The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson gives his scouting report for Sunday’s game between the Broncos (11-2) and Packers (9-3-1) at Empower Field at Mile High.

Offense

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is in a groove. In the last three games, he has thrown for 828 yards as Denver has extended its winning streak to 10 games. The Broncos had issues running the ball in the first two games that J.K. Dobbins sat out after being shelved Nov. 15 with a foot injury. But in last Sunday’s 24-17 win at Las Vegas, rookie RJ Harvey had his best game so far, rushing for 75 yards and a touchdown. Packers quarterback Jordan Love is having his best season in three years as a starter, having thrown for 3,028 yards with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions. Packers star running back Josh Jacobs, who has rushed for 817 yards, is questionable with a knee injury. But Green Bay has a capable backup in Emanuel Wilson, who rushed for 107 yards when Jacobs was out Nov. 23 against Minnesota.

Advantage: Packers

Defense 

Denver’s defense, after giving up 419 yards at Washington on Nov. 30, stepped up against the Raiders, allowing just 229 yards. Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto had two sacks at Las Vegas and has a team-high 12.5. Star cornerback Pat Surtain II is back in good form, having played in the past two games after missing three with a pectoral injury. Denver gets back nose tackle D.J. Jones after he missed a game with an ankle injury. The Packers’ defense has taken a big step with the acquisition of pass rusher Micah Parsons just before the start of the season. He has 12.5 sacks. Green Bay has a solid duo at safety with Evan Williams, who has three interceptions, and Xavier McKinney, who has two. The Broncos are No. 3 in the NFL in total defense and the Packers are No. 5.

Advantage: Broncos

Coaching 

Denver’s Sean Payton has steered the Broncos to their longest winning streak since an 11-game run in 2012. He was able to have a bit of a breather against the Raiders, a game Denver led 24-7 until the final minutes. Before that, the Broncos had won seven of nine games during their streak by four points or less. Payton has talked regularly about Denver having what it takes to make the Super Bowl. Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur has an impressive winning percentage of .677 in seven years on the job, but so far has been unable to take the Packers to a Super Bowl. And after the Packers went to the NFC Championship Game during LaFleur’s first two seasons of 2019 and 2020, they haven’t been back. LaFleur, though, now has one of his more balanced teams on offense and defense.

Advantage: Broncos 

Intangibles 

Both teams are in tight battles for a No. 1 playoff seed. The Broncos have the same record as New England but would win a tiebreaker in the AFC over the Patriots. In the NFC, the Packers are a half-game behind the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle, both 10-3, for the best record. The Packers have been more battle-tested recently, coming off wins of 31-24 at Detroit and 28-21 last Sunday at home to Chicago. Denver barely survived 27-26 at Washington in overtime before beating the Raiders. Those two teams are a combined 5-21. The Broncos will have a raucous home crowd on hand at Empower Field, where they have won 11 straight. The Packers, though, have won four straight on the road and four in a row overall. The game is a rematch of Super Bowl XXXII in January 1998, won 31-24 by the Broncos for their first win in the big game.

Advantage: Packers