The Green Bay Packers head to Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday for a marquee NFL showdown against the Denver Broncos that carries massive playoff implications.
Green Bay (9-3-1) enters Week 15 atop the NFC North and firmly in the playoff picture, while Denver (11–2) sits first in the conference, riding a 10-game win streak.Â
A win for the Broncos would see their odds of winning the AFC West rise to 93%, while a loss would drop that figure to 78%, according to The Athletic.
A Packers victory, meanwhile, would put Green Bay one full game ahead of the second-place Chicago Bears (9-4) and set up a pivotal Week 16 rematch in Chicago.
Josh Jacobs has been the engine of the Packers’ ground game this year, with 206 carries for 817 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, along with 251 receiving yards through 12 games.
However, recent knee stiffness has limited his practice participation and left his availability for Sunday in doubt.
On Saturday, Green Bay shuffled its backfield in the wake of Jacobs’ injury, elevating Pierre Strong Jr. from the practice squad and adding Emanual Wilson to the injury report with an illness.
Jacobs remains listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Strong Jr., a South Dakota State product and former FCS first-team All-American, provides Green Bay with a veteran depth option who has three years of NFL experience with the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns.
He has been with the Packers’ practice squad this season and holds career totals of 99 carries for 499 yards (5.0 yards per carry) and two rushing TDs, along with 193 receiving yards on 26 catches (7.4 yards per catch).
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Green Bay’s ground attack is a core part of its identity, with Josh Jacobs as the focal point.
Wilson’s addition to the injury report further complicates the backfield. If Jacobs is ruled out and Wilson is unavailable due to illness, the Packers would turn to newly elevated Strong and third-year back Chris Brooks to handle the workload.
Jacobs’ final availability will be determined in the hours before kickoff. For now, Green Bay has hedged with a contingency plan in Strong, who could be pressed into action against one of the NFL’s stingiest run defenses.
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