3 Players Who Must Step Up for Packers to Beat Broncos in Week 15

This feels like it could be the biggest game of the season for the Green Bay Packers. At 9-3-1 and in first place in the NFC North, they head out to Empower Field at Mile High to take on the 11-2 Denver Broncos.

The Broncos are currently the top team in the AFC West and the No. 1 seed in the AFC as a whole, so this game will be a massive test for the Packers.

A win would prove to the entire NFL, and perhaps to themselves, that this is a team capable of winning a Super Bowl. After all, this is a matchup that we could very well end up seeing in Super Bowl LX.

A loss would in no way ruin Green Bay’s Super Bowl hopes, especially if its a competitive loss, but the Packers have to be cognizant of the 9-4 Chicago Bears and 8-5 Detroit Lions nipping at their heels.

The Pack are riding a four game winning streak and the only thing better than that is a five game winning streak.

In order for that to happen, these three players will have to step up to deliver the Packers another victory.

Running back Josh Jacobs was questionable to play in this game until a report came out on Saturday night saying that despite the knee injury he’s been nursing for the past few weeks, he will play in this one:

Jacobs is the heartbeat of the offense and even at 50-percent, he’s one of the best running backs in the NFL.

The Broncos have an elite run defense (giving up just 89 yards per game on the ground), but Matt LaFleur and the Packers need to fight fire with fire in this one. Especially in the red zone, where he’s elite, the Packers need to get Jacobs the football.

This doesn’t have to be a 25-plus carry game, but the Packers do need to get Jacobs touches in the right situations.

Rashan Gary has not been playing good football as of late. That’s disappointing considering the resources the Packers have poured into helping him out. You can make the case that one of the reasons general manager Brian Gutekunst traded for Micah Parsons was because Gary, a former first-round pick, has been so middling so far in his career.

He has 7.5 sacks on the season but hasn’t notched a sack since October 26. He also only has three quarterback hits in the last six games.

The Broncos have a young quarterback in Bo Nix who has been playing good football, but young quarterbacks do get rattled by pressure.

We know Parsons is going to get after him in this one, but the Packers need Gary to step up as well.

The Broncos have a really good defense. We already touched on their rushing defense, but it’s an elite unit as whole. They lead the league in sacks with 55, and they’re third in the NFL in total defense, giving up just 282 yards per game.

The Packers’ offense has been clicking lately, but this feels like a game where LaFleur is going to have to ask Jordan Love to air it out and spread it around.

Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs are going to be his natural targets, but could Matthew Golden be the X-factor in this one?

He’s firmly down the depth chart now after dealing with injuries in this second half of the season, but he still possesses all the talent that made him a first round pick. He’s fast, has great hands, and he’s proven in minimal snaps this season that he can be clutch.

The Packers need someone who can put them over the edge against this elite defense, and perhaps Golden can be that guy. He hasn’t found the end zone yet in his NFL career. \

This would be a great time for his first touchdown.

3 Players Who Must Step Up for Packers to Beat Broncos in Week 15

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