Broncos are underdogs at home against Packers despite 10-game win streak
DENVER AP For the first time in a decade Denver Broncos - stand atop the AFC playoff race heading into the holidays They re the league s only unbeaten crew at home They ve won consecutive games and they ve saddled their last visitors with a loss going back months And they are -point underdogs at home to the Green Bay Packers - - on Sunday according to BetMGM Sportsbook It s the NFL s Week 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 announced 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 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 peaceful win at Las Vegas and tied another mark with four straight wins by a field goal or less The Broncos have grown accustomed to all the doubters who view their pile of close victories with more suspicion than admiration and who keep suggesting their live-on-the-edge habits don t make for a sustainable winning recipe Personally I couldn t care less All-Pro kick returner Marvin Mims Jr stated But I mean chosen 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 revealed with a laugh So that s all that matters Watson s emergence Packers wide receiver Christian Watson didn t start playing until Oct as he returned from a torn ACL but the second-round pick still could end up having his best season Watson has scored five touchdowns all in his last four games He has catches for 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 declared I think he keeps elevating and getting better and better Packers facing a streaking unit According to Elias Sports Bureau this marks the second straight year and the fourth time ever that the Packers have faced a club that has won at least straight games with all the victories in the same season Last season the Packers lost - at Detroit for the Lions th straight preeminence The Packers won their other two times in this situation They beat Detroit - on Nov and they defeated Seattle - on Jan 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 - preeminence at Lambeau Field on Sunday The Packers face the Bears again on Dec in Chicago What a great challenge coach Matt LaFleur mentioned 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 - sandwiched around a Christmas night match at Kansas City where the Broncos haven t won since Premier pass rushers Sunday s event features two of the NFL s largest part prolific pass rushers in Green Bay s Parsons and Denver s Bonitto They each have sacks this season putting them in a tie for third in the league Since the NFL started officially tracking sacks in Parsons is the first athlete to have at least in each of his first five seasons Bonitto could join Simon Fletcher as the only Broncos ever to have at least 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 sacks putting them on pace for which would tie the NFL record set by the Bears I think they have a really solid group all around Love reported 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 -on- matchups It s a little bit different than a band 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 performer of the year Pat Surtain II There s sometimes you see on film when he s emerging on things before the receiver s even emerging Love explained I think it just goes into his film analysis his knowledge of the battle and his confidence in himself I think he does a lot of things at a very high level AP Sports Writers Pat Graham and Steve Megargee contributed to this overview AP NFL https apnews com hub nfl Source
