Week 8’s edition of Sunday Night Football will feature a matchup of two of the five remaining undefeated teams in the NFL, as the Denver Broncos will be hosting the Green Bay Packers.
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Both of the franchises have been very successful in recent years, and the main reason for that success has been the play of the quarterbacks. Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers are both two future Hall-of-Famers, but one of them is sadly on the downside of his career.
Manning was able to bounce back from neck surgery a few years ago when the Indianapolis Colts decided to let him walk, leading to John Elway and the Broncos took a chance on one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. In Denver, Manning has had some fantastic season with a trip to the Super Bowl, but in 2015, Manning looks nothing like he has in his illustrious career.
In 2015, Manning has totaled seven touchdown passes, 1,524 passing yards, 10 interceptions, and a 61.6 completion percentage. Seeing Manning with more interceptions than touchdown passes this far into the season is shocking with how well he has been throughout his career.
Oct 18, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Pierre Desir (26) chases Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (88) during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The most notable thing about Manning’s struggles has been his lack of arm strength. Manning has certainly benefitted from having a great wide receiver in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, or his statistics maybe even worse, as he can’t throw the ball down the field anymore.
Even with the struggles of Manning, the Broncos are undefeated, as their defense has been playing extremely well this season. The Broncos defense is not only stopping opposing offenses, but they are also contributing to putting points on the board for the team, which is why they have been able to overcome an awful season for Manning.
Against the Packers in Week 8, the Broncos’ defense is going to have their work cut out for them, as they will be facing one of the best offenses in the NFL.
With the success of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in New England, a lot of the attention hasn’t been on the great season that Rodgers is once again having for the Packers. In 2015, Rodgers has totaled 1,491 passing yards, 15 touchdown passes, two interceptions, and a 68.1 completion percentage.
October 4, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones (89) runs with the football against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Kenneth Acker (20) during the second quarter at Levi
Rodgers has demonstrated his greatness this season even without his No.1 wide receiver, Jordy Nelson, who suffered a torn ACL before the season started. Even without Nelson, the Packers are undefeated, and Rodgers is having another MVP-caliber season. Rodgers has also turned around the career of wide receiver James Jones, who was signed by the Packers after being cut by the New York Giants in the offseason.
Rodgers has carried the Packers’ offense, for the most part, this season, as his running back Eddie Lacy has been battling some injuries, and he has yet to get going this season.
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The Broncos’ opportunistic defense has helped them greatly this season, but against the Packers in Week 8, they can’t rely on their defense to help the score points like in previous weeks.
With possibly the best team in the NFC coming to town on Sunday Night Football, the Broncos are going to be for their most difficult game of the season. If Manning doesn’t start to play better, the Broncos will no longer be undefeated come Monday morning.