Nightmare In Denver

Parsons Injures Knee in 34-26 Loss to Denver

The Green Bay Packers held a 23-14 lead early in the second half against the Denver Broncos. The Packers, playing on the road against the team with the best record in the NFL, looked every bit like the true Super Bowl contender General Manager Brian Gutekunst envisioned.

Jordan Love was dicing up one of the league’s best defenses with 215 first-half passing yards. Micah Parsons forced a fumble on the game’s first possession, and constantly harassed quarterback Bo Nix, as he had done to all passers this season. Josh Jacobs just ripped a 40-yard touchdown run behind dominant run blocking. The defense, fast and aggressive as ever, forced a three-and-out after the Jacobs run.

Then, in the matter of 12 game minutes and seemingly 12 hours in real time, the trajectory for the game, and the season, turned drastically for the worse.

Love, seeking an early knockout, launched a one-on-one deep shot to the team’s most important receiver, Christian Watson. Love challenged reigning Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II on the play, and the cornerback proved his merit with an impressive diving interception. In doing so, Surtain II landed on Watson which knocked him out of the game with a chest injury, and reportedly sent him to the hospital.

Then, with less than a minute to go in the quarter, Parsons generated an instant pressure on Nix to flush him from the pocket. The premier pass rusher then planted his left foot out in front as he tried to change direction. He hobbled, grabbed his left knee, and crumpled to the ground. Non-contact. Immediate wave for help to the Green Bay sideline. Players from both teams gave him a head tap before he limped into the locker room. The reported “fear” of an ACL tear felt all but confirmed after the game.

The injuries nearly bookended a third quarter from Hell, which saw the Broncos erase the nine-point deficit en route to a 34-26 win. “Yea it doesn’t look good,” coach Matt LaFleur said when asked about an ACL tear. “That’s obviously a really tough night in a lot of ways in regards to losing the football game . . . it was also a double-whammy for us losing pieces that are critical for our success.”

Get caught up on a nightmare afternoon in Denver with our game recap.

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Gut Reactions: Nightmare In Denver

CHTV co-founder Aaron Nagler chats with Packers fans worldwide after the team's 34-26 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Broncos 34 Packers 26 Game Balls & Lame Calls

There are a certain kind of losses that feel earth shattering for an entire organization. The Packers have felt a number of those in the last decade. There is, of course, the 2014 NFC championship game in Seattle. In 2015, they were completely overwhelmed by the eventual Super Bowl champions, also in Denver. 2021 saw the team lose Aaron Rodger's final playoff game to San Francisco, in a game that felt immediately like the end of an era.

This felt like one of those losses.

As Matt LaFleur told the team, "no one is going to feel sorry for us." The team will need to pull itself together in a major way to punch a playoff berth.

Don’t miss the latest Game Balls and Lame Calls from the loss in Denver.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Packers vs Broncos

Aaron Nagler hands out the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from the Green Bay Packers Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Packers Snap Counts Vs. Denver: Week 15, 2025

The Packers elevated RB Pierre Strong from the practice squad for the third time this year because of concern that a knee injury might keep Jacobs sidelined, combined with Emanuel Wilson having a virus and missing practice. In the end, both Jacobs and Wilson were active and played, so Strong was one of the inactive players after all.

The only inactive player due to health was WR Savion Williams. OL Donovan Jennings, NT Nazir Stackhouse, NT Bohanna, Edge Barryn Sorrell, and RB Strong were healthy scratches. The return of Lucas Van Ness to the active list led to Sorrell being sidelined as the Packers decided to keep Aaron Mosby available for special teams. The Packers also apparently prefer to have Jordan Riley active, despite his unimpressive debut last week, over either Stackhouse or the recently acquired Bohanna. The Packers also decided to have just four defensive tackles available despite playing in the high altitude of Denver. QB Malik Willis was active but did not play.

Injuries to Micah Parsons, Zach Tom, Evan Williams, Christian Watson, and Josh Whyle might influence some upcoming decisions the Packers have to make with players who are on the 21-day window after being activated from IR and PUP lists. RB Marshawn Lloyd (out with a calf but who reportedly recently hurt his hamstring), Edge Brenton Cox, and DE Collin Oliver all must be activated to the 53-man roster by December 21 or they revert to the IR list, ending their respective seasons. If the Whyle cannot recover by next Saturday for the Chicago game, the Packers will probably elevate one of their two tight ends on the practice squad.

Find out who played in Denver and how much with the latest Packers Snap Counts.

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The Lass Word: New Heroes Needed

By the final minutes, you just wanted the game to be over.   Just stop the carnage.  Get on the bus and get out of there.  Not only was it clear the Packers were not going to win this game, they were getting the hell kicked out of them.  It seemed like key players were limping off the field on every play. 

Perhaps on a different day, in a different place, the outcome might be different.  But on this day, and this place, the Denver Broncos were the better team.  It was always going to be a difficult ask for the Packers.  Coming off an emotional, epic victory over their arch rival, heading into the thin air of the Rocky Mountains, playing the hottest team in the league, a team which regarded this game as their opportunity to announce their arrival on national television, the odds seemed stacked against Green Bay from the start. 

But those all sound like excuses.  The Packers were actually in great shape to win this game after taking a 23-14 lead early in the third quarter.  However, when Christian Watson and Micah Parsons walked off the field with injuries, the team’s poise and will walked off with them.  From that point on, Denver made all the plays, dominated both sides of the ball, and laid a convincing claim to be the best team in the AFC. 

The defeat drops Green Bay to the fifth best record in the conference.  They slip a half game behind the Bears in the division, and would be the seventh and final seed in the playoffs.  But the NFC is so tightly bunched at the top, one win or loss in these final three games can launch them toward the top or completely out of the playoffs.  With injuries to Watson, Parsons, Jayden Reed and Zach Tom, among others, Matt LaFleur will have to see who he’s got left, and cobble together a new iteration.  The Packers are going to need to find some new heroes.  I’m looking at you Matthew Golden, Rashan Gary, Luke Musgrave and Dontayvion Wicks…

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