Green&Gold 10:30:15

WOLF RIVER MEDIA WEEK 8 — PACKERS vs. BRONCOS

ALSO INSIDE: • Power Rankings • Gary Seymour Column • Beat the Expert • Schedule • Standings

OCTOBER 30, 2015

PHOTO BY JIM LEUENBERGER

RODGERS, MANNING 2 OF LEAGUE’S BEST

Strong defenses carrying teams to perfect records

SEE PAGE 2

WOLF RIVER MEDIA2 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 GREEN & GOLD EXPRESS

It’s Aaron Rodgers vs. Peyton Manning.

Two-time MVP vs. five-time MVP.

All-time quarterback rating leader vs. all-time touchdown passes leader.

Discount double-checks vs. chicken-parm sandwich-es tasting so good.

“I’m a fan of Peyton, for sure,” Rodgers said on Wednesday. “I have been for a long time. He’s been playing at a high level for-ever, it seems like. It’s fun to watch. He’s also great in his commercials.”

Manning was equally complementary toward Rodgers.

“Aaron has done some some great spots,” Man-ning said during his con-ference call. “The one with he and (B.J.) Raji a couple years ago is still one of the great ones.”

Rodgers and Manning can sell insurance better than just about any door-to-door salesman, and they play quarterback better than just about anyone in NFL history. They’ll take center stage when the Green Bay Packers (6-0) head to Denver to take on the Broncos (6-0) on Sun-day night.

At 31, Rodgers is at the pinnacle of his career. That shows in the statis-tics, where his 115.9 passer rating is almost 10 points higher than his NFL-record career rate of 106.0 enter-

ing the season. He’s a triple threat, able to beat defens-es with his brain, arm and legs.

“Just tremendous,” Broncos coach Gary Ku-biak said during his con-ference call. “Obviously, I’ve been watching him for a while and the way he’s handling the group, throw-ing the ball, getting them in the right play — run game, pass game — that’s very,

very special. It’s hard for us to simulate, but we’ve got to do everything we can this week to give our guys a good look and hope-fully prepare them for their offense.”

At 38, Manning is near-ing the end of the line. His five MVP awards are two more than any other player in NFL history. Last year, he broke Brett Favre’s re-cord for career touchdown

passes, and he’s two victo-ries shy of breaking Favre’s record of 186 regular-sea-son wins. By season’s end, he should also wrest away from Favre the record for completions and yards.

However, after show-ing signs of age during the second half of last season, Manning ranks 31st in pass-er rating this season. He’s thrown seven touchdown passes against 10 inter-

ceptions. When he won his fifth MVP in 2013, Manning had 55 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

“I think what’s even more remarkable than the fact that he’s been able to play that long is what he’s been able to do,” Packers linebacker Clay Matthews said. “You look at the MVPs, the Super Bowl victory, the

Standings overshadow stats for QBsRodgers, Manning have less than banner yearsBy Green & Gold Express Staff

ON THE COVERAaron Rodgers has directed the Packers to a 6-0 record, but facing one of the game’s smartest quarterbacks in Peyton Manning could pose challenges Sunday for the Green Bay defense.

PHOTO BY JIM LEUENBERGER

Aaron Rodgers could face pressure in the pocket Sunday against a Denver defense that leads the NFL in sacks with 26.

SEE PACKERS, PAGE 3

Game VitalsGREEN BAY PACKERS (6-0) AT DENVER BRONCOS (6-0)WHEN: 7:30 p.m. SundayWHERE: Mile High Stadium, DenverTV: NBCRADIO: 620 WTMJ, 92.3 WJMQ-FM, 101.1 WIXX-FM.

Locker Room“We need more attempts in the run game, but we

need more total plays. We need to be in the 70s.”

MIKE MCCARTHY, on what has caused the Packers’ offense to slow over the

past few weeks

•••

•••The Series

All-time, regular season: 6-5-1All-time, at Mile High Stadium: 1-5-0Streaks: The Packers have won three straight regular-season meetings.Last meeting, regular season: Oct. 2, 2011, at Lambeau Field; Packers won, 49-23

•••Schedule

Date Opponent Time TVSept. 13 at Chicago Win 31-23Sept. 20 Seattle Win 27-17Sept. 28 Kansas City Win 38-28Oct. 4 at San Francisco Win 17-3Oct. 11 St. Louis Win 24-10Oct. 18 an Diego Win 27-20Oct. 25 BYENov. 1 at Denver 7:30 p.m. NBCNov. 8 at Carolina 12 p.m. FoxNov. 15 Detroit 12 p.m. FoxNov. 22 at Minnesota 12 p.m. FoxNov. 26 Chicago 7:30 p.m. NBCDec. 3 at Detroit 7:25 p.m. CBS/NFLDec. 13 Dallas 3:25 p.m. FoxDec. 20 at Oakland 3:05 p.m. FoxDec. 27 at Arizona 3:25 p.m. FoxJan. 3 Minnesota 12 p.m. Fox

1. New England Patriots (Record: 6-0; Previous Rank: 1)

The remaining undefeat-ed teams in the NFL haven’t picked up many of their vic-tories over teams with win-ning records. However, the Patriots collected one in Week 7 by beating the Jets.

2. Green Bay Packers (Record: 6-0; Previous Rank: 2)

A bye came at the perfect time for Green Bay, which had a dozen players on its injury report. Now, the Pack-ers face a major challenge by going to Denver and facing a great Broncos defense.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (Record: 6-0; Previous Rank: 3)

The Bengals had a Week 7 bye, but now they have to deal with the likely return of Ben Roethlisberger on Sun-day.

4. Denver Broncos (Re-cord: 6-0; Previous Rank: 4)

Peyton Manning had two touchdown passes and seven interceptions between Weeks 4-6. He’ll now face a Packers defense that is ranked second in sacks and sixth in interceptions.

5. Carolina Panthers (Record: 6-0; Previous Rank: 5)

The Panthers keep win-ning. This week, it was beat-ing the Eagles at home.

6. Arizona Cardinals (Record: 5-2; Previous Rank: 6)

Arizona has cooled off a bit after a hot start, but the Cardinals found a way to get past the Ravens on Monday night.

7. Atlanta Falcons (Re-cord: 6-1; Previous Rank: 7)

It wasn’t all that impres-sive, but Atlanta went into Tennessee in Week 7 and left with a 10-7 win.

8. New York Jets (Re-cord: 4-2; Previous Rank: 8)

The Jets gave the Patri-ots a great fight on the road. A moral victory in some ways, it further legitimized New York as a contender in the AFC.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (Record: 4-3; Previous Rank: 9)

Pittsburgh was down to its No. 3 quarterback in a loss at Kansas City. However, the Steelers should be getting Roethlisberger back now, and they did fairly well in his absence by winning two of the four games he missed.

10. Seattle Seahawks (Record: 3-4; Previous Rank: 10)

When the Seahawks de-fense is on, it’s really on. In Seattle’s three wins this season, it has not given up a single offensive touchdown.

11. Minnesota Vikings (Record: 4-2; Previous Rank: 11)

The Vikings went on the road to Detroit and took care of business against a divisional opponent that they should beat.

12. New York Giants (Record: 4-3; Previous Rank: 14)

The Giants won their fourth game over the past five weeks by beating the Cowboys. Now, Jason Pierre-Paul should be returning to boost New York’s defense.

13. Miami Dolphins (Re-cord: 3-3; Previous Rank: 18)

What a difference a coaching change has made in Miami. Incredible. The Dolphins led Houston 41-0 at halftime in Week 7.

14. St. Louis Rams (Re-cord: 3-3; Previous Rank: 16)

The Rams came back from a bye with their defense looking strong in an 18-point win over Cleveland.

15. Oakland Raiders (Record: 3-3; Previous Rank: 21)

The Raiders came out of their bye week on a mission, it seemed, absolutely thrash-ing the Chargers.

16. New Orleans Saints (Record: 3-4; Previous Rank: 24)

The Saints responded to a 1-4 record by giving the Falcons their first loss of the season, and then following it up by going to Indianapolis and winning.

17. Buffalo Bills (Record: 3-4; Previous Rank: 12)

For all the talent in Buffa-lo, the Bills haven’t figured it out yet. Losing in London to the Jaguars was not a good look.

18. Philadelphia Eagles (Record: 3-4; Previous Rank: 13)

The Eagles went to Caro-lina in Week 7 and lost by 11.

19. Indianapolis Colts (Record: 3-3; Previous Rank: 15)

Andrew Luck wasn’t out-dueled by Drew Brees, but the Colts were certainly han-dled by New Orleans. In In-dianapolis, the Colts trailed the Saints at halftime by a score of 20-0.

20. Dallas Cowboys (Re-cord: 2-4; Previous Rank: 17)

Another week without Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, another Cowboys loss.

21. Washington Red-skins (Record: 3-4; Previous Rank: 19)

Washington had a big comeback to beat the Bucca-neers by one at home.

22. San Diego Chargers (Record: 2-4; Previous Rank: 18)

The Chargers didn’t ex-actly do a good job in follow-ing up Philip Rivers’ career day in Green Bay. After three quarters against the Raiders in Week 7, San Diego trailed, 37-6.

23. Cleveland Browns (Record: 2-5; Previous Rank: 22)

The Browns couldn’t

hang with the Rams in Week 7, losing big.

24. San Francisco 49ers (Record: 2-5; Previous Rank: 23)

The 49ers scored only three points at home in a Week 7 loss to division-rival Seattle.

25. Tennessee Titans (Record: 1-5; Previous Rank: 25)

The Titans struggled mightily on offense without Marcus Mariota in Week 7, scoring only seven points at home against Atlanta.

26. Baltimore Ravens (Record: 1-6; Previous Rank: 26)

Another close game, an-other Ravens loss.

27. Kansas City Chiefs (Record: 2-5; Previous Rank: 29)

The Chiefs benefited from facing the Steelers’ No. 3 quarterback, but Kansas City still got a much-needed win.

28. Chicago Bears (Re-cord: 2-4; Previous Rank: 28)

The Bears had a Week 7 bye and host the Vikings on Sunday.

29. Detroit Lions (Re-cord: 1-6; Previous Rank: 27)

Another disastrous outing for the Lions led to the firing of several coaches, including their offensive coordinator.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars (Record: 2-5; Previous Rank: 32)

The Jaguars picked up their second win of the sea-son by beating the Bills in London.

31. Tampa Bay Bucca-neers (Record: 2-4; Previous Rank: 31)

Tampa Bay blew a 24-7 lead at Washington and end-ed up losing by one.

32. Houston Texans (Re-cord: 2-5; Previous Rank: 30)

The Texans were losing to Miami, 41-0, at halftime. Houston most definitely has a problem.

NFL Power RankingsBy Paul ImigFor Green & Gold Express

WOLF RIVER MEDIA 3FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015GREEN & GOLD EXPRESS

PACKERSFROM PAGE 2

countless records he holds, I think it just goes to show the type of athlete that he is. It’s hard to come in year in and year out and live up to that standard. He’s managed to do that and he continues to do that. I think that’s what’s most admi-rable about him.”

Manning wasn’t in a mood to reflect on Wednes-day, whether it was about career accomplishments or recent substandard play.

“I was reading a little devotional today, talking about not talking about yourself, talking about oth-ers. I’m abiding by that de-votional today,” he said.

For Rodgers, what stands out is Manning’s lengthy body of work and sustained level of excel-lence. It’s the same re-sume Rodgers is authoring in Green Bay.

“Longevity is usually only achieved through con-sistency,” Rodgers said, “because it’s a ‘What have you done for me now?’ league. You know, job se-curity is tight, with general managers, with coaches and with players. It’s al-ways been tight. You’ve got to continue to play at a high level. If you’re not at the top of your game, you’ve got to be consistent every year. If you’re an ascending play-er, you’ve got to stay on the rise. If you’re near the end, you’ve got to avoid being a descending player. But Manning, he’s done it for such a long time at a high level. He’s been the stan-dard for quarterbacks, and he’s going to have pretty soon just about all the re-cords in our league, and that’s pretty impressive.”

Time, however, stops for no one. Not even for Man-ning. After enduring possi-

bly the worst stretch of his career with two touchdowns and seven interceptions in the three games before the bye, Manning knows the challenge that awaits. The Packers lead the NFL in points allowed per game

“We have our hands full on both sides of the ball this week and, obviously, getting ready for their de-fense — (Julius) Peppers and Matthews and all their different defensive line-men and active lineback-ers and active secondary. It’s hard to think about much else besides that,” Manning said.

It won’t be any easier for Rodgers. Denver has the best edge-rushing tan-dem with DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller and the best cornerbacks with Aqib Talib and Chris Harris. You name the statistical category, and the Broncos are listed at or near the top of the leaderboard.

“There’s no weak spot,” Rodgers said.

Neither quarterback is putting up the numbers he’s accustomed to, but for Rodgers and Manning, nothing matters more than the standings. With 6-0 re-cords, both have a golden opportunity to win a sec-ond Super Bowl ring.

“It’s supposed to mat-ter to you. It’s supposed to mean something to you,” Manning said. “When you win, you’re supposed to be excited. When you lose, it’s supposed to bother you. We had a quote up in the team meeting room today saying when you truly in-vest in something, you care about your investment, you’re concerned about your investment. When you put a lot of work into the team, yeah, you want to win. As the great Ebby Cal-vin ‘Nuke’ LaLoosh said in ‘Bull Durham,’ ’I sure like winning. It’s, like, better than losing.’”


In a battle of undefeated superpowers, the Green Bay Packers (6-0) are 3-point favorites for Sunday night’s game at the Denver Bron-cos (6-0). Here’s the breakdown.

When the Packers have the ballFor the first time in years, there are ques-

tions surrounding the Packers’ offense.Can the offensive line, especially tackles

David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga, hold up against outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller? Ware is closing in on the top-10 in all-time sacks, and Miller was the third-fastest player to 50 sacks in NFL history. In all, seven Broncos have at least two sacks as they have a league-high 26.

Can the receivers get open? With Davante Adams (ankle) sidelined and Randall Cobb (shoulder) and James Jones (hamstring) laboring through injuries, Green Bay’s pass-ing game has been in a relative funk the past three games. Adams is back, and Cobb and Jones are feeling better, as well. However, the Broncos might have the best trio of corner-backs in the league with starters Chris Harris and Aqib Talib and reserve Bradley Roby.

Can the Packers run the ball? Eddie Lacy carried just four times vs. San Diego before the bye and James Starks is hobbled with a hip injury. Denver ranks third in yards al-

lowed per carry and fourth in rushing yards allowed per game.

Put it all together, and the Broncos have the best defense in the NFL. They rank first in total yards, first in yards per play, first against the pass, second on third down and second in takeaways. They would rank first in points al-lowed per game if not for three pick-sixes by Peyton Manning.

“It’s a great defense from the front line to the back,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “Wade (Phillips, the defensive coordinator) does a great job of coaching them up. They’re really solid on the back end. They make plays on the football, excellent cover guys. You’ve got to be very efficient and take care of the football. They’ve been very opportunistic, ob-viously, holding teams to very low points per game, but they’ve also taken the ball away re-ally well.”

When the Broncos have the ballAmong quarterbacks in their 16th and 17th

seasons in NFL history, Brett Favre and Y.A. Tittle led the way with two-year totals of 46 touchdown passes apiece. Then came Man-ning, who threw 55 touchdown passes in 2013 and 39 more in 2014 for a total of 94.

Finally, however, it appears age and in-jury have caught up to arguably the finest passer to ever walk the planet. Through six games this season, Manning has thrown

seven touchdown passes and 10 intercep-tions. He’s thrown at least one interception in every game, including seven in the final three games before the bye. It’s a dramatic decline for the NFL’s career leader in touchdown passes.

Kubiak might be playing defense for his legendary quarterback, but there’s some truth to what he said. From 2012 through 2014, Manning’s first three seasons in Den-ver, he was sacked a league-low 58 times (1.21 per game). This season, he’s been sacked 12 times (2.00 per game). Last season, running back C.J. Anderson made the Pro Bowl. This season, the Broncos rank 30th with 85.0 rush-ing yards per game.

All of that spells trouble for the Broncos’ offense against a Packers defense that leads the NFL in points allowed per game. Denver left tackle Ty Sambrailo, a rookie, and right tackle Ryan Harris have struggled and will have their hands full on passing downs with Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews, respec-tively. Peppers has 5.5 sacks, Matthews has 4.5 and the Packers rank second with 23. If the Broncos can keep the rush at bay, Manning will attack with receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. They might be the best receiver duo in football.

“We’ll have our hands full,” Matthews said. “I’m sure he hasn’t played up to the standard he sets for himself but, the reality is, if he’s got

time in the pocket, he can step up and make every throw. People are questioning his arm strength, but we’ve seen some throws out there that are Peyton Manning-esque.”

Special teamsIn a special-teams formula put together

by Scout.com, the Packers rank fifth, due in large part to top-10 production in field-goal accuracy and field position following kickoffs and kickoff returns. Denver kicker Brandon McManus is 16 of 17 on field goals. In the first two games, he hit from 56 and 57 yards at home against Baltimore and from 54 at Kan-sas City. Punter Britton Colquitt, who has a 45.5-yard career average, is the son of former NFL punter Craig Colquitt and the brother of current Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt. The Broncos’ return units have been poor.

CoachingWhen the Packers beat San Diego before

the bye, Mike McCarthy became the 38th coach in NFL history to win 100 regular-sea-son games. He is 8-1 in the game immediately following the bye, tied for the best winning percentage in NFL history (minimum eight games). Kubiak, who was John Elway’s long-time backup quarterback, spent eight sea-sons as Houston’s head coach. After a year as offensive coordinator in Baltimore, Kubiak was hired to replace John Fox.

Keys to the Game: Packers vs. BroncosBy Green & Gold Express Staff


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MVPs, defenses in showdownWith seven MVP awards between them,

Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers are the obvious headliners for Sunday night’s showdown between the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers.

The defenses, however, will take center stage in this marquee matchup between 6-0 teams.

The Packers lead the NFL in points al-lowed per game. The Broncos are tied for second but would be No. 1 if not for Manning having three of his interceptions returned for touchdowns. Denver ranks first in total defense, pass defense and sack percentage and is second in third-down percentage and takeaways.

Other than on the scoreboard, the Pack-ers’ defense isn’t as statistically dominant, though it ranks in the top 10 in sack percent-age (third), yards per pass play (fifth), inter-ception percentage (seventh), red-zone de-fense (ninth) and total defense (ninth).

“We’ll take that. We’re willing to take on the challenge,” Packers cornerback Casey Hayward said. “Everybody says they’re one of the best defenses in the league. Their numbers show they are one of those defens-es, but we’re No. 1 in scoring defense right now. So, hopefully, we can keep that going.

We know it could be a low-scoring game.”With Rodgers being the reigning MVP

and Manning enduring a dismal start to the season, the Packers are a three-point fa-vorite. The Broncos’ defense, however, will have a major say in who emerges victorious. Denver’s run defense has created a bunch of third-and-longs, which plays into the Bron-cos’ strengths — a dominant pass rush and a ballhawking secondary. Dating to 2001, their six-game totals of 26 sacks and a combined 43 sacks and takeaways are the second-most in the NFL.

Given that dominance, the Broncos like their chances — regardless of who’s at quarterback.

“Have they played any DBs like us? They haven’t played anybody like us yet,” corner-back Chris Harris said.

Oldies but goodiesLeading those defenses are two longtime

assistant coaches. Green Bay defensive co-ordinator Dom Capers, 65, is in his 30th year in the NFL, which includes nine years as a head coach and 14 as a coordinator. Den-ver defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, 68, is in his 38th year in the NFL and 24th as a coordinator.

“They’re always very well-coached,” Man-ning said. “(Capers) gives you a lot of differ-ent looks. Feel like he always uses the players

that he has to try to maximize their abilities. He does a great job of moving Clay Matthews around. He’s got great cover corners that al-lows them to play a lot of man coverage and gives you multiple looks. He’s been doing it for a long time and been coaching at a high level for a good, long time.”

Adams returnsBarring a setback, Packers receiver Da-

vante Adams will play for the first time since aggravating an ankle injury during the open-ing series of the Week 3 game against Kansas City.

The hope is he’s the tonic to cure a pass-ing game that has put up fairly run-of-the-mill numbers the last three games. Rodgers completed 73.6 percent of his passes the first three games but 62.6 percent the last three.

“It could be. It depends on his physical sta-tus,” Rodgers said. “His ability is there. He’s got a lot of believers in the locker room and upstairs in what he can do. It’s just a matter of him being comfortable.”

Meat of the schedulesFor both teams, there’s a bit of wait-and-

see on their early-season success. Green Bay hasn’t faced a team with a winning record, with its six opponents having a combined record of 14-26. Denver at least has beaten a team with a winning record — Minnesota is

4-2 — but their six foes are a combined 13-27.The challenge gets much tougher, starting

Sunday night. In its next four games, Green Bay has games at Denver (6-0), Carolina (6-0) and Minnesota. Denver’s next five games include matchups vs. first-place teams Green Bay (6-0), Indianapolis (3-4) and New England (6-0).

Historic meetingsThis marks just the fourth time a pair of

teams at least 6-0 have squared off. In 1921, the Akron Pros and the Buffalo All-Americans battled to a 0-0 tie. In 1973, the Vikings beat the Los Angeles Rams 10-9. In 2007, the Patri-ots beat the Manning-led Colts in Indianapolis 24-20.

“A lot of energy in the building so far this week, and I think it’s more about our oppor-tunity to get to 7-0,” Packers coach Mike Mc-Carthy said. “We definitely have great respect for the Denver Broncos as an organization and the environment we’re getting ready to go play in up there. It’s going to be a big-time environment. They look very good on film and that’s what we’re focused on.”

Of the five teams that are 6-0 this season, Denver has the worst scoring differential at plus-37. It’s won just one game by more than seven points, though four of its wins came away from home compared to just two for Green Bay.

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Peyton Manning is off to a bad start statistically. Standings-wise, things couldn’t be better.

A league-high 10 of his pass-es have ended up in the wrong hands. With just seven touch-down throws, he’s in the midst of his worst season since his error-prone rookie year in 1998.

Manning may be struggling, but he hasn’t lost any of his lus-ter. In a sign of how big this next game is, lower-level 50-yard line tickets were being offered on the secondary market Wednesday for as much as $3,334 each.

One reason is that Manning has engineered five crunch-time drives, so Sunday night’s show-down with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers is a battle of 6-0 teams.

“I think that you make an excel-lent point with the crunch time,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “Peyton is a Hall of Fame

quarterback and that’s what we’re preparing for. … He’s running a new offense and so forth, but he looks fine to me.”

Especially in the hurry-up, two-minute drill, when Manning reverts to being a rhythm passer, said Tony Dungy, his former coach and current NBC commentator.

“It’s strange to see them go 25 drives without scoring a touch-down and to see 22 incompletions in one game,” Dungy said. “That’s something I’m not used to seeing. I can look at it and some of it is timing and not having the chem-istry with the receivers, running a little bit different offense.

“Some of it is his balls not com-ing off his hand well. I see enough pros in the money situations where they need them. It seems like, especially in the two-minute situations and in crunch time, when they’re playing up-tempo, you see better rhythm.”

Both teams are coming off bye weeks that followed close calls.

Green Bay surrendered 500 yards passing to Philip Rivers but prevailed 27-20 at Lambeau Field, their fourth home victory, and the Broncos escaped Cleveland with a 26-23 win in overtime, their fourth road win of the young season.

It was Manning’s 53rd career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime, by far the most in NFL history and 13 more than his boss, John Elway, engi-neered during his Hall of Fame career.

“I know when the game’s on the line he goes back to the things that he does well and he executes and we all get on one accord and he puts the ball on the money,” re-ceiver Bubba Caldwell said. “We know he plays at a high level at all times, but it just seems to come out the most at the end.”

The Broncos point to posi-tive things that don’t show up in box scores or fantasy football stat sheets that only true grid-iron junkies can appreciate, such as receiver Cody Latimer’s run-springing blocks on defensive

ends or running back C.J. Ander-son’s blitz pickups that helped them beat the Browns.

And, of course, coming up big in the two-minute drills.

“I mean, we find a way when the time is needed,” Anderson said. “The whole thing about that is playing it for 60 minutes instead of those last two minutes.”

Manning, whose passer rat-ing of 72.5 is his lowest since the 71.2 mark he had his rookie year in 1998, said Wednesday that he’s not satisfied with his play and the offense needs to start pulling its weight.

“Hey, I want to play better every single week and I promise like all my teammates we’re out here working hard, we’re try-ing to get better and we want to do our part,” Manning said. “We know we need to play bet-ter, especially starting this week against Green Bay. Our defense has their hands full. Green Bay’s going to make some plays offen-sively. We’ve got to do our part to score some points.”

Manning still comes through in clutch6-0 record impressive despite 10 INTsThe Associated Press

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has led five late-game drives to help the Broncos maintain a perfect record. He will have to keep mistakes to a minimum for Denver to stay in the game Sunday with Green Bay.


How to improve your standing by doing abso-lutely nothing, and other notes from a bye week.

The idle Green Bay Packers’ defense got a lift into the No.1 spot for points allowed this past week, leapfrogging the New York Jets, who had the league’s stingiest defense until New England laid 30 points on them in last week’s seven-point loss.

This week’s showdown between the 6-0 Packers and the 6-0 Denver Bron-cos is rightly being hailed as a showdown between Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers.

But the reality is that defense – and maybe a nice 60-yard field goal into the accommodating mountain air – will decide

this one. Denver’s defense is comparable to the Pack-ers’, and the home field advantage in a nationally televised game can be daunting.

If you’re looking for trends, the signs are encouraging that the Packers will leave the Mile High city with their perfect mark intact.

For starters, there is this: Throughout Mike Mc-

Carthy’s reign the Pack-ers are 8-1 following a bye week. Last year’s 55-14 bludgeoning of Chicago after the bye week sent the Packers on their way to a five-game winning streak, included in which was the 26-21 win over eventual Super Bowl champion New England.

The Packers under McCarthy have come well prepared after the week off.

It will be just the second time that Rodgers and Manning have faced each other. In their only other meeting, in 2008, the Pack-ers defeated Manning’s Indianapolis Colts by 20 points.

Wide receiver James Jones is averaging more than 20 yards per recep-tion and has hauled in six

touchdown passes through the first six games. Jones has performed admirably in the absence of Jordy Nelson, and will continue to be heavily relied on as the Packers’ wide receiver crew mends.

One of the injured receivers due back is Davante Adams, who is listed as probable for the Denver game. It will be his first time playing since the win over Kansas City in the third week when he sustained an ankle injury. Ty Montgomery, meanwhile, is question-able to play Sunday with his injured left ankle still an issue. Waiting in the wings is Jeff Janis, whose two pass receptions this season have gone for 46 and 33 yards, giving him a per-reception average al-

most twice that of Jones’. Randall Cobb has caught a pass in 46 straight regular-season games.

It will be only the fourth time in league history that two undefeated teams with at least six wins have played against each other. As it turns out, Manning was involved in one of those. His 7-0 Colts met the 8-0 Patriots in 2007, and lost 24-20.

The Packers haven’t lost during Halloween week since the Limburger-scented, 4-12 season of 2005. They have won six games over that stretch, and in three of those past nine seasons their bye week has come during the week of Halloween.

Sunday marks the first of three final prime-time regular-season appear-

ances for the Packers, who will perform a Thanksgiv-ing night basting of the Bears the week before their Thursday night game against Detroit at Lam-beau Field on Dec. 3.

And so, after what seemed like an intermi-nable wait, the hour draws nigh for the marquee showdown. Green Bay and Denver – two perfect re-cords, two great defenses going about their smash-mouth business on the day after Halloween. May the Packers’ candy bags all be filled with Crunch bars, and all the Butterfingers go to the Broncos.

Veteran sportswriter Gary Sey-mour’s column appears weekly in the Leader. To contact him, send an email to [email protected].

Pieces all in place for a Mile High rumble

Gary Seymour

Keep up on all your Packers news at www.shawanoleader.com




WRDavante AdamsJames Jones

LTDavid Bakhtiari Don Barclay

LGJosh Sitton Lane Taylor

CCorey LinsleyJC Tretter

RGT.J. Lang Josh Walker

RTBryan Bulaga Don Barclay FB

John Kuhn Aaron Ripkowski

WRRandall Cobb Ty Montgomery

QBAaron Rodgers Scott Tolzien

RBEddie Lacy James Starks

CBChris Harris Jr.Bradley Roby

LOLBDeMarcus WareShane Ray

SST.J. WardDavid Bruton Jr.

LILBBrandon MarshallTodd Davis

RILBDanny TrevathanCorey Nelson

FSDarian StewartDavid Bruton Jr.

CBAqib TalibKayvon Webster

RDEMalik JacksonVance Walker

ROLBVon MillerShaquil Barrett

DTSylvester WilliamsDarius Kilgo

LDE Vance WalkerAntonio Smith

TERichard Rodgers Kennard Backman

THE DEPTH CHARTPackers vs. Broncos


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DEMike Pennel Datone Jones

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BLBJake RyanClay Matthews

LGEvan MathisMax Garcia

LTTy SambrailoMichael Schofield

RBC.J. AndersonRonnie Hillman

QBPeyton ManningBrock Osweiler

TEOwen DanielsVirgil Green

WREmmanuel SandersAndre Caldwell

WR/TEJordan NorwoodVirgil Green

RGLouis VasquezShelley Smith

CMatt ParadisJames Ferentz

RTRyan HarrisMichael Schofield

THE DEPTH CHARTPackers vs. Broncos

WRDemayius ThomasJordan Norwood


Around the NorthMINNESOTA (4-2) at CHICAGO (2-4)Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox

OPENING LINE — Vikings

by 2½RECORD VS SPREAD — Vi-

kings 5-1, Bears 3-3SERIES RECORD — Vikings

lead 55-51-2LAST MEETING — Vikings

beat Bears 13-9, Dec. 28, 2014LAST WEEK — Vikings beat

Detroit, 28-19; Bears had bye, lost to Lions 37-34, OT, on Oct. 18

AP PRO32 RANKINGS — Vi-kings No. 9, Bears No. 25

VIKINGS OFFENSE — OVERALL (30), RUSH (6), PASS (30)

VIKINGS DEFENSE — OVERALL (7), RUSH (13), PASS (11)

BEARS OFFENSE — OVER-ALL (27), RUSH (16), PASS (24)

BEARS DEFENSE — OVER-ALL (10), RUSH (25), PASS (6)

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Bears have won 13 of 14 home games against Minne-sota and seven straight against Vikings at Soldier Field. Lost in 2007, when Adrian Peterson ran for 224 yards — most ever by Bears opponent. … Win over Detroit was Vikings’ first on road against division opponent since they beat Lions on Sept. 30, 2012. … Vikings have league-low 35 penalties. … Minnesota sacked Matthew Stafford seven

times last week. … Coach Mike Zimmer is from Lockport, Illinois, about 35 miles from Soldier Field. … Peterson ranks fourth in NFL with 530 yards rushing, includ-ing 75-yard run against Lions. In 12 games against Chicago, he has 1,396 yards and 14 TDs. … QB Teddy Bridgewater threw for 316 yards, one shy of career high, last week. … Rookie WR Stefon Diggs is aiming for his third straight 100-yard game. … LB Eric Kendricks is tied for NFL rookies lead with four sacks — all in past three games. … Bears coach John Fox is 10-3 in games following bye: 6-3 with Carolina, 4-0 with Denver. … QB Jay Cutler, with 136 TD passes for Chicago, needs one to tie Hall of Famer Sid Luckman’s team record. … Matt Forte ranks second among NFL RBs to Atlanta’s Devonta Free-man with 698 scrimmage yards. … Martellus Bennett is tied for third among NFL TEs with 34 catches. … LB Pernell McPhee leads team with four sacks. … Bears cut DL Jeremiah Ratliff last week after heated discussion with GM Ryan Pace, and signed former Pittsburgh and Jackson-ville DL Ziggy Hood.

FANTASY TIP — This would be a good week to have Peterson given his production and Bears’ struggles against running game.


Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson showed his strength last weekend with a 75-yard run against the Lions. He looks to add to his rushing total against a struggling Bears defense Sunday.


Hood to bolster Bears’ front lineDepleted Bears looking for solutionsThe Associated Press

The Chicago Bears returned from their bye weekend with a different player wearing the No. 90 jersey and a defensive line in a state of flux.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars de-fensive lineman Ziggy Hood was signed last week after the team cut Jeremiah Ratliff, and he took his jersey number. Hood is get-ting a crash course on the Bears’ defense for a team short on defen-sive line help.

“Everything’s concerning,” coach John Fox said. “We haven’t been healthy all season. We lost our quarterback for a game and a half. We’ve been through a vari-ety of offensive linemen, a variety of receivers. I like where we are right now as far as our depth and the people we have available.”

The Bears (2-4) host Minne-

sota (4-2) on Sunday.Hood was cut by Jackson-

ville due to a foot injury last year following five seasons with Pittsburgh.

“I didn’t have the luxury of coming in, OTAs, training camp and mandatory workouts to meet the guys,” Hood said. “I’m just thrown into the fire with the guys. I’ve got to build their confidence, build their trust and basically earn it all.”

Hood had experience in the Bears’ 3-4 style of defense with the Steelers, but Jacksonville had a different approach.

“It’s going to be a lot of work because I played at a 4-3 get-up-the-field-type of team and stuff so it’s going to be another work-ing process getting back into that 3-4,” Hood said.

Fox expressed confidence that Hood will fit in with the team.

“He’s got a lot of skins on the

wall,” Fox said. “He’s played a lot in this league at a high level. I did like him coming out way back when he was a rookie. Once healthy — I think he’s pretty far along in that process — I think he’s a front-line defensive lineman.”

The Bears two weeks ago placed defensive lineman Ego Ferguson on injured reserve. In the last month, they have add-ed linemen Bruce Gaston from Green Bay’s practice squad and former Denver Bronco Mitch Unrein.

They also have Will Sutton back from an elbow injury.

Fox did not want to elaborate on the reasons for cutting Ratliff, who was seen Wednesday having an animated discussion with gen-eral manager Ryan Pace before leaving. Team security had been alerted to the situation and were monitoring it, and Lake Forest police reportedly were dispatched to Halas Hall.

Asked why the extra security was needed, Fox said, “That’s why you have security. That’s why things are in place.”

Asked why police were needed, Fox said. “Sometimes if you think you need that, that’s what you do for the safety of your building.”


The Chicago defense has struggled at slowing down opponents this season, but the acquisi-tion of Ziggy Hood could possible shore up some gaps on the line.


First a new offensive coordinator, now a new continent.

This week is full of changes for the struggling Detroit Lions, one of the sea-son’s biggest disappointments.

The Lions (1-6) opened the Jim Bob Cooter era on offense Wednesday on new turf, four days ahead of their game against the Kansas City Chiefs (2-5) at Wembley Stadium.

Players said they weren’t shocked by Monday’s firing of former OC Joe Lombar-di and two offensive line coaches following Detroit’s poor start to the NFL season. All said they expected immediate improve-ment with the promotion of 31-year-old Cooter, a protege of coach Jim Caldwell who spent the past two years as quarter-back Matthew Stafford’s position coach.

“He’s been great,” said Stafford, who noted that many offensive players out-side the quarterbacks room might never have heard Cooter talk before this week. “But the more he starts talking football,

you understand his intelligence and his understanding of the game. That garners respect from guys.”

While many expect Cooter to unleash the long ball to wide receivers Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, the ground attack has been the Lions’ weakest link, dead last in the NFL with a mere 68 yards per game.

The Lions’ inability to run has left Staf-ford under too much pressure, including in last Sunday’s 28-19 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, when Stafford was sacked seven times. Starting running back Joique Bell returned from injury but ran just three times for 21 yards.

“I had Jim (Bob Cooter) in my rookie year with the Colts with Coach Caldwell. He’s a brilliant guy and he knows football. He can connect with the players and we’re going to enjoy playing for him,” Bell said.

Caldwell said switching coordinators in midseason was hardly ideal, but he point-ed to his own 2012 history with the Balti-more Ravens, when he was promoted to the position midway through the team’s Super Bowl run. And he said Cooter’s intelligence and detailed understand-ing with Stafford was making the sudden switch smooth.

Caldwell said the players “know him, he’s worked with them, he certainly has a great grasp of all the things that we need to get done. So it’s not like someone com-ing from a different location where you have to totally get a feel for their person-ality. I think they understand how bright he is and his knowledge and grasp of of-fensive football as well.”

Some players cited Cooter’s relative youth as a plus. He’s the second-young-est offensive coordinator in the league next to Washington’s Sean McVay — and younger than five players on the Lions roster.

“He’s a younger guy and definitely has a lot of fire in him,” said Johnson, who called Lombardi’s firing “an unfortunate business.”

Second-year tight end Eric Ebron said Cooter was an ideal figure to restructure Detroit’s passing attack because “he knows what Matt likes to do. That’s really how the offense works: You get the quar-terback what he wants. He’s going to feed off Matt.”

When the NFL scheduled the Lions and Chiefs as the last of this year’s trio of London games, it looked like a matchup of playoff contenders. But the Chiefs have

lost star running back Jamaal Charles to a season-ending knee injury, and the Lions — pegged by many to challenge the Green Bay Packers for the NFC North crown — find themselves sharing the league’s worst record with the Ravens.

Few said they could see the collapse coming after a 2014 season that ended 11-5 and a bitterly disputed first-round playoff loss at Dallas.

“The NFL is a crazy league. A lot of things look good on paper, but until you get out there and start playing, it’s a lot of shocks, a lot of surprises,” defensive end Jason Jones said. “Right now we’re in a tough spot, but all that we can do is look forward and try to get a win Sunday.”

The Lions are returning to the scene of their greatest comeback last season. They trailed the Atlanta Falcons by three touchdowns at the half but won 22-21 with a last-second field goal.

“We’ve shown we can play inspired ball in London and we’re hoping for that again,” said cornerback Rashean Mathis, who had a big interception return at Wem-bley last year. “But we’d rather get on top of the Chiefs early. No more dramat-ic comebacks. We just want to dominate from the first snap Sunday.”

Entire Lions offense has started slowlyTrip to London awaits new offensive coordinatorThe Associated Press


NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCENorth DivisionTeam W L TGreen Bay 6 0 0Minnesota 4 2 0Chicago 2 4 0Detroit 1 6 0East DivisonTeam W L TN.Y. Giants 4 3 0Washington 3 4 0Philadelphia 3 4 0Dallas 2 4 0South DivisionTeam W L TCarolina 6 0 0Atlanta 6 1 0New Orleans 3 4 0Tampa Bay 2 4 0West DivisionTeam W L TArizona 5 2 0St. Louis 3 3 0Seattle 3 4 0San Francisco 2 5 0

AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCENorth DivisionTeam W L TCincinnati 6 0 0Pittsburgh 4 3 0Cleveland 2 5 0Baltimore 1 6 0East DivisionTeam W L TNew England 6 0 0N.Y. Jets 4 2 0Miami 3 3 0Buffalo 3 4 0South DivisionTeam W L TIndianapolis 3 4 0Houston 2 5 0Jacksonville 2 5 0Tennessee 1 5 0West DivisionTeam W L TDenver 6 0 0Oakland 3 3 0Kansas City 2 5 0San Diego 2 5 0

NFL Standings & Schedule

Sunday, Nov. 1Detroit vs. Kansas City at London, 9:30 a.m.San Francisco at St. Louis, 1 p.m.N.Y. Giants at New Orleans, 1 p.m.Minnesota at Chicago, 1 p.m.Tennessee at Houston, 1 p.m.Tampa Bay at Atlanta, 1 p.m.Arizona at Cleveland, 1 p.m.

San Diego at Baltimore, 1 p.m.Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.N.Y. Jets at Oakland, 4:05 p.m.Seattle at Dallas, 4:25 p.m.Green Bay at Denver, 8:30 p.m.(Byes: Buffalo, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Washington)Monday, Nov. 2Indianapolis at Carolina, 8:30 p.m.

SCORING NONKICKERSPoints1. D. Freeman · ATL 602. Je. Hill · CIN 383. Eifert · CIN 363. Fitzgerald · ARI 363. Gronkowski · NE 363. Da. Johnson · AR 363. Jam. Jones · GB 363. Ju. Jones · ATL 363. A. Robinson · JAX 3610. De. Hopkins · HOU 32

SCORING KICKERSPoints1. Gostkowski · NE 692. Hauschka · SEA 623. McManus · DEN 614. Jos. Brown · NYG 605. Catanzaro · ARI 596. Santos · KC 587. Tucker · BAL 578. Coons · CLE 538. Lambo · SD 5310. Gould · CHI 52

LEADING PASSERSRating1. Dalton · CIN 116.12. A. Rodgers · GB 115.93. Brady · NE 113.24. C. Palmer · ARI 108.95. T. Taylor · BUF 103.66. D. Carr · OAK 101.07. Rivers · SD 99.2

8. Ru. Wilson · SEA 97.09. J. McCown · CLE 96.110. Hoyer · HOU 95.7

LEADING RECEIVERSYards1. De. Hopkins · HOU 7762. Ju. Jones · ATL 7303. K. Allen · SD 6904. An. Brown · PIT 6715. Fitzgerald · ARI 6226. Hilton · IND 6067. Smith Sr. · BAL 5888. A. Robinson · JAX 5869. B. Marshall · NYJ 57810. T. Benjamin · CLE 575

LEADING RUSHERSYards1. D. Freeman · ATL 6212. Chr. Johnson · ARI 5673. D. Martin · TB 5414. A. Peterson · MIN 5305. L. Bell · PIT 5116. Forte · CHI 5077. Ivory · NYJ 5018. Forsett · BAL 4939. C. Hyde · SF 47010. Ma. Ingram · NO 450

YARDS FROM SCRIMMAGETotal1. D. Freeman · ATL 9312. De. Hopkins · HOU 776

3. Ju. Jones · ATL 7304. Forte · CHI 6985. K. Allen · SD 6906. Ma. Ingram · NO 6857. An. Brown · PIT 6778. D. Martin · TB 6709. L. Bell · PIT 63410. A. Peterson · MIN 631

INTERCEPTIONS1. Norman · CAR 41. M. Adams · IND 41. Woodson · OAK 44. Talib · DEN 34. Thurmond · PHI 34. M. Peters · KC 34. Acker · SF 34. Brock · SF 34. Ras. Johnson · ARI 34. Revis · NYJ 3

SACKS1. Mi. Bennett · SEA 6.51. C. Dunlap · CIN 6.51. Cha. Jones · NE 6.54. Ansah · DET 6.04. Jordan · NO 6.04. Wake · MIA 6.04. J. Watt · HOU 6.08. Peppers · GB 5.59. F. Cox · PHI 5.010. A. Lynch · SF 5.0

NFL Stat Leaders

Injury ReportPackersWR Davante Adams, ankleS Morgan Burnett, calfWR Ty Montgomery, ankleLB Nate Palmer, chestLB Nick Perry, shoulder/handDT B.J. Raji, groinRB James Starks, hipBroncosS Omar Bolden, foot

TE Owen Daniels, shoulderT Ryan Harris, kneeG Evan Mathis, hamstringLB Corey Nelson, kneeLB Shane Ray, kneeT Ty Sambrailo, shoulderWR Emmanuel Sanders, shoulderCB Aqib Talib, ankleRB Juwan Thompson, hamstringLB Demarcus Ware, back

Packers StatsPASSING ATT COM PCT YARDS TDA. Rodgers 182 124 68.1 1491 15RUSHING ATT YARDS AVG LONG TDJ. Starks 63 286 4.5 65t 1Lacy 67 260 3.9 16 1A. Rodgers 29 160 5.5 18 0RECEIVING NO. YARDS AVG LONG TDCobb 30 350 11.7 29 4Jam. Jones 21 424 20.2 65t 6R. Rodgers 21 189 9.0 25 2T. Montgomery 15 136 9.1 31t 2J. Starks 11 75 6.8 19 1D. Adams 9 92 10.2 25 0Lacy 9 83 9.2 26 0INTERCEPTIONS NO. LONG TDRollins 2 45t 1Shields 2 15 0Clinton-Dix 1 0 0Elliott 1 2 0M. Hyde 1 2 0Cl. Matthews 1 42 0

SACKS NO.Peppers 5.5Cl. Matthews 4.5N. Perry 3.5M. Daniels 3.0Elliott 2.0Neal 2.0Dat. Jones 1.0J. Thomas 1.0Raji 0.5PUNTING NO. YARDS AVGMasthay 24 1039 43.3PUNT RETURNS NO. AVG LONG TDM. Hyde 11 6.5 16 0KICKOFF RETURNS NO. AVG LONG TDT. Montgomery 7 31.1 46 0Abbrederis 1 30.0 30 0SCORE BY QUARTERS 1 2 3 4 TOTTEAM 66 19 41 38 164OPPONENTS 9 37 31 24 101


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