The Packers tried a deep shot to wide receiver Christian Watson in the third quarter of Sunday’s game in Denver and it wound up going wrong in a couple of ways.
Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain picked off the pass and Watson remained down holding his left side after the play. Watson was eventually helped off the field and stayed on the sideline for a few minutes before going back to the locker room for further evaluation.
The Packers call the wideout questionable to return with a chest injury.
The Broncos moved the ball quickly after the turnover and quarterback Bo Nix connected with wide receiver Courtland Sutton for his third touchdown pass of the afternoon. That cut Green Bay’s lead to 23-21 with 9:07 to play in the third.
Packers running back Josh Jacobs was listed as questionable to play on Sunday because of a knee injury, but he’s looking just fine on the field in Denver.
Jacobs broke free for a 40-yard touchdown run on the first possession of the second half and the Packers now lead the Broncos 23-14. Jacobs also scored the first touchdown of the game for Green Bay when he held onto a Jordan Love pass with Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw all over him in the end zone.
Jacobs’ touchdown came on the third play of the half and it came one play after Broncos corner Riley Moss was flagged for defensive pass interference.
The Broncos ruled out linebacker Justin Strnad (ankle) and safety Brandon Jones (pectoral) coming out of the halftime break. Wide receiver Marvin Mims is questionable to return with a stinger.
The Packers scored points on all four of their first half possessions and they forced the only turnover of the first 30 minutes, but they only have a slim lead at halftime in Denver.
Bo Nix threw a pair of touchdown passes for the Broncos and the Packers had to settle for Brandon McManus field goals on three of their four possessions. The fourth was a Jordan Love touchdown pass to running back Josh Jacobs and the Packers are up 16-14 as a result.
Love is 17-of-22 for 215 yards, but the Packers have been hampered by six penalties so far on Sunday. There was a seventh on the play before the Jacobs touchdown, but the Broncos declined it to set up a third-and-goal from the 14-yard line that the Packers were able to convert. The Packers had right tackle Zach Tom go down with a knee injury and he’s considered questionable to return.
Nix is 11-of-12 for 122 yards and the Broncos have also had a few costly penalties. They also saw rookie running back RJ Harvey lose a fumble on the first drive of the game, so both teams will be trying for cleaner performances over the final 30 minutes.
The Broncos defense has bent, but it hasn’t broken and that gave their offense enough time to find its footing against the Packers.
Quarterback Bo Nix ended the team’s third possession of the first half by finding a wide open Michael Bandy while rolling out on a third down from the Green Bay 20-yard line. The wide receiver cruised into the end zone for his first NFL touchdown and the Broncos are up 7-6 as a result.
Running back RJ Harvey lost a fumble on the first Denver drive and the second ended with a punt after three plays. The third drive got some help from a Packers personal foul and Nix hit wideouts Courtland Sutton and Lil’Jordan Humphrey for first downs.
The Packers have been able to move the ball a bit, but penalties have helped to stall both of their drives short of the end zone. They’ll also be without tight end Josh Whyle for the rest of the day as he was ruled out after being evaluated for a concussion.
Things are already getting spicy in Denver.
Thirty minutes before kickoff, the Packers and Broncos got into a scuffle on the field.
Here’s a video of a portion of the incident.
It will be interesting to see whether any fines eventually are levied against any of the players involved. For now, it makes a potential Super Bowl preview even more intriguing, with both teams bringing a little extra zeal to this one.
The Broncos are underdogs at home, and with the Patriots losing Denver now has the longest active winning streak, at 10.
