Stock Report: Packers Lose Battle, War Against Broncos

The Green Bay Packers knew their fate before Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos even started.

With a win, they would hold serve with the Chicago Bears, who blew out the Cleveland Browns earlier in the day. They would remain in first place and set up a showdown six days later at Soldier Field.

With a loss, the Packers would drop out of first place and back into the Wild Card picture, making the implications of next week’s game in Chicago even bigger than they already were.

The two teams were chippy to start the game with a minor skirmish breaking out in warmups, but that would subside and give way to actual football.

Green Bay was dominant in the first quarter, but only led 6-0 after its first two possessions. Predictably, that would come back to bite the road team, as the Broncos converted three third downs on a touchdown drive to give them a 7-6 lead midway through the second quarter.

The two teams traded blows back and forth with a short field goal from Brandon McManus allowing the Packers to go into halftime with a 16-14 lead.

Things were looking even better with Josh Jacobs powering through Denver’s defense for a 40-yard touchdown run to give the Packers a 23-14 lead. After a defensive stop, Green Bay went for a kill shot, and the whole game turned from there.

It started with Jordan Love winding up to throw the ball down the field to Christian Watson in hopes of what could be a devastating touchdown to put the Packers ahead 30-14.

Instead, Patrick Surtain Jr. made an excellent play on the ball, resulting in an interception, but that was only a footnote in what happened there. Christian Watson laid on the ground with an injury that would knock him out for the rest of the game.

Evidently, the Packers had not reached their quota of devastating injuries, as Micah Parsons was lost to a non-contact injury to his left knee late in the third quarter.

The game turned on those two injuries, as the Broncos scored touchdowns on each of their next three possessions.

Green Bay had three chances at a comeback in the fourth quarter. One ended on an interception, the other two when Jordan Love was snowed under by Denver’s powerful pass rush.

An argument could be made, whatever happened after the Watson and Parsons injuries, were irrelevant.

More on a sobering day in the mile high city in our weekly stock report.

Stock Down: Super Bowl Aspirations

To quote former Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy, I’m not much for drama. The NFL is so often played on a weekly basis, and getting too worked up over a one week outcome is usually an exercise in futility.

Green Bay’s season didn’t end when they were in the midst of a two-game losing streak against Carolina and Philadelphia. It wasn’t over when they lost to the Cleveland Browns. There were plenty of opportunities for them to right the ship, and more often than not under Matt LaFleur they have done just that.

Sunday’s game is a different story. Great players win championships. Outside of Jordan Love, the Packers’ two most important players might be Christian Watson and Micah Parsons. Now, both of their futures hang in the balance.

Sure, the usual lines are going to be bandied about by Green Bay’s players and coaching staff. Expect the phrase of next man up to be thrown around several times over the next several days.

The issue is, there is no next man for a player like Parsons. He’s one of the best defensive players in all of football. That’s why the Packers did something they never do in giving up multiple first-round picks to acquire him.

The move to get Parsons was made with the idea that the Packers were going to win a Super Bowl this season.

The Packers could have put enough together if they were missing guys like Devonte Wyatt, or even Tucker Kraft who has been missing since early November. They could even piece things together with some of the guys they lost today like Watson and Evan Williams.

Without Parsons? They’re not winning the Super Bowl. They may not win the NFC North. That’s what the Packers lost on Sunday.

Stock Down: The Secondary

Bo Nix was supposed to be one of the weak points of Denver’s team. That was not the case on Sunday afternoon in Denver. Nix threw the ball short, medium, and deep against Green Bay’s hapless defensive backs.

Even when he did put the ball in harm’s way, Green Bay’s secondary could not bring the ball in, including at least one dropped interception from Xavier McKinney on a drive that resulted in a touchdown for Denver. Carrington Valentine would drop an interception with Green Bay trailing 34-26 in the fourth quarter as well.

Valentine and Keisean Nixon have had some bright moments this season, but none of them came on Sunday. With Parsons likely out of the lineup for the rest of the season, the defensive backs need to play better.

The question is whether or not that’s fair to ask at this point in the season. Either way, giving up more than 300 yards and four touchdowns to Nix is not something that Jeff Hafley would have counted on. Green Bay's secondary was beaten early and often in this one.

Stock Down: LT Rasheed Walker

Rasheed Walker was coming off a tough game last week that had Matt LaFleur talking about his left tackle needing to be more consistent.

He was certainly consistent in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Broncos. Consistently on the tips of the tongue of the officials.

Walker was flagged for a false start that put the offense behind the sticks on the team’s opening possession. On the second possession he was flagged for an illegal man downfield penalty. His third penalty of the day was declined by Denver, but was called for holding in the red zone that could have set Green Bay’s offense back further.

Walker was bailed out by Sean Payton declining the penalty, and Jordan Love throwing a touchdown pass on the ensuing third down to Josh Jacobs.

Walker wasn’t done there, getting flagged for a false start midway through the third quarter for his fourth penalty of the day.

It’s hard to win in the NFL if your blindside tackle is struggling. Jordan Morgan was a left tackle in college and that is his natural position, but it’s hard to imagine the Packers would make a switch that seismic at this point in December. Walker needs to play better.

Stock Down: RB Emanuel Wilson

Emanuel Wilson has been solid whenever he’s been asked to step in for Josh Jacobs this season. With Jacobs on a pitch count, and Savion Williams out of the game with a foot injury, it was Wilson who was asked to pull double duty just before Green Bay’s two-minute drill.

Things could not have gone worse for Wilson in that sequence.

First, he dropped the ball on the kickoff to start the drive, which looked destined for a touchback. Instead, Green Bay lost 21 yards of field position as a result of Wilson’s bobble.

After an explosive play to Christian Watson and another chunk to Luke Musgrave, Wilson would play a key part of the next two plays.

Wilson missed a block on the edge on a screen pass to Luke Musgrave that could have gone for more yards than the three it ended up getting. The next play, Wilson had room off the left guard, but instead ran into the back of Sean Rhyan.

As a result, Green Bay burned precious seconds off the clock and were forced to settle for a field goal on a drive that could have been destined for a touchdown. Margins are razor thin against the league’s best teams, and Wilson’s drive was a microcosm of a mistake-laden first half from Green Bay.

Stock Up: LB Edgerrin Cooper

There may not have been a better player on the field to start the game than Green Bay’s second-year linebacker. Edgerrin Cooper. With Denver facing its second third-and-1 of their opening series, they ran right at Micah Parsons. Parsons shed the block of Mike McGlinchey, and knocked the ball out of RJ Harvey’s hands.

The reaction from the rest of the players on the field was not instant, but Cooper found the ball on the ground and dove on it instantly. The Packers were in business from there and would pay off the fumble with a Brandon McManus field goal.

Just like Denver’s first series of the game, Denver’s second series ended because of a great play from Cooper.

COOP WITH THE RECOVERY!#ProBowlVote + Edgerrin Cooper

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/dp7OgbGerB
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 14, 2025

This one won’t be a big time play on the box score or on any highlight reels, but it’s a play the coaching staff will love.

Facing a third-and-5, Bo Nix swung the ball out to Tyler Badie with a blocker in front of him.

Cooper met the block in space and pushed Nate Adkins into Badie, which ruined the play and forced the Broncos to punt.

Not trying to just be a one-half wonder, Cooper made what was arguably the biggest play of the game on defense for Green Bay. With the Broncos facing a fourth-and-3, and looking to ice the game, Cooper broke up Bo Nix’s pass to Marvin Mims. That play gave Green Bay’s offense another chance at a comeback with a little more than five minutes left in the game.

Cooper wasn’t done. A fourth-and-1 would emerge with just over a minute left in the game. If Denver converted, the game was over. Karl Brooks held up strong at the point of attack, allowing Cooper to make the play in the backfield. That gave the offense one final chance to mount a comeback.

Not much went right for Green Bay today, but its second-year linebacker continues to emerge as a key player on defense.

Stock Up: RB Josh Jacobs

Josh Jacobs came into the game questionable with a knee injury. You’d be forgiven if you couldn’t tell he was hobbled. Jacobs’ longest touchdown run as a Packer came on the first series of the second half after Riley Moss was flagged for a pass interference penalty to extend the drive.

Jacobs took the ball on the very next play and burst through the left side behind dominant blocks from Aaron Banks and Sean Rhyan. 40 yards later, Jacobs was dancing in the end zone to give the Packers a 23-14 lead early in the third quarter.

WHAT A CATCH JOSH JACOBS!#ProBowlVote

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/voGiH0yyEi
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 14, 2025

His 40-yard run came after his second touchdown reception as a Packer. That came on a wheel route where Jacobs showed impressive hands, catching the ball over Denver’s Dre Greenlaw, who was in perfect coverage on the play.

Jacobs does not have the gaudy numbers that he had a season ago. He’s not going to compete for the rushing title like he did at different points of 2024. Make no mistake about it, however, Jacobs is still a key cog in the engine that is Green Bay’s offense.

More Green Bay Packers News

Here's the early story on #Packers star Micah Parsons going down with a knee injury today at Denver. ⬇️https://t.co/go5YxjBp4n
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) December 15, 2025