The Denver Broncos are perfectly okay with being home underdogs.
The Broncos take on the Packers in Denver on Dec. 14. Despite having a better record and being undefeated at home this season, oddsmakers have the Broncos as underdogs. Broncos stars said they don’t pay attention to oddsmakers, but acknowledged that it will be an intense atmosphere and will lean on the fans in the stadium for motivation and a competitive advantage.
The odds may seem off to an outside observer because, on paper, the Broncos have a lot of advantages. They are undefeated at home and riding a 10-game winning streak, have a better record, and have beaten a common opponent in the Philadelphia Eagles. They are also playing in front of their home crowd.
Nix said the atmosphere at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium would be electric, comparing it to the atmosphere of the Broncos’ win over the division rival Kansas City Chiefs in November.
“I think our fans are going to be extremely motivated and very hostile,” he said. “This will be what seems to be a playoff game. So this will be an intense game on the field ... And that’s what you get [in] December and the end of the season, that’s what you’re playing for. We’re extremely excited about it.”
For Denver, a win would lock in a playoff spot. The Broncos are currently tied with the New England Patriots for the best record in football, but they own the tiebreaker based on common opponents.
They need to keep winning to secure a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs. They also need to win to keep the Los Angeles Chargers at arm’s length.
The Chargers are just two games behind Denver at 9-4, and the Broncos have a gauntlet of a schedule in their final four games: the Packers on Dec. 14, then the Jacksonville Jaguars at home next week, followed by a Christmas Day tilt against the Chiefs in Kansas City, then the Chargers at home to close out the regular season.
For the Packers, a win would keep them in second in the playoff race, or even bump them up to first if the Los Angeles Rams lose, but it would also give them a small cushion over the Chicago Bears.
Green Bay defeated the Bears at home last week. The Bears face off against the lowly Cleveland Browns this week. A Dec. 14 loss would still put the Packers a half-game behind Chicago because of their Week 4 tie with the Dallas Cowboys, making both Sunday and next week critical for both teams.
“We’re counting on our crowd this week, not just at the line of scrimmage, but while they’re in the huddle,” Payton said.
“I go back to a few weeks ago ... that communication that exists from the opponent when they’re in the huddle, you'd be surprised when some teams, stadiums have it figured out that the quarterback to the group in the huddle, if that all gets blurry, you have problems. And I thought our game, our last home game with Kansas City, was significant, and I’m counting on it being even at a higher level.”
At least one Broncos player was willing to acknowledge the extra motivation from being counted out.
