The 2-3 Green Bay Packers will travel to Colorado this week fresh off a bye to take on the 1-5 Denver Broncos. I know what you’re thinking. “The Broncos aren’t good!” You’re right. They’re not. If the Packers don’t win this game on Sunday, something is really wrong. It is pretty funny though that Denver’s one win came against the Bears, right? Anyway, here are six things to keep in mind heading into Week 7:

1. Saddle Up the Offense

Jordan Love has now had three straight games with a quarterback rating under 70.0. Through his five games this season, he’s thrown eight touchdowns, six interceptions, and has a season rating of 77.3. 

If there’s a defense to get back on track against, it’s the Denver Broncos. In 2023, opposing quarterbacks average a 117.8 rating against Denver, which is dead last in the NFL. That said, the pass defense has improved the last two games with the return of safety Justin Simmons. It’s no coincidence that in those two weeks, the Broncos have held opposing quarterbacks to a rating of 87.0. Kareem Jackson, Patrick Surtain II, and Simmons all have at least one interception this season, and Surtain II leads the group with six passes defensed in as many games. 

Of players with eight or more targets, Luke Musgrave leads the team with a 78.3% catch percentage on 23 targets. Behind him is Romeo Doubs with 56.8% on 37 targets. They’re the only receiving threats with a catch percentage greater than 50%. That’s…yikes. Love mentioned in his locker room interview this week that he was going to focus on taking completions after the bye instead of forcing the ball downfield for big plays. Expect to see that on Sunday. 

2. From Worst to…Worst

The 2022 Denver Broncos ranked last in the NFL in points for with only 287 points in 17 games, or an average of 16.9 points per game. Through six games in 2023, the Broncos have improved on offense (21.5ppg) but now have the 32nd ranked defense in points against, allowing a whopping 200 points in six games, or an average of 33.3. Now, obviously the Dolphins dropping 70 on the Broncos in Week 3 skews these numbers a bit, but this is still a bad defense. 

The Broncos defense isn’t just 32nd in points against, though. They’re last in the league in passing touchdowns allowed (14), net yards per passing attempt (7.7), rushing yards (1,034), rushing yards per attempt (5.6), and net yards per drive (41.3).  

This is a Broncos team that’s only allowed fewer than 300 total yards on defense one time in six games. In Week 1 against the Raiders, the Broncos allowed 261 total yards on the day. In five other contests, the Broncos gave up at least 388 yards. 

Now, the Packers aren’t exactly racking up the yards on offense. Green Bay’s offense eclipsed 300 total yards in both of their wins, but failed to do so in all three of their losses. But, the Packers are still 13th in the league in points for, averaging 22.6 points per game. The offense needs a get-right game, and this is truly the best opportunity it’ll have all season to get things right. 

3. Off to the Races

The Broncos have the worst rush defense in the NFL this season allowing 5.9 yards per carry to opposing running backs. On the ground in general, the Broncos give up an average of 5.6 yards per carry. Opposing offenses are starting with pretty great field position against Denver, too, with an average starting field position at the 32.8-yard line. So not only are teams running consistently against the Broncos, but they don’t have to work too hard to march down the length of the field, either. 

Of course, we know the Packers offense has struggled on the ground this season. Green Bay eclipsed 100 rushing yards for the first time all season against the Raiders and still only ended with 110. Love leads the team with two touchdowns on 18 attempts and is averaging 6.1 yards per carry. AJ Dillon found the end zone for the first time this season and had his best showing in Las Vegas, but he’s still only averaging 3.0 yards per attempt. If Aaron Jones is able to return from his hamstring injury, that will go a long way towards the offense’s success. But with that in mind, it’s possible Jones will be on a snap count in Denver. 

The Packers have Emanuel Wilson on the roster already and also signed James Robinson earlier this week to the 53. It’s unclear if either back will see the field on Sunday, but Robinson’s addition certainly indicates that Green Bay needs more from its running back room. In his career, Robinson has 514 carries for 2,263 yards, 18 touchdowns, and a 4.4 yard average. He also added another 91 receptions for 617 yards and five touchdowns through the air. 

4. It’s All Four-Down Territory 

The Packers are dead last in the NFL when it comes to fourth down defense. Joe Barry’s unit has given opposing offenses a new set of downs on eight of 10 attempts (80%). Interestingly, though, the Packers rank 7th in the league in third down defense, allowing a conversion only 34.7% of the time. 

Denver ranks right in the middle in both third down and fourth down offense, ranked 16th (39.4%) and 14th (50%) respectively. Quarterback Russell Wilson has scrambled for his fair share of first downs this season, too, picking up a team-leading 13 first downs with his legs through six games. It’s going to be important for the Packers to keep Wilson and the Broncos out of short yardage situations. 

5. A Stable of Receivers 

We just mentioned Wilson making plays with his legs, but he’s got a talented trio of options in the receiving game, too. Courtland Sutton (275), Marvin Mims (246), and Jerry Jeudy (222) lead the offense in yards while Sutton is far and away the leader in the end zone with four touchdowns through six games. Mims is a deep-play threat averaging a whopping 24.6 yards per reception on 10 catches. 

Even running back Samaje Perine has been involved as a receiver, hauling in 17 catches for 184 yards. That’s more than double his production on the ground (88 yards on 24 attempts). The run game hasn’t fully gotten going for the Broncos this season (sounds familiar), as Denver only has one rushing touchdown in six weeks. The receivers are Denver’s biggest strength with the Broncos ranking fourth in the league in passing touchdowns (12). 

Jaire Alexander was added to the injury report on Thursday with a back injury, so he’s likely questionable for Sunday. It’s unclear if Eric Stokes will be activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list before the game which means the Packers could be fielding Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, and Carrington Valentine as their cornerback trio if Alexander can’t go. 

6. Men on the Inside

Inside Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell is still not practicing after suffering an ankle injury in Week 3. While he’s unlikely to go on Sunday, it’s possible Quay Walker is able to return to the lineup after being listed as limited in practice all week with the knee injury he suffered against the Raiders. 

Without their starting tandem in the middle, Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson were forced into duty after playing primarily special teams all season (McDuffie has played 66% of ST snaps this season and Wilson 72%). Against the Raiders, McDuffie led the defense with tackles (10) and Wilson was third on the team (seven) with a registered quarterback hit. 

If Walker does return to action on Sunday, it’s likely he does so with McDuffie as his running mate for the third consecutive game. Pro Football Focus gives Walker an overall grade of 66.6 and considers him the 42nd best linebacker of 83 candidates. For comparison’s sake, McDuffie has an overall grade of 54.5 and Wilson earned a 70.7, though he hasn’t taken enough defensive snaps to qualify for a position ranking. 

What I’ll be drinking for the game:

I don’t know what it is about s’mores beers, but I’ve never met one I didn’t love. It’s chocolate, graham cracker, and marshmallow in a smooth, drinkable form. How can that ever be bad? This week, I’ll be enjoying S’more Stout from Big Muddy Brewing. Bigfoot is on the bottle, and I’m sure someone can come up with a joke about the Packers offense being harder to find than Bigfoot, or something. Hopefully the Packers climb to .500 this week and we can talk about winning football again.