Making some new history in Denver certainly won’t be easy with the Broncos having won 10 straight and currently owning the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC. They haven’t lost at home this season, and they’ve become known for fourth-quarter comebacks, including from three-score deficits against the Eagles and Giants.
“You can tell it’s a resilient football team,” Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. “They’re never out of the fight.”
But for the Packers, there are two primary reasons to believe – LaFleur and Love.
LaFleur is 21-4 in December games in his tenure, which is tied for the best winning percentage of any NFL coach in history with at least 25 December games.
He’s actually tied with Vince Lombardi, of all coaches, who had a 21-4-2 mark in December. Right behind are fellow Hall of Famers John Madden (21-7) and Bill Walsh (25-9).
The Packers routinely under LaFleur are one of the league’s best teams in December, and riding a current four-game winning streak there’s no reason to believe they aren’t once again.
As for Love, this is the time of year he shines brightest. In Week 11 and later in his career – essentially mid-November on – Love is 15-5 as a starter. He’s thrown 37 TD passes against just three interceptions and has posted a passer rating of 111.0 once the regular season reaches Week 11.
Those last two stats of TD-INT ratio and passer rating are the best of any NFL quarterback since 1950 with a minimum of 10 starts from Week 11 on, according to NFL Research.
There’s a lot on the line here in Week 15 for both squads.
The Packers (9-3-1) are trying to maintain their tenuous hold on first place in the NFC North, leading the Bears (9-4) by just a half game with a rematch looming in Chicago next week.
Meanwhile the Broncos (11-2) have the Patriots (11-2) right with them in the race for the AFC’s top spot.
Whoever loses will cede valuable ground in their respective tight races. Whoever wins will get a boost that could set them up nicely with the season winding down.
“When you win against a team that you know is really good, it gives you that different type of energy,” Packers running back Josh Jacobs said. “It gives you a different type of confidence.
“With our offense starting to hit at the right moments towards the end of the year, it’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be a good test for us.”
