Good morning, Broncos Country!
After a punch to the gut, the Denver Broncos have two choices.
Take what happened to the Chicago Bears and use it as motivation to play how the Broncos know they’re capable, or they can let the two-game losing streak fester. It’s cliche, but that’s how the Broncos have to approach today’s game at the Green Bay Packers. Hopefully that’s how Denver has approached the week of practice that leads up to today’s game.
As I told Adam Malnati on the MHR Radio Podcast (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify), I think the late touchdown and two-point conversion against Chicago will build the confidence of Joe Flacco and the offense. For the first time in the short season, the Broncos offense finally had some success in the red zone. It’s been said over and over again, but when a team gets 27 first downs and only scores 14 points, it won’t win.
The way I described Denver’s offense in the red zone on my Broncos Blast segment is a drunk leaving the bar. Flacco and the Broncos have been able to move the ball the first two weeks, they just need to finish with touchdowns. The end of the Bears game is hopefully that confidence builder I mentioned earlier agains the Packers.
If Denver does finish drives with touchdowns today against the Packers, it has a great shot at winning the first game in Vic Fangio’s head-coaching career and of the season.
Broncos in Wisconsin
For those not on Twitter, I do a weekly thread for Denver’s non-divisional opponents. In the process of writing this week’s thread, the most fascinating tidbit was Denver didn’t play its first game at Lambeau Field until 1993.
The first two games the Broncos played against the Packers in Wisconsin were played at Milwaukee County Stadium — a 34-13 Green Bay win on Sept. 26, 1971, and a 17-17 tie on Sept. 20, 1987. The first game at Lambeau was a 30-27 loss on Oct. 10, 1993.
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Horse Tracks
#NFL100's Greatest Plays: Elway ties the game with 'The Drive'
John Elway's touchdown to Mark Jackson to cap
Through My Eyes: Emmanuel Sanders knows all about football’s highs and lows
Sanders takes you through his recovery from injury and staying positive as the team looks for a win in Green Bay.
Klis List: How the Broncos can pull off the upset at Green Bay | 9news.com
Start by firing up the pass rush against Aaron Rodgers.
Does Royce Freeman deserve more carries? Broncos offense looks to find traction on ground
The Broncos' offensive issues can be traced directly to abysmal first halves. Denver has scored three points in four first-half quarters. The deficits have made them more one dimensional and neutralized their own pass rush.
Packers' Bakhtiari, Bulaga up for Round 3 of the pass-rusher gauntlet - Green Bay Packers- ESPN
After facing the Bears and Vikings the first two weeks, the Packers' tackles are gearing up for another big test: Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.
NFL defends last-second clock stoppage in Denver – ProFootballTalk
Broncos coach Vic Fangio thinks he got screwed twice on the last drive of what should have been his first career win. The league thinks he actually got screwed only once. Although the NFL reportedly told G.M.
Matt LaFleur’s Packers offense looks a lot like Mike McCarthy’s early on - SBNation.com
Barring a handful of big plays, the 2019 Packers’ offense looks pretty familiar.
NFL Tracks
Can Eli Manning still be an NFL starting quarterback in 2020? A debate - SBNation.com
The demoted Giants quarterback will be 39 years old next year. Would he have anything left to give?
Who do we blame for all the holding penalties this NFL season? - SBNation.com
In this week’s mailbag, Geoff Schwartz discusses the increase in holding calls, what it’s like to pass protect for mobile QBs, and how his diet differed from today’s players.
How Kliff Kingsbury can fix the Arizona Cardinals’ red zone issues - SBNation.com
The Cardinals have had one of the worst red zone offenses so far this year. Geoff Schwartz explains what they can do to change that.
Antonio Brown: NFL teams have been warned, but will they listen?
Antonio Brown received the lifetime achievement award that was coming to him when even the Patriots decided they couldn’t put up with him anymore.
The NFL is complicit in Antonio Brown’s self-sabotage - The Washington Post
Once a hard-working free spirit who was easy to root for, the wide receiver is now a bullying, insubordinate jock twice accused of sexual misconduct.
Immaculate Reception, Franco Harris' miracle 1972 touchdown, tops NFL's top 100 plays - CNN
There's always a debate, it seems, around the "Immaculate Reception," the unbelievable winning play from a 1972 AFC divisional playoff game in which Pittsburgh Steelers halfback Franco Harris plucked a deflected pass and ran for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Start to NFL season has been a nightmare for league - The Boston Globe
The deluge of negative publicity is reflecting poorly on everyone — the sport, the teams, and the players.
Cardinals GM: 'We're not trading' Patrick Peterson - NFL.com
Cardinals GM Steve Keim was mum on trading for Jalen Ramsey, but insisted suspended CB Patrick Peterson is not going anywhere and they're "not trading Pat."
Graziano - How NFL players are taking control, and what the league could do next
There's a growing trend of NFL player empowerment. And if you think the league isn't alarmed about it, you're wrong.