Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos

Injuries noted

Green Bay Packers: Tucker Kraft (Questionable) — Kraft (knee) appears on track to be available for the Packers' Week 1 matchup with the Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 13, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.; Luke Musgrave (PUP-P) — Neck; Micah Parsons (PUP-P) — Knee - ACL; Jordon Riley (PUP-P) — Achilles; Carrington Valentine (Questionable) — Head coach Matt LaFleur said Tuesday that the hope is Valentine (hamstring) is cleared to return to training camp practices next week, Weston Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.; Matt Orzech (PUP-P) — Calf; Johnathan Baldwin II (IR) — Baldwin (knee) reverted to the Packers' injured-reserve list Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.; Javon Bullard (Questionable) — Bullard suffered a bone bruise to his right foot during Sunday's training camp practice, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.; Domani Jackson (Questionable) — Head coach Matt LaFleur said Tuesday that Jackson is working his way back from core muscle surgery that he underwent in the offseason, Weston Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.; Josh Jacobs (Questionable) — Coach Matt LaFleur said Friday that Jacobs (groin) could potentially return to practice later next week, Weston Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.; Marlon Jones (IR) — Jones (undisclosed) reverted to the Packers' injured-reserve list Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Denver Broncos: Caleb Lohner (Questionable) — Lohner (lower body) does not yet have a return timeline, Luca Evans of The Denver Post reports.; Nick Gargiulo (PUP-P) — Knee - ACL; Michael Deiter (IR) — The Broncos placed Deiter (quadriceps) on injured reserve Thursday, Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post reports.; J.K. Dobbins (Questionable) — Dobbins isn't in line to play in Friday's preseason game in Atlanta, Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post reports.; Matt Henningsen (IR) — The Broncos placed Henningsen (Achilles) on the reserve/injured list Saturday, Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette reports.; Marvin Mims Jr. (Questionable) — Mims (undisclosed) did not play in the Broncos' 27-7 preseason win over the Falcons on Friday.; Jaylen Waddle (Questionable) — Waddle (leg) isn't slated to play in Friday's preseason contest in Atlanta, Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post reports.; Luke Wattenberg (Questionable) — Wattenberg (undisclosed) was a limited participant in Monday's practice, Jon Heath of broncoswire.com reports.; Levelle Bailey (Questionable) — Bailey broke his leg during the Broncos' 27-7 preseason win over the Falcons on Friday, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

QUARTERBACK

• DEN averages +3.8 yards every time it drops back

  3.8 Y/A

  GB is at 2.8 yards per pass attempt over 1 game; DEN is at 6.6 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

• DEN's passing game is +100 yards per game

  100 YPG

  GB is at 97 team passing yards per game over 1 game; DEN is at 197 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

• Jordan Love starts at quarterback for GB

  7.7 Y/A

  Love's got the cleanest shape in this group — 7.7 yards a throw leads everybody, and his 66.3% completion rate is second only to Geno Smith's, notable since he's pushing the ball further down the field than anyone else here. Add in 23 touchdowns against just 6 interceptions, well over three-to-one, and this is downfield aggression without the usual turnover cost. On the road at Denver against a Nix offense that's piled up more raw yardage on a lower per-throw average, Love doesn't need as many snaps to produce the same points. Tonight's the test of whether that per-throw edge survives on the road, away from the building it was built in.

• Bo Nix starts at quarterback for DEN

  6.42 Y/A

  Nix's 3931 yards over 17 games is second only to Lawrence in this group, but a 6.42 average per attempt says he's getting there through volume of throws, not explosive plays. Twenty-five touchdowns against eleven interceptions is solid, not special, and it's a noticeably worse ratio than what Love is bringing into his building tonight. At home, the test is whether that high-attempt approach can stay clean possession for possession, because if this turns into a track meet, Love needs fewer plays to keep producing points. Tonight rewards efficiency over volume, and volume is Nix's identity.

TRENCHES

• DEN is +99 rush yards per game

  99 YPG

  GB is at 63 rushing yards per game over 1 game; DEN is at 162 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

• DEN gets +1.6 more yards a carry

  1.6 Y/C

  GB is at 2.6 yards per rush attempt over 1 game; DEN is at 4.2 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

PASS RUSH

• DEN's offense takes 4 fewer sacks per game

  4 SACKS

  GB is at 5 sacks taken per game over 1 game; DEN is at 1 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

• DEN's pocket leaks 43 fewer yards per game

  43 YDS

  GB is at 44 sack yards lost per game over 1 game; DEN is at 1 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

• GB's rush gets home 2 more times per game

  2 SACKS

  GB is at 3 sacks recorded per game over 1 game; DEN is at 1 over 1 game. Those come from the opposing team boxes in the games each side has already played this 2026 season, through 2026-08-20.

PACE & SCRIPT

• DEN's defense gives up 21 fewer points per game

  21 PPG

  GB is at 28 points allowed per game over 1 game; DEN is at 7 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

• DEN is scoring +18 points per game

  18 PPG

  GB is at 9 points per game over 1 game; DEN is at 27 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

• DEN holds the ball 7:04 longer per game

  7:04 TOP

  GB is at 29:16 time of possession per game over 1 game; DEN is at 36:20 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

• DEN runs +10 more plays per game

  10 PLAYS

  GB is at 59 offensive plays per game over 1 game; DEN is at 69 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

TURNOVERS

• DEN's defense takes the ball away 2 more times per game

  2 TO

  GB's zero takeaways in a game usually points to a defense playing station-to-station — disciplined enough not to give up the house, maybe, but never putting a hand on the ball or forcing a bad decision. DEN coming away with two in its opener is the finishing piece that turns a good number into extra possessions and hidden field position, and it tends to come from a front getting home in time to rush a throw or a secondary closing on the ball instead of just chasing it. Stacked on top of everything else DEN's defense already showed, those takeaways look like a product of team speed and finishing, not luck. That kind of finishing tends to compound — DEN isn't just positioned to stop drives tonight, it's positioned to end a few of them outright.

• GB puts 1 fewer fumbles on the ground per game

  1 FUM

  GB is at 0 fumbles lost per game over 1 game; DEN is at 1 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

• GB commits 1 fewer turnovers per game

  1 TO

  GB is at 0 turnovers committed per game over 1 game; DEN is at 1 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

EXPLOSIVE PLAYS

• DEN owns a +2.5 yards-per-play gap

  2.5 Y/P

  GB is at 2.7 yards per play over 1 game; DEN is at 5.2 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

RED ZONE

• DEN scores on +100% more of its red-zone trips

  100%

  GB is at 0% red-zone scoring rate over 1 game; DEN is at 100% over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

• DEN holds red-zone trips to a score 30% less often

  30%

  GB is at 80% red-zone scoring allowed over 1 game; DEN is at 50% over 1 game. Those come from the opposing team boxes in the games each side has already played this 2026 season, through 2026-08-20.

• DEN gets inside the 20 1 more time per game

  1 TRIPS

  GB is at 1 red-zone trips per game over 1 game; DEN is at 2 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

COACHING

• DEN gives away 12 fewer penalty yards per game

  12 YDS

  GB is at 76 penalty yards per game over 1 game; DEN is at 64 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

MISMATCH

• DEN's protection against a GB front — GB takes 5 sacks a game to DEN's 1

  1 VS 5

  Denver's line has been the story early on — one sack allowed a game buys a quarterback time to let routes develop, which is about as clean as protection shows up this time of year. Green Bay's dealing with the opposite problem, watching their own quarterback go down five times a game, a number that points to real trouble up front rather than a couple of bad snaps. That's the matchup that matters most tonight: Denver's front has earned the right to control the line of scrimmage, and if it holds up again, their offense gets to operate on schedule while Green Bay is left hoping for a cleaner night than its numbers suggest. Green Bay's best way to mask that gap is to win first down, stay out of long yardage, and get the ball out on time before the pocket has a chance to cave. If Denver's protection keeps doing what it's done, this turns into a game decided up front before it's decided anywhere else.

COVERAGE

• DEN's secondary gives up 180 fewer passing yards per game

  180 YPG

  GB giving up 313 yards through the air in one game means a secondary getting beat over the top and underneath both, not just picking on one busted coverage — that's a group that struggled to disguise anything all night. DEN holding its first opponent to 133 sits at the other extreme, and a number that low usually means the corners were winning at the catch point while the rush gave the quarterback nowhere to reset and climb the pocket. A 180-yard swing between these two units is talent and execution, not scheme, and gaps like that tend to hold up start to finish rather than close as the game goes on. GB's coverage has the longest way to travel tonight against a defense that's already shown it can take away the pass.

• DEN gets off the field on third down 27.2% more often

  27.2%

  GB has let opponents convert more than half of their third downs, which means the work on first and second down isn't setting up anything manageable — an offense facing short distance all night is going to stay on schedule no matter what a defense wants to dial up on the money down. DEN getting stops on nearly three of every four third downs is the payoff of good early-down defense, not a third-down trick, since you don't hold that well on crunch downs unless the earlier downs already did the work. That gap is about as clean a measure of forcing three-and-outs as there is, and it's the difference between an offense staying on schedule all night and one living and dying on a single snap per series. GB has to find a way to win first and second down tonight, because its third-down safety net has already shown it isn't there.

• DEN's defense surrenders 2.8 fewer yards a snap

  2.8 Y/P

  GB's six-yard-per-play number isn't a coverage issue or a run-fit issue on its own, it's both happening at once — giving up that much regardless of how the offense chooses to attack usually comes down to angles and effort more than anything a coordinator drew up wrong. DEN sitting at 3.2 is the opposite story, a number tight enough to mean there's no soft spot for an offense to lean on possession after possession, whether it tries to run or throw. That's a gap in complete team defense, not something living in one phase of the game, and it means DEN dictated terms snap to snap in a way GB's group simply didn't. That's the profile of a defense that travels well regardless of game plan, and tonight it's GB's turn to find out firsthand.

REPLACEMENT

• Marvin Mims Jr. (WR) is questionable for DEN

  QUESTIONABLE

  Two games in a row now without Mims on the field is the real story here, not tonight's matchup specifically - Denver won comfortably without him Friday and clearly felt no need to rush him back for Green Bay. An undisclosed tag this deep into August usually means the team just isn't saying, not that it's serious; if this threatened the season, that language tends to get specific fast. The receivers absorbing his targets tonight are the ones banking extra tape, which matters for anyone trying to lock down a role before final roster cuts. This sits entirely on the offensive side of the ball for Denver.

• J.K. Dobbins (RB) is questionable for DEN

  QUESTIONABLE

  Dobbins isn't in line to play in Friday's preseason game in Atlanta, Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post reports. Reported Aug 14.

• Josh Jacobs (RB) is questionable for GB

  QUESTIONABLE

  LaFleur putting Jacobs' practice return at 'later next week' means tonight against Denver was never in play once that timeline came out - a back who isn't even doing team drills yet isn't suiting up for an exhibition game days before that. This is the clearest kind of questionable there is: it's a formality tag on a player everyone already knows isn't playing. The carries tonight go entirely to the other backs on Green Bay's roster, and with the lead job already spoken for once Jacobs is healthy, this is really about the competition for early-down work behind him. Offensively, this is Green Bay auditioning its running back depth with its starter never in the building plan for tonight.

• Jaylen Waddle (WR) is questionable for DEN

  QUESTIONABLE

  Waddle (leg) isn't slated to play in Friday's preseason contest in Atlanta, Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post reports. Reported Aug 14.

SITUATIONAL

• DEN moves the chains 7 more times per game

  7 FD

  GB is at 17 first downs per game over 1 game; DEN is at 24 over 1 game. Those are current-2026 team-game results through 2026-08-20.

• GB (0-1) at DEN (1-0)

  +39 PT GAP

  Denver's the team carrying momentum, and the way it got there matters — that win came on the road, so sitting 0-0 at home actually undersells them, since a road win is the harder version of that record to put up. Green Bay's 0-1 mark tells a real story too: a 19-point deficit attached to it means that loss wasn't close, and it happened on the road, the same setting they're walking back into tonight. Line up the home/road splits and they point the same direction — Denver gets its first crack at home coming off proven road form, while Green Bay's only away sample so far was a blowout. That's a 39-point gap in scoring margin, the widest of the three games tonight, and it's consistent with everything else in front of us: one team building on the road, the other still searching for a foothold away from home.

AFTER GARY

• GB +6.5 → +6.5

  NO MOVE

  DRAFTKINGS · SAME BOOK · PRE-KICK

FANTASY USAGE

• Courtland Sutton: 8.8 tgt/g in the 2025 baseline

  8.8 TGT/G

  Courtland Sutton averaged 8.8 targets per game across 5 2025 regular-season games. BDL confirms Courtland Sutton is currently active for DEN; this is a labeled prior-season baseline, not current form. DEN faces GB next; this is measured opportunity, not a projection or snap-share estimate.

• J.K. Dobbins: 16.4 opp/g in the 2025 baseline

  16.4 OPP/G

  J.K. Dobbins averaged 16.4 carries plus targets per game across 5 2025 regular-season games. BDL confirms J.K. Dobbins is currently active for DEN; this is a labeled prior-season baseline, not current form. DEN faces GB next; this is measured opportunity, not a projection or snap-share estimate.

• Josh Jacobs: 14.8 opp/g in the 2025 baseline

  14.8 OPP/G

  Josh Jacobs averaged 14.8 carries plus targets per game across 5 2025 regular-season games. BDL confirms Josh Jacobs is currently active for GB; this is a labeled prior-season baseline, not current form. GB faces DEN next; this is measured opportunity, not a projection or snap-share estimate.