Yes, there are doubters and no they don’t live in Denver. The Denver Broncos won their 11th straight game by looking like they would get run over by the Green Bay Packers early. Instead, they settled in and dominated the Packers in the second half defensively.
Offensively, Bo Nix played the best game of his career. He completed 23/34 for 303 yards and four touchdowns. He made throws in the most pressure of moments and was a literal magician at times. I was mesmerized in the third quarter. The guy
was insane during that quarter especially.
At 12-2, the Broncos are the only 12-win team and in firm control of their AFC destiny.
Broncos vs. Packers final score
First Quarter
The Broncos — predictably — came out cold on offense, but the Packers offense was anything but to start the game. After opening up with a field goal, thanks in large part to a great third down stop by Talanoa Hufanga, they would get the ball back again at their own three yard line
They would eat up the rest of the first quarter marching down the field via Jordan Love carving up the Broncos secondary. Denver’s defense would hold in the red zone, though, and the Packers would ultimately add a field goal very early in the second quarter to close out that long first quarter drive.
Packers 3, Broncos 0. Full first quarter recap.
Second Quarter
The Broncos offense responded to that scoring drive with one of their own. They would need to convert three third downs along the way, with the last one being this 20 yard catch and run by Michael Bandy.
Unfortunately, the Broncos defense just couldn’t figure out how to stop Jordan Love and the Packers passing attack. On their next drive, they would eventually find running room too. Their drive would be capped by a third down conversion of their own with an outstanding catch by Josh Jacobs over the head of Dre Greenlaw.
Bo Nix and the Broncos would answer on the very next drive. Two plays into that drive, Nix unloaded deep to a wide open Courtland Sutton for a 42-yard gain. Nix would stay hot from there ultimately finding Lil’Jordan Humphrey from five yards out to put the Broncos back on top with just under two minutes left in the half.
Nix would finish the half 11/12 for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was about as perfect as you could be in the first half.
Denver’s defensive woes continued, though, as Green Bay would march right down the field in the final two minutes to put up another field goal and take the lead into halftime.
Packers 16, Broncos 14. Full second quarter recap.
Third Quarter
This portion of the recap is reserved for NFL officiating in the modern NFL. It’s terrible. It’s awful. It’s ruining the sport. They have go to fix it. This call should never have been made and it led directly to a touchdown that put the Broncos down by nine.
Fortunately for the Broncos, a Pat Surtain II interception and Bo Nix the magician reset the score to two points. Nix made some big time throws on that drive, which culminated with this beauty to Courtland Sutton to bring get Denver back into the game.
After forcing a punt finally, the Broncos got another chance to put up points. Bo Nix was playing some of the best football of his career in the third quarter. He would lead them down the field and on the last play of the quarter fire this beautiful pass over the middle to Troy Franklin for his fourth touchdown pass of the game.
Broncos 27, Packers 23. Full third quarter recap.
Fourth Quarter
Jordan Love and the Packers offense just kept finding ways to stay alive in the game, however. Despite falling back behind again, they held their composure and didn’t let the Broncos defense gain and keep any momentum. Somehow, the defense continued to find a way to bend without breaking. They would hold just inside the red zone to force another Brandon McManus field goal to cut the lead to one point with just under 11 minutes left in the game.
On their ensuing possession, Nix and the Broncos got things going early with a strike over the middle to Courtland Sutton to midfield on the second play. From there, Nix would hit Troy Franklin for nine and take a loss on a run. A third down incompletion deep to Sutton setup a fourth and three for Denver. They’d run the same exact route to Sutton deep and Nix would deal to get the Broncos down to the 15 yard line.
The drive would stall out three plays later after Nix tried to fire a pass low and away to Lil’Jordan Humphrey, but the Packers were called offsides on the third down play to give them a first and goal inside of the five yard line.
RJ Harvey would punch it in from four yards out from there to put the Broncos up by eight points with seven and a half minutes left in the game.
On the Packers next possession, Zach Allen got interior pressure on Jordan Love on second down causing his pass to sail a bit where Riley Moss came down with the interception in prime field position to go up two scores.
The Packers defense came up with the necessary stops, however, and the Broncos were faced with a fourth and three and looked like they were going to go for it at the Packers 45-yard line. They called a timeout even, which meant they were definitely going for it. Nix got happy feet and fired an errant pass to give the Packers the ball back with great field position.
Needing a touchdown, Jordan Love and the Packers offense tried to get a touchdown drive going. After crossing midfield, things got a little harry for them with Dondrea Tillman making a second down sack to force a third and 16. Love completed short over the middle to bring up a fourth and 10. They’d go for it and the Orange Rush would chase Love down for yet another sack by Jonathon Cooper and Zach Allen for a turnover on downs.
All the Broncos’ needed to do from there was get one first down. They would come up just short, but on fourth and inches they would hand off to Adam Prentice who would get stopped for a loss with a minute to go in the game.
From their own 38, Love and the Packers would have one more chance to tie the game up. They would quickly find themselves in a fourth and 15 after a penalty where Love would have his pass batted incomplete to secure their 11th straight win.
Broncos 34, Packers 26.
