Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos: Full Green Bay Game Preview
The Green Bay Packers will hit the road after a week off to take on the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football in a matchup of two 6-0 teams.
Both teams, coming off their respective bye weeks, will meet in just the fourth game ever between two undefeated teams with six or more wins in NFL history—and the first since 2007.
This Week 8 prime-time showdown not only features two of the league's best squads, but it also pits a few top-ranked units against one another.
Green Bay's defense ranks first overall in points allowed (16.8 per game), while Denver's isn't too far behind in a tie for second (17.0). And on the other side of the ball, the Packers boast the fifth-highest scoring offense (27.3) in comparison to the 14th-ranked Broncos (23.2).
Judging by the numbers, this matchup should be the highlight of the Week 8 slate of games—and potentially all of 2015.
Sunday will be just the 13th matchup in the regular season between Green Bay and Denver. The Packers own a 6-5-1 advantage in the series and have won five of the last six games—including the last time the teams faced off in 2011.
There will be enough time to hype this game up later on, but for now, let's look at the specific notes, news and storylines heading into Green Bay's Sunday night matchup with Denver.
Viewing Info
Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High; Denver, Colorado
Date: Sunday, November 1
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Week 6 Results and Recap
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NFC North Standings
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Streak |
| Green Bay Packers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 164 | 101 | W6 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 | 124 | 102 | W2 |
| Chicago Bears | 2 | 4 | 0 | .333 | 120 | 179 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 1 | 6 | 0 | .143 | 139 | 200 | L1 |
Week 6 Recap
Since the Packers had a bye last week, we'll go back and review their Week 6 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
Green Bay won a tight one at home, 27-20, that came down to a final San Diego drive and a 4th-and-goal from the Packers 3-yard line with 20 seconds to go.
Sounds daunting, right? Not for Damarious Randall. The rookie cornerback broke up a pass intended for running back Danny Woodhead in the end zone that could've ultimately sent the game into overtime.
The clutch play was a little surprising solely due to the fact that Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was in the midst of leading an 80-yard, game-tying two-minute drill on a day where he looked unbeatable through the air.
Rivers set franchise marks in the loss with career highs in completions (43), pass attempts (65) and passing yards (503) to go along with two touchdown passes. As it turned out, he needed one more completion and score to give the Chargers a chance to end Green Bay's unbeaten start to 2015.
Although Green Bay's defense turned in an awful performance, Aaron Rodgers orchestrated an offensive attack that yet again scored just enough to come away with a victory. He would finish with 255 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-29 passing—an eight-yard strike in the corner of the end zone to James Jones near the end of the third quarter helped put the Packers up 24-17.
Running back James Starks, who saw more touches than usual starter Eddie Lacy, had an impressive day on the ground. He ran for 112 yards and scored two touchdowns—one on an athletic 65-yard run and another on a five-yard shovel pass from Rodgers.
News and Notes
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Coach McCarthy After Bye Weeks
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is one of the best in games following a bye week. The Packers are on a six-game winning streak in post-bye games and haven't lost one since 2008. In his career at the helm in Green Bay, McCarthy is 8-1 in games after the bye—matching Marv Levy for the best record by an NFL coach in such games (minimum of eight).
McCarthy's recipe for success might be simply giving his players an entire week off during the bye—nearly twice as many days as the most recent collective bargaining agreement requires. He did it last year and went ahead with the strategy last week as well, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky.
Interestingly enough, the Packers are currently three-point favorites on the road against Denver in this matchup of unbeaten teams, according to Odds Shark.
Letroy Guion Controversy
If you're a dedicated Packers fan, this report by Michael Cohen and John Diedrich of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is worth a read.
The report covers the details of Guion's February arrest for gun and drug felony charges, in addition to other not-so-pretty specifics of the defensive tackle's apparent shady past. Cohen and Diedrich reported that Guion was not only the financier of drug dealers in Florida, according to a Starke, Florida, police sergeant's deposition, but he was also charged in at least two domestic violence incidents in the past.
As Diedrich and Cohen mentioned, "The charges were dropped in two of the criminal cases. Guion paid restitution in the third and avoided additional punishment."
Whether or not these reports are 100 percent accurate, it'll be tough for the Green Bay organization to let this pass without explaining it. Domestic violence issues surrounding Greg Hardy and Ray Rice last year have made the topic a hot item not only in the NFL, but in society all across the country.
When asked about the Journal Sentinel's article during Wednesday's press conference, McCarthy had this to say, via Brendan Kennedy of SB Nation's Acme Packing Company:
"First of all, I'm not going to react to the article. I thought it was garbage. The fact of the matter is we take a lot of pride in our program here. We have a lot of guys who make mistakes, there have been second chances. There's a thorough process that goes on continuously. We're all being evaluated. We all have bosses, but this program is something that's been built over 10 years here. I personally take a lot of pride in the program. Unfortunately, we'll have someone that's probably going to make a mistake in the future. We'll evaluate it and move forward.
"
We'll see if there's any collateral damage from the report. For now, Guion—who served a three-game suspension to start the season—remains on Green Bay's roster.
Latest Injury News
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Week 8 Injury Report
| Player | Position | Injury | Status |
| Davante Adams | WR | Ankle | LP |
| Morgan Burnett | S | Calf | LP |
| Ty Montgomery | WR | Ankle | DNP |
| Nate Palmer | LB | Chest | FP |
| Nick Perry | LB | Shoulder/Hand | LP |
| B.J. Raji | DT | Groin | LP |
| James Starks | RB | Hip | DNP |
Note: Official injury report courtesy of Packers.com.
DNP = Did not participate in Wednesday's practice; LP = Limited participation; FP = Full participation.
Notes
The bye week is supposed to be a time for teams to get healthy with extra rest. For a few notable Packers, the week off seems to have been worth it, as Davante Adams and Morgan Burnett are expected to be back in game action Sunday against the Broncos.
However, Green Bay could be without its leading rusher from Week 6 after James Starks sat out practice Wednesday with a hip injury he suffered in the win over the Chargers. Starks, who declined to discuss his injury with reporters after practice, was rehabbing all last week in Green Bay during the bye, according to Demovsky.
"I was here every day during the bye week and so was James," McCarthy said, via Demovsky. "He's been working on this all week."
It remains to be seen if Starks will suit up for Sunday night's game, but not participating in practice at all Wednesday isn't a good sign.
The only other player held out of practice so far this week was rookie wide receiver Ty Montgomery, who left the Chargers game with an ankle injury.
The loss of Montgomery should be more than made up with the addition of a now-healthy Adams, who's missed the last three games with his own sprained ankle he originally suffered in Week 2. The second-year receiver would slot in right away as the deep threat in a passing game that's noticeably been struggling lately.
The Packers also finally get back their best player in the secondary in strong safety Morgan Burnett. The defensive leader is recovering from an ailing calf injury that's kept him out of five of the first six games this season.
At this point, Green Bay can use all the help it can get in a defensive backfield coming off a recent torching at the right hand of Philip Rivers and set to face Peyton Manning. Burnett will not only help in the passing game, but the safety should bolster a run defense that's suffered in his absence.
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Top Matchups
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Packers O-line vs. Broncos Pass Rush
When facing a defense that is one of the NFL's best against both the pass and run, it's tough for any team to find an edge. The Packers, though, have the best chance of scoring behind the arm of their quarterback.
To do so, Rodgers will need all the protection he can get up front—starting with the offensive line.
The Broncos enter this week first in the league in sacks (26) and passing yards allowed per game (192), but it's their fourth-ranked run defense that presents a bigger challenge for Green Bay. If Starks is a no-go for Sunday night—he was held out of practice Wednesday with a hip injury—that leaves the Packers relying on a struggling Lacy, who saw just four carries last game and is averaging a mediocre 3.9 yards per rush this season.
So it comes down to the Packers O-line holding off a relentless Denver pass rush long enough to allow Rodgers to make plays through the air—or with his legs, as he's prone to do.
The players to watch on the Broncos' side of things are outside linebackers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware—three and 4.5 sacks, respectively—although almost everyone on the defensive unit gets in on the action. Eleven different Denver defenders have tallied at least one sack, and seven of those have two or more.
Meanwhile, Green Bay's line has allowed just 11 sacks on the season—good for a tie for sixth in the league—and seems to have grown stronger as a unit with veteran right tackle Bryan Bulaga back from injury for the third straight game.
Packers Secondary vs. Broncos Wide Receivers
The Broncos boast two of the league's best pass-catchers in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Each has 527 receiving yards so far this season and could cause Green Bay's defensive backs some headaches on Sunday.
Much has been said of quarterback Peyton Manning's early-season struggles, but the fact remains that he can still punish a careless secondary if it allows Thomas and Sanders to get open.
If the same unit shows up that allowed Rivers to have his way in Week 6 to the tune of 503 passing yards, it could be a long night for the secondary. Fortunately, the Packers should have Burnett back to shore up the coverage and bring an added presence in the run defense.
The key for Green Bay will be forcing interceptions on defense. Manning has thrown at least one in every game this year, including multiple-pick outings over the last three games.
The emergence of Ronnie Hillman in the Denver run game is one thing to worry about, but shutting down an up-and-down passing attack could mean the difference between a win and a loss Sunday.
X-Factor
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Packers X-factor of the Week: WR Davante Adams
Adams, who's missed nearly four full games due to a sprained left ankle, could play Sunday night and become a factor on offense right away.
The second-year receiver practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, but he appears ready to go against the Broncos this weekend, per Demovsky.
With rookie wideout Ty Montgomery sidelined right now with an ankle injury of his own, Adams would fill right in as the third option alongside Randall Cobb and James Jones in a receiving corps that's struggled to get open for Rodgers.
"It'll be great to get Davante back because he adds another dimension outside with his quick-twitch ability," Rodgers said after a Week 6 victory over San Diego, via Demovsky.
As Rodgers pointed out, even Adams' mere presence will make the Packers offense better. The speedy wideout presents a deep threat on the outside that opposing secondaries have to respect and thus sometimes dedicate a safety over top.
This could open up options for Rodgers underneath to target the Cobbs and Joneses of the world.
"He brings more experience, somebody that Aaron has trust in, another playmaker," Cobb said, per Demovsky. "It's definitely going to be huge to get him back when he comes back."
Prediction: Packers 23, Broncos 17
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There's no question this matchup between two undefeated teams will be a close one. The Packers and Broncos are two of the league's best, and both still will be relevant three months from now in the playoffs.
Ultimately, this game will come down to whether or not Manning and Denver's offense can keep pace with their counterparts on the other side of the ball.
Both defenses are two of the league's best—Green Bay is first in points allowed and Denver tied for second—but the Packers have the advantage on offense. With Rodgers in his prime against an older, struggling version of Manning, this game could very well be a passing of the guard—if it hasn't been stolen away already.
It doesn't get much better than Rodgers versus Manning, though.
The two have only faced each other once before—in 2008—when Rodgers was in his first year as Green Bay's starter and Manning was the king in Indianapolis.
It's a little different this time around.
Prediction: Packers 23, Broncos 17
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