Packers (9-3-1) at Broncos (11-2)<\/p>\n
When:\u00a02:25 p.m. Sunday<\/p>\n
Where:\u00a0Empower Field at Mile High Stadium<\/p>\n
TV\/radio:\u00a0CBS, 850 AM\/94.1 FM<\/p>\n
Broncos-Packers series:\u00a0There\u2019s not a long history of this inter-conference matchup, with the Broncos and Packers knotted at an even 7-7-1 in 15 total games in the franchises\u2019 history. They last met in a 19-17 Broncos win in 2023, which was Sean Payton\u2019s and Vance Joseph\u2019s first real look at Packers quarterback Jordan Love in the post Aaron-Rodgers era in Green Bay.<\/p>\n
In the spotlight: Micah Parsons, destroyer of worlds<\/p>\n
In late August, when the Dallas Cowboys made the move so titanic that NFL Network\u2019s Ian Rapoport felt the need to tweet \u201cthis is real,\u201d<\/a> Sean Payton just sort of \u2026 shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a trade happens \u2013- you\u2019re focused on whatever you\u2019re doing,\u201d Payton recalled Wednesday. \u201cSo, two NFC teams make a trade, and it\u2019s news, but.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, though, the Broncos\u2019 chase for a No. 1 seed is made significantly more complicated by the presence of Micah Parsons on the opposing sidelines Sunday. After a lengthy contract dispute with the Cowboys that had ripple effects to most every corner of the NFL world \u2014 including Denver, where star pass-rusher Nik Bonitto was trying to negotiate his own extension<\/a> \u2014 Dallas owner Jerry Jones decided to cut bait with one of the best pass-rushers in the league and sent Parsons to Green Bay just before the start of the season. The lack of a training camp hasn\u2019t hurt the 2021 first-round pick; Parsons is on pace for a career-high sack total (12.5 in 13 games with the Packers).<\/p>\n The Broncos didn\u2019t see him in October, then, in taking a buzzsaw to the Cowboys\u2019 defense in a 44-24 win. They\u2019ll see him in December, now, as Denver tries to keep a 10-game win streak alive against a Packers opponent that\u2019s as complete a team that they\u2019ve seen all season. Parsons was the cherry on top. Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley coaches a sixth-ranked defense that gets after opposing quarterbacks and doesn\u2019t get beat over the top.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s extremely explosive,\u201d Payton said of Parsons. \u201cHe\u2019s got unique bend and balance, for someone at that position. So he\u2019s a handful. He\u2019s a rare-type player.\u201d<\/p>\n And he\u2019s rare in his utilization too, presenting a tougher challenge for the Broncos\u2019 offensive line than they\u2019ve seen all season. Next Gen Stats\u2019 game-by-game charts of Parsons\u2019 angles to the quarterback look they\u2019re sketched by a child who has yet to master spatial awareness, as the Packers line the outside linebacker up at virtually every spot across their defensive line.<\/p>\n Micah Parsons generated 10 pressures and 2.5 sacks on Thanksgiving for a 38.5% pressure rate, his highest in a game since his rookie season.<\/p>\n Parsons created 4 pressures and recorded 1.5 sacks on just 6 pass rushes on third downs.<\/p>\n Powered by @awscloud<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/9KxTO8RAVI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles is continuing a strong push for the NFL\u2019s inaugural Protector of the Year award, and right tackle Mike McGlinchey did a bang-up job in warding off Raiders world-beater Maxx Crosby last week. But Denver\u2019s entire front will be tested on Sunday, as Parsons is adept at rushing from the interior. This may well be the toughest game of guard Alex Palczewski\u2019s career, who\u2019s stabilized Denver\u2019s offensive line in the wake of Ben Powers\u2019 injury but has allowed nine pressures across his past three games, according to Pro Football Focus.<\/p>\n \u201cHe lines up to the right, to the left,\u201d Payton said Wednesday. \u201cYou try to chart it, you try to track it. They do a good job looking at their own tendencies, self-scouting.\u201d<\/p>\n Quietly, after a first-quarter start where they barely let anyone lay a finger on quarterback Bo Nix, the Broncos\u2019 offensive line has been slightly more porous in recent months. Nix has been pressured on over 30% of his dropbacks in three of his past five games, and his numbers under duress remain unsightly in an up-and-down sophomore campaign: he ranks 33rd out of 34 qualified quarterbacks in passer rating (50.1) when under pressure this season.<\/p>\n Shut down Parsons, and the Broncos can continue to shut down national doubt about their true identity as a contender on Sunday. Let him roam free, and their hold on the AFC will slip.<\/p>\n Who has the edge?<\/p>\n When Broncos run:\u00a0The good news \u2014 rookie R.J. Harvey is hitting his three-down stride at the perfect point in the season, putting together a 100-yard performance on 23 touches against the Raiders last Sunday. The other good news \u2014 Payton experimented to general success with a three-back system in Vegas, with Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie both getting the occasional early-down touch. The Packers have one of the best overall defenses in the NFL, but they have surrendered some chunk yardage in recent weeks to backfield duos like the Bears\u2019 D\u2019Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai (a combined 120 rushing yards last Sunday) and the Lions\u2019 Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery (a combined 100 the week before).\u00a0Edge: Even<\/p>\n When Broncos pass:\u00a0The Packers don\u2019t really get beat deep, allowing the eight-fewest yards per game on passes of 20-plus yards. They also definitely don\u2019t get beat short, allowing the fewest yards per play on short passes of any NFL defense, according to Next Gen Stats. Quarterbacks have had the most success attacking Green Bay in the intermediate part of the field. On a related note, Bo Nix is 32nd out of 34 qualified quarterbacks in passer rating on passes between 10 and 19 yards downfield.\u00a0Edge:\u00a0Packers<\/p>\n