The Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos meet Sunday in NFL action from Empower Field at Mile High. Green Bay enters this one struggling at 2-3 overall. The Packers are coming off a bye week, last appearing in a loss to the Raiders. As for Denver, they played the Chiefs last Thursday, falling to 1-5 with an 11-point defeat. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers started the season out pretty well against an overmatched Bears team in a 38-20 win, then took a tight loss to the Falcons 25-24 the next week. Green Bay rebounded with a 18-17 win over the Saints, but they haven’t found the win column since then. The Packers have lost to the Lions 34-20 and the Raiders 17-13 in their last two games.
In the Raiders matchup, the Packers had a 13-10 lead going into the fourth quarter but couldn’t hang on. Green Bay’s Jordan Love had 182 yards and three interceptions in the defeat, and AJ Dillon led the rush with 76 yards and a TD on 20 carries. Christian Watson put up 91 yards from three catches as well.
Green Bay Packers Team Facts
- The Packers have lost five of their last six road games against teams that held a losing record.
- The favorites have covered the spread in eight of the Packers’ last nine Week 7 games.
- The Packers have won the first half in each of their last nine Week 7 games.
- The Packers have scored the first touchdown in eight of their last nine Week 7 games.
- The Packers have won the first quarter in eight of their last nine Week 7 games.
Denver Broncos
Over on the Broncos’ side, their 1-5 record so far is a bit deceiving. The Broncos have been competitive in a few outings, they just haven’t been able to close out the tight games. Denver’s lone win came versus the Bears 31-28. Otherwise they’ve fallen to the Raiders 17-16, Commanders 35-33, Dolphins 70-20, Jets 31-21 and the Chiefs 19-8.
In last Thursday’s Chiefs game, Denver was down 16-0 going into the fourth quarter and managed to put up some relatively cosmetic points from there. Russell Wilson had just 95 yards, one TD and two picks. Javonte Williams rushed for 52 yards, and Courtland Sutton caught the score among four grabs for 46 yards.
Denver Broncos Team Facts
- The underdogs have won each of the Broncos’ last three games at Empower Field at Mile High.
- The Broncos have failed to cover the spread in each of their last seven games.
- The Broncos have lost the first half in each of their last six games as home underdogs against NFC opponents.
- The Broncos have won the first quarter in four of their last five games as underdogs against NFC North opponents.
- Nine of the Broncos’ last 10 Sunday games have gone OVER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Broncos rank 32nd in the NFL in points allowed per game this season (33.3).
- The Broncos rank 32nd in the NFL in yards allowed per game this season (440.3).
- The Packers rank 1st in the NFL in kickoff return yards per game this season (50.0).
- The Packers rank 32nd in the NFL in Q2 points per game this season (2.6).
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably go with the Packers in this one. You could make a case for Denver though, especially after Green Bay’s ugly outing versus the Raiders. In addition to the three picks in that one, the Packers posted a rough 4-of-12 rate on third-down tries. The good news is that the defense was pretty solid overall and kept the team in it until late. Green Bay has been at 20 or fewer points in each of the last three games, so the scoring is an issue.
As for Denver, they mustered just 197 total yards (82 passing) with three turnovers and 4.0 yards per play in a rough showing versus the Chiefs. The Broncos’ defense wasn’t bad though, giving up just 4-of-13 on third downs. This one’s seeming like a lower-scoring defensive battle since both offenses are struggling these days.
