.”
Packers player to watch
QB Jordan Love. This is the time of the season when Love typically heats up and it’s happening again this year. Love has thrown seven touchdown passes with only one interception over his last two games. Love finally has two of his top wideouts — Christian Watson and Jayden Reed — healthy at the same time. That should enable Love to continue thriving late in the season but he’s not faced a pass rush like this one.
Broncos player to watch
QB Bo Nix. In his second season, Nix seems to be hitting his stride down the stretch just as he did in his rookie season last year before Jayden Daniels ran away with Rookie of the Year honors. Nix has fixed his footwork issues with three straight solid games in that regard. Like his counterpart with the Packers, Nix will have to deal with an excellent pass rush that could disrupt his rhythm and the progress he’s made of late.
Key matchup
Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons, who has 12½ sacks, vs. Denver’s stout offensive line led by LT Garett Bolles, who has surrendered just a single sack this season.
Key injuries
Packers: Packers RB Josh Jacobs (knee) missed his second straight practice Thursday… DL Lukas Van Ness (foot) has missed seven of Green Bay’s last eight games… LB Kristian Welch, who contributes primarily on special teams, left the Bears game with a concussion… WR Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) played just six snaps and WR Matthew Golden (shoulder) played five against Chicago due to their injuries.
Broncos: Rising rookie WR Pat Bryant (ankle) didn’t practice Wednesday during the game plan installation. ... DT D.J. Jones (ankle) missed last week’s game, but was back at practrice as a full participant. ... Also back practicing are TE Nate Adkins (knee) and OL Ben Powers (biceps).
Series notes
Both teams have taken care of their home field throughout the series. The Broncos are 7-1 against Green Bay at home with their only loss coming in 2007 in overtime. The Packers are 6-0-1 against Denver at home. Of course, the biggest game in the series came in Super Bowl 32 when John Elway and Terrell Davis led the Broncos to a 31-24 win over the Packers, led by Brett Favre and Reggie White.
Stats and stuff
The Packers have won four straight to take over first place in the NFC North… This is the second straight week the Packers have faced a team that’s the projected top seed in its conference. Chicago temporarily had the No. 1 seed in the NFC before losing at Green Bay and falling to the No. 7 position… According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the fourth time the Packers have faced a team that was on at least a 10-game, single-season winning streak. The Packers have gone 2-1 in those games. They beat Detroit 3-0 on Nov. 25, 1934, beat Seattle 23-17 on Jan. 1, 2006, and lost to Detroit 34-31 on Dec. 5, 2024… The Packers have won nine of their last 10 against AFC teams… Jacobs’ 12 touchdown runs put him in a tie for third place in the NFL. He’s behind Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor (15) and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs (13)… WR Christian Watson has five TD catches in his last four games. He had four catches for 89 yards and two TDs against the Bears… DE Micah Parsons and Denver’s Nik Bonitto are tied for third in the NFL with 12½ sacks. They’re behind Cleveland’s Myles Garrett (20) and the New York Giants’ Brian Burns (13). Parsons has an NFL-leading eight sacks in the fourth quarter or overtime. He also has a league-high 87 quarterback pressures, according to NFL Next Gen Stats… CB Keisean Nixon is tied for second in the NFL in passes defensed with 16. He’s behind Cincinnati’s D.J. Turner (17)… The Broncos’ 10-game winning streak is tied with the New England Patriots for the longest active streak in the NFL. Denver hasn’t won this many in a row since 2012, when they finished the regular season an 11-game winning streak during Peyton Manning’s first season with the Broncos… Bo Nix is the first Broncos quarterback to record at least four rushing scores in back-to-back seasons. His eight TD runs are four shy of Tim Tebow for second place in team history… Evan Engram has 40 receptions this season, making him just the second tight end in NFL history with at least 40 catches in each of his first nine NFL seasons. Jeremy Shockey is the other… Marvin Mims Jr. had his first punt return for a touchdown
