A long anticipated “game of the season” took place at Sports Authority Field in Denver, when the two undefeated sides met. Denver Broncos won 29:10 and this is the first Green Bay’s defeat of the season. The Broncos are still perfect, 7-0.
Over 70,000 fans expected a much-balanced game on Sunday night primetime. The Packers were a slight favorite, mainly because of Peyton Manning’s poor season and Rodgers’ excellent offense management. However, the Broncos’ defense was once again fantastic and limited the Pro-Bowl quarterback to only 77 passing yards, the fewest in his career as a starter.
Peyton Manning started the game with authority, connecting with his receivers relatively easy and pretty quick it was 17:0 on the scoreboard. Green Bay’s defense didn’t have any solution for Denver’s mixture of running and passing game. Ronnie Hillman finished the first half with two running touchdowns. Demariyus Thomas was deadly in the air, and the injuries of the Packers’ defensive backs made his job easier. The best defense in NFL hasn’t recorded a sack or interception in the first two-quarters, but they rushed Rodgers all the time and constantly pressured him. His throws were pretty much unusable. Eddie Lacy scored a lone touchdown for the visitors in the first half. The result after the first 30 minutes was 17:7.
In the first play of the second half, Manning connected with Thomas for a 47 yards and that pass looked like the old Peyton Manning. The best QB in the league’s history showed the doubters that he can still throw deep, and he didn’t lose strength in his arm. Number 18 failed to throw a touchdown pass; he was very close on a couple of occasions, but he finished a game with 340 yards. He was intercepted once in the fourth quarter, but that turnover didn’t have any impact on Denver’s big win. Defense tortured Aaron Rodgers all the second half and recorded a few sacks; one was safety and three forced fumbles. C.J. Anderson rushed for a touchdown; he had over 100 yards on the ground.
This win was a big statement from Denver Broncos and Manning; they humiliated the arguably best quarterback in the league. It is very unusual for Rodgers failing to record a passing touchdown. DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller simply didn’t give him even a little space to orchestrate his offense so that the Packers couldn’t expect another outcome.
The Broncos are now the one of four undefeated teams and with a 7-0 record, they are on a good way to secure the playoff spot. Denver is on top of the AFC West division, with Oakland Raiders three wins behind. Green Bay remained first in the NFC North, but only with one win ahead of the refreshed Minnesota Vikings. In the next game, the Packers will go south to Carolina, another undefeated team while the Broncos will visit Peyton Manning’s former team – Indianapolis Colts.
