Making some new history in Denver certainly won’t be easy with the Broncos having won 10 straight and currently owning the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC. They haven’t lost at home this season, and they’ve become known for fourth-quarter comebacks, including from three-score deficits against the Eagles and Giants.<\/p>\n
“You can tell it’s a resilient football team,” Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. “They’re never out of the fight.”<\/p>\n
But for the Packers, there are two primary reasons to believe \u2013 LaFleur and Love.<\/p>\n
LaFleur is 21-4 in December games in his tenure, which is tied for the best winning percentage of any NFL coach in history with at least 25 December games.<\/p>\n
He’s actually tied with Vince Lombardi, of all coaches, who had a 21-4-2 mark in December. Right behind are fellow Hall of Famers John Madden (21-7) and Bill Walsh (25-9).<\/p>\n
The Packers routinely under LaFleur are one of the league’s best teams in December, and riding a current four-game winning streak there’s no reason to believe they aren’t once again.<\/p>\n
As for Love, this is the time of year he shines brightest. In Week 11 and later in his career \u2013 essentially mid-November on \u2013 Love is 15-5 as a starter. He’s thrown 37 TD passes against just three interceptions and has posted a passer rating of 111.0 once the regular season reaches Week 11.<\/p>\n
Those last two stats of TD-INT ratio and passer rating are the best of any NFL quarterback since 1950 with a minimum of 10 starts from Week 11 on, according to NFL Research.<\/p>\n
There’s a lot on the line here in Week 15 for both squads.<\/p>\n
The Packers (9-3-1) are trying to maintain their tenuous hold on first place in the NFC North, leading the Bears (9-4) by just a half game with a rematch looming in Chicago next week.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the Broncos (11-2) have the Patriots (11-2) right with them in the race for the AFC’s top spot.<\/p>\n
Whoever loses will cede valuable ground in their respective tight races. Whoever wins will get a boost that could set them up nicely with the season winding down.<\/p>\n