Packers face road test at Broncos

The Green Bay Packers travel west to take on the Broncos in Denver.

• It is only the second December visit to Denver in team history (Week 17 in 1990).
• This is only the fourth time in franchise history that the Packers have faced a team that is entering the game on a single-season winning streak of 10-plus games (Nov. 25, 1934 at Detroit / Jan. 1, 2006 vs. Seattle / Dec. 5, 2024 at Detroit), per the Elias Sports Bureau.
• It is the fourth December game between the two teams, with Green Bay holding a 2-1 advantage.
• It is the Packers' second game in Denver in the last three seasons (2023).
• The regular-season series between the Packers and Broncos is tied at 7-7-1.
• Green Bay has won four of the last six contests between the two clubs.
• The Packers are 1-7 at Denver, with their only victory coming in 2007.
• All but two contests at the Broncos have been decided by 13-plus points.
• This marks the first of three road games in the next four weeks to finish the regular season for the Packers. Green Bay last finished a regular season with three away contests in the last four games in 2017.
• Next week, Green Bay faces the Bears for the second time in three weeks at Chicago on Saturday night. It is the first time since 1998 (Weeks 15 and 17) that the Packers and Bears will meet twice in the regularseason in a three-game span.

WITH THE CALL

CBS will broadcast the game as play-by-play man Jim Nantz joins analyst Tony Romo in the booth with Tracy Wolfson reporting from the sidelines.

• The game is also available through NFL Sunday Ticket by YouTube.
• All Packers games can be heard on the Packers Radio Network, which is made up of 54 stations in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and North and South Dakota. 95.7 BIG F.M. – WRIT-Milwaukee begins its run as the flagship station of the Packers Radio Network. For a map and full listing of radio affiliates, go to packers.com/video/radio-network. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play), two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst), and three-time Packers Pro Bowler John Kuhn (sideline reporter) call the action. McCarren first joined the team's broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 31st season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 27th season of broadcasts together. They surpassed Jim Irwin and Max McGee for the most regular-season and postseason games broadcast for the Packers with 313 at the 2018 season opener against Chicago.
• The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio on channels 137 or 380 and through the app (Packers Radio Network feed).
• Compass Media Networks will be broadcasting the game on radio to a national audience with Josh Lewin (play-by-play) and Chad Brown (analyst) on the call.

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:

Packers at Denver:

• All-time, regular season: 7-7-1
• All-time, postseason: 0-1
• All-time, at Denver (regular season): 1-7
• Streaks: Green Bay has won four of the last six regular-season games played.
• Last meeting, regular season: Oct. 22, 2023, Empower Field, Broncos won, 19-17

COACHES CAPSULES

• Matt LaFleur: 76-36-1, .677; (3-5 postseason); 7th NFL season
• Sean Payton: 181-107-0, .628; (9-9 postseason); 18th NFL season
• Head to Head: LaFleur 1-2 vs. Payton
• vs. Opponent: LaFleur 1-1 vs. Broncos; Payton 6-2 vs. Packers

MATT LaFLEUR…In his seventh season as the Packers' 15th head coach.

• Is in his 17th season in the NFL, having previously served as an offensive coordinator for two seasons (Los Angeles Rams, 2017; Tennessee Titans, 2018), a quarterbacks coach for six seasons (Washington Redskins, 2010-13; Atlanta Falcons, 2015-16), and an offensive assistant for two seasons (Houston Texans, 2008-09).
• In his first six seasons leading the Packers, has authored one of the greatest starts to a head-coaching career in NFL history. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, his 67 wins are the second most in league history by a head coach in his first six seasons in the NFL, trailing only George Seifert (75 in 1989-94). Green Bay's 76-36-1 regular-season record since 2019 is No. 3 in the NFL and ranks No. 1 in the NFC.
• Became the first coach in NFL history to post 13-plus wins in three straight seasons and his 39 wins from 2019-21 passed Seifert (38) for the most wins by an NFL head coach in his first three seasons in the league (Elias). His 39 wins are also tied for the second most by a coach over any three-season span in league history, trailing only Andy Reid's 40 wins with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2020-22 and Mike Ditka's 40 wins with the Chicago Bears from 1985-87 (Elias).
• Led Green Bay to the playoffs last season for the fifth time in six years (tied for No. 3 in the NFL over that span), guiding the two youngest playoff teams in the NFL over the past 45 seasons in 2023 (weighted age of 25.25) and 2024 (25.72).
• In his first season leading the Packers in 2019, became the first coach in club history to guide the team to the playoffs in his debut season. Also led the largest one-year win improvement in team history (plus-seven wins).

SEAN PAYTON…In his third season as the Broncos' 20th head coach.

• Spent 15 seasons as head coach of the New Orleans Saints (2006-11, '13-21), and led the franchise to its first Super Bowl championship (Super Bowl XLIV) during the 2009 season.
• Owns the Saints' top win total and winning percentage, and his 160 regular-season wins are tied with John Harbaugh for fourth among active head coaches, trailing only Andy Reid (258), Mike Tomlin (173) and Mike McCarthy (167).
• Produced nine seasons with 10-plus wins and led New Orleans to the No. 1 seed in the NFC on two occasions (2009, '18).
• Helped QB Bo Nix throw for the second-most passing touchdowns (29) by a rookie in NFL history in 2024.
• In his two seasons as the Broncos' head coach, has helped lead a defensive unit that ranks in the top 10 in interceptions, points per game, touchdown passes allowed and total touchdowns allowed.

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).

THE PACKERS-BRONCOS SERIES

• Green Bay and Denver first met in 1971, and the Packers defeated the Broncos, 34-13, in the inaugural game of the series.
• One of the most iconic games in the series was the Super Bowl XXXII matchup that pitted Packers QB Brett Favre against Broncos QB John Elway. Denver, loser of four previous Super Bowls, beat Green Bay, 31-24, to give the franchise its first Super Bowl victory.
• Green Bay has won four of the last six regular-season contests, allowing fewer than 20 points in four of those six meetings.

CONNECTIONS

Packers players and staff from Colorado: Pass game specialist/game management coach Connor Lewis is from Littleton, Colo., and attended Chatfield High School… Packers players and staff who played college football in Colorado: National scout Sam Seale was a four-year letterman at Western State College in Gunnison, Colo., where he was elected to the Western State College Hall of Fame in 2002…Packers staff with connections to Colorado: Director of performance psychology and team behavioral health clinician Dr. Christopher Carr was a clinical research assistant at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., from 1989-90…Broncos with connections to Wisconsin: G/C Quinn Meinerz is from Hartford, Wis., and played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater… ILB Jordan Turner played four seasons at Wisconsin (2020-23)…Defensive pass game coordinator/assistant head coach Jim Leonhard is from Tony, Wis., and played at Wisconsin from 2001-04…Leonhard then coached at Wisconsin (2016-22), serving as the Badgers' defensive coordinator from 2017-21 and as the interim head coach for the final eight games in 2022…Director of strength and conditioning Shaun Snee spent eight seasons (2015-22) at Wisconsin, serving as the director of football strength and conditioning for his final two years…Assistant strength and conditioning coach Taylor Porter is from Algoma, Wis., and played at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh… Vice president of football operations Kelly Kleine Van Calligan is from Sheboygan, Wis., where she attended Sheboygan North High School…Former Broncos: K Brandon McManus played for the Broncos for nine seasons (2014-22) and was a member of the team that won Super Bowl 50 in the 2015 season…LB Kristian Welch played for the Broncos for a portion of the 2024 season… RB Emanuel Wilson entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Broncos in May 2023…Offensive quality control coach Rob Grosso started his NFL career with the Broncos as a training-camp operations intern in 2015-16, an operations intern in 2017 and an assistant to the head coach in 2018 under current Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph…Vice president of communications Jason Wahlers began his NFL career as a PR intern with the Broncos in 2001-02…Former Packers: TE Marcedes Lewis played for the Packers for five seasons (2018-22)…Senior defensive assistant Joe Vitt coached defensive backs for the Packers in 1999… Assistant strength and conditioning coach Korey Jones was a linebacker for the Packers during the 2014 pre-season…Notable NFL connections: Broncos assistant to head coach Paul Kelly was on the staff in Tampa Bay with Packers assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia and when Packers assistant special teams coach Byron Storer played for the Buccaneers…Kelly was on the Washington Redskins' staff with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur from 2010-13…LaFleur and Broncos assistant OL coach Chris Morgan were both on the Redskins' coaching staff from 2011-13 and on the Atlanta Falcons' coaching staff together from 2015-16…Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was Leonhard's position coach in Cleveland in 2014…Packers DBs coach Ryan Downard was also on the Browns' staff when Leonhard played there in 2014…Bisaccia and Storer coached on the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders' staff with Broncos TEs coach Austin King (2020-21) and CBs coach Addison Lynch (2021)…King and Lynch also crossed paths with Packers CB Nate Hobbs, CB Keisean Nixon and RB Josh Jacobs during their time with the Raiders…Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich and Hafley were on San Francisco's coaching staff when Broncos T Mike McGlinchey and DT D.J. Jones played for the 49ers…Broncos LB Dre Greenlaw also played for the 49ers when Stenavich and Packers strength and conditioning coordinator Aaron Hill were on the coaching staff and G Aaron Banks played there…Banks and Broncos S Talanoa Hufanga were teammates in San Francisco for four seasons (2021-24)…Broncos offensive passing game coordinator/QBs coach Davis Webb played for the N.Y. Jets in 2018 when Packers passing game coordinator Jason Vrable was on the coaching staff… Leonhard played for the Bills in 2013 when Vrable was on the coaching staff…Webb and Broncos TE Evan Engram were teammates with Packers S Xavier McKinney with the N.Y. Giants…Broncos general manager George Paton was the Minnesota Vikings' assistant general manager/ vice president of player personnel in 2020 when Packers QB Sean Mannion played for the Vikings…Joseph served in the same role for the Arizona Cardinals and DL Zach Allen played for the Cardinals when Grosso was on the coaching staff from 2019-22…Packers senior assistant Luke Getsy was the Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator for two seasons, where he worked with King and Morgan, and when Lewis played for the Bears…Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and LBs coach Isaac Shewmaker served on the L.A. Chargers' coaching staff from 2021- 22 with Packers passing game coordinator (defense) Derrick Ansley…King played for the Buccaneers in 2003 when Bisaccia was on the coaching staff…Mannion and Broncos DL John Franklin-Myers were teammates with the L.A. Rams in 2018…Packers executive vice president/ director of football operations Russ Ball was the New Orleans Saints' vice president of football administration from 2006-07, where he crossed paths with Broncos head coach Sean Payton, Lombardi, offensive run game coordinator/assistant head coach Zach Strief, senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael, Vitt and head strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple…Ball and Carmichael also crossed paths in Washington in 2001…Packers OL coach Luke Butkus was on the Jacksonville Jaguars' coaching staff from 2013-15 when Lewis played there…Notable college connections: LaFleur and Packers WRs coach Ryan Mahaffey were on Notre Dame's offensive coaching staff in 2014 when McGlinchey played there…Packers LB Isaiah McDuffie and Broncos DE Zach Allen were teammates at Boston College…Broncos QB Bo Nix and Packers DL Colby Wooden were teammates at Auburn from 2019- 21…Broncos ILBs coach Jeff Schmedding was Wooden's defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2022…Packers QB Malik Willis and Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham shared a QB room at Auburn from 2017-18…Nix and Broncos WR Troy Franklin were teammates with Packers S Evan Williams at Oregon in 2023…Broncos CB Pat Surtain II and OLB Que Robinson were teammates with Jacobs at Alabama in 2020…McKinney and Surtain also played together at Alabama for two seasons (2018-19)…Packers DL Lukas Van Ness and Welch were teammates with Broncos CB Riley Moss at Iowa…Shewmaker and Ansley coached together at Kentucky in 2015…Packers OL Zach Tom and Broncos ILB Justin Strnad played together at Wake Forest for three seasons (2017-19)…Downard was on Texas Tech's coaching staff in 2013 when Webb played there… Hafley and Packers LBs coach Sean Duggan were on Ohio State's defensive coaching staff in 2019 when Broncos OLB Jonathon Cooper played there…Other notable connections: Lombardi is the grandson of former Packers head coach Vince Lombardi…Packers TE Luke Musgrave's uncle, Bill Musgrave, played quarterback for the Broncos in 1995-96.