The Broncos stand alone at the top of the AFC.
Bo Nix threw four touchdown passes to help the Broncos erase a nine-point deficit in the third quarter and the Broncos defense held tough in the final minute to sew up a 34-26 home win that clinched a playoff spot. It’s the 11th win in a row for the Broncos and they are all alone at the top of the AFC after the Patriots lost to the Bills earlier on Sunday.
Nix had a pair of touchdown passes in the first half, but the Packers got a field goal just before halftime to go into the break with a 16-14 lead. They extended that lead to 23-14 on a 40-yard touchdown run by Josh Jacobs and forced a Broncos punt, but the game turned on their next offensive play. Jordan Love tried a deep pass to wide receiver Christian Watson, but Broncos corner Pat Surtain snagged it while Watson suffered a chest injury that knocked him out for the rest of the game.
Nix threw his third touchdown a few minutes later and the Broncos went in front for good when Nix hit Troy Franklin for No. 4 on the final play of the third quarter. That came after another major injury for a member of the Packers.
Defensive end Micah Parsons grabbed his left knee after a non-contact injury he suffered while pressuring Nix and the Packers believe that he suffered a torn ACL on the play. If that is confirmed, Parsons will miss the rest of the season and the Packers will have to try to clinch a playoff spot without the player they’ve made the centerpiece of their defense this season.
The loss drops the Packers to 9-4-1 on the year and they fell out of first place in the NFC North. They are currently in the final playoff position in the division, although next Saturday’s game in Chicago offers them an opportunity to switch that back around.
Jordan Love threw for 215 yards in the first half, but was just 7-of-18 for 61 yards in the second half. He also threw another interception in the fourth quarter, so the Packers will be looking for a more complete game from him against the Bears.
Nix was 23-of-34 for 302 yards and wideout Courtland Sutton was on the receiving end seven times for 113 yards and a score. They’ll stay at home for another matchup with a division leader in Week 15 and a win over the Jaguars would make the Broncos 13-game winners for the first time since the 2013 season.
Broncos Clips
The Packers lost their lead over the Broncos on the final play of the fourth quarter in Denver and they also lost defensive end Micah Parsons a couple of plays earlier.
Parsons grabbed his left knee while trying to chase down Broncos quarterback Bo Nix on a first down pass. Parsons was able to walk off the field with help from members of the training staff and he went to the locker room for further evaluation of the non-contact injury.
The Packers confirmed it is a knee injury and call Parsons questionable to return.
Nix threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game a couple of plays later and the Broncos now lead the Packers 27-23 with 15 minutes left to play.
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.
The Packers will have their top two running backs in the lineup in Denver on Sunday.
Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson are both active for their game against the Broncos. Jacobs was listed as questionable with a knee injury and Wilson was added to the injury report on Saturday with an illness.
Defensive end Lukas Van Ness is also active. Running back Pierre Strong, offensive lineman Donovan Jennings, defensive lineman Quinton Bohanna, wide receiver Savion Williams, defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse, and defensive lineman Barryn Sorrell are inactive.
Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey will play after being listed as questionable due to a shoulder injury. Wide receiver Pat Bryant, quarterback Sam Ehlinger, cornerback Reese Taylor, linebacker Que Robinson, offensive lineman Geron Christian, defensive lineman Jordan Jackson, and defensive lineman Sai’Vion Jones make up their inactive list.
One of the most underaprecciated coaches in the NFL is Matt LaFleur. It’s time to show some appreciation for what the seven-year Packers coach has accomplished in the most important month of any and every NFL season,
LaFleur has complied a record of 21-4 in December. That matches Vince Lombardi at 21-4-2.
It’s an 84-percent success rate for LaFleur, the highest percentage in December with at least 15 games. A win today at Denver would push LaFleur to 22-4 and 84.6 percent.
The 9-3-1 Packers lead the NFC North. They have a realistic shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC. If LaFleur can keep doing what he’s done in December since getting the job in 2019, they could pull it off.
Packers running back Josh Jacobs’ knee kept him from practicing two days this week, but he returned to the field on Friday and he is set to play against the Broncos on Sunday.
According to multiple reports, Jacobs is expected to play in the matchup of division leaders in Denver. Jacobs was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report.
Jacobs missed Week 12 due to his knee injury, but ran 37 times for 169 yards and a touchdown the last two weeks.
The Packers added No. 2 back Emanuel Wilson to the report on Saturday with an illness. He’s also listed as questionable and they elevated Pierre Strong from the practice squad to provide more depth in their offensive backfield.
