The Denver Broncos have been nearly unbeatable at home. They’ve won ten in a row regardless of where they play, but home field advantage still isn’t enough for the oddsmakers to install them as favorites this Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, despite the fact that Green Bay’s 9-3-1 record isn’t quite as good.
But the Packers are still 2.5 point favorites, and many fans and experts think that’s a sign of a lack of respect for the Broncos. But it doesn’t bother linebacker Nik Bonitto, who uses it as the chip on his shoulder to get both himself and his teammates energized.
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“I love it. It fuels me, honestly,” Bonitto said, via Arnie Melendrez Stapleton of the Associated Press in a story written by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “I like when people doubt us. They can stay on that side. We’ll go out and prove what we’ve got to prove.”
The Broncos’ team sack pace has slowed recently, but they’re still winning games. The sack slowdown was probably inevitable, given that Denver was on track to dust the record set by the Chicago Bears back in 1984, but this week they’ll have the home crowd backing them in one of the toughest environments in the NFL.
But Bonitto is still going strong. He won’t break any all-time sack records, but he basically won the game against the Washington Commanders in overtime, and he still has to be considered a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.
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As for the betting line, the perception behind the betting line is that Green Bay’s offense is far better than Denver, coupled with the fact that linebacker Micah Parsons and the rest of the defense can slow or even shut down quarterback Bo Nix and the Denver offense. Throw in the fact that the Broncos have won a lot of one-score games against inferior opponents, and that’s the number that ends up on the board.
Both of those things may be true, but to some extent they’re based on an apples-to-oranges comparison given the relative lack of common opponents.
The one reality this line does reflect is that this game will be close. We know this is Denver’s reality, and it’s likely to be Green Bay’s when they play other playoff-caliber opponents. This will also be a test for both Nix and Packers quarterback Jordan Love, as it will likely come down to one or two plays at the end.
