Packers Week 15 Winners and Losers: A Cursed Day

It was an absolutely brutal day in Denver for the Green Bay Packers, who are now the 7th seed in the NFC playoff race after a 34-26 loss to the Broncos. The game was a great one, until it wasn’t. The Packers now look to be at risk of missing the playoffs altogether, after what appear to be serious injuries for both Christian Watson and Micah Parsons. Let’s dive into the winners and losers from an absolutely cursed day.

Winner: Matthew Golden

Early in the second half of the game, Christian Watson went down, and everyone’s hearts collectively sank (don’t worry, they could and DID sink lower!) as he was helped off the field. Watson left the stadium in an ambulance, and his injury was officially ruled as a chest injury. We saw the offense before Watson returned from his torn ACL in October—it lost its spark. With him appearing set to miss some time again (for how long, we don’t know), Matthew Golden is back to being their only speed threat.

He was targeted 4 times on Sunday, bringing in 3 of them for a team-high 55 yards. He ran some great routes, which led to some big gains, including two on crucial third downs. It wasn’t the breakout game we’ve been waiting for, but the extra attention towards Golden on Sunday allowed us to see that some special play is brewing. With 3 games left in the regular season, will we get to see the big one soon?

Winner: Josh Jacobs

After being listed as questionable for Sunday’s game due to a lingering knee injury, Jacobs played on a pitch count in Denver, splitting snaps with the sickly Emanuel Wilson. On 14 total touches, Jacobs grabbed his second-ever receiving touchdown and also scored his longest rushing touchdown of the season. His touchdown catch was one of the better catches you’ll see all week, by any player.

To start off the second half, he had all the room in the world and brought it in for an explosive 40-yard score. He simply can’t be stopped (unless the offense is running the ball on 2nd and long). Jacobs finished the day with 12 carries for 73 yards and a TD, and 2 catches for an additional 19 yards and a TD.

Loser: Special Teams

I know this seems impossible and highly unlikely, but the special teams unit blew it on Sunday. As Denver received the ball for their second drive of the game, the Packers gave up a 37-yard return, giving the Broncos the ball at their own 40-yard line. After the Broncos punted at the end of this very drive, Kingsley Enagbare was flagged for unnecessary roughness after running into the punter, who was quite literally just existing.

Just before halftime, Emanuel Wilson muffed a kick return in the end zone, which resulted in just a 14-yard return as the Packers were trying to get some points before they got the ball back for the second half. The drive would end in a field goal, but a touchdown would obviously have been preferred here, and who knows how it would’ve ended with better starting field position. In the second half, when the Broncos were a drive away from taking the lead, Isaiah McDuffie was called for holding on a punt return. The drive ended in a Denver touchdown, and the Packers were never able to get the lead back.

Rich Bisaccia absolutely needs to coach a more disciplined special teams unit, but we’ve been saying this for a few years now, so I don’t think we should be holding our breath. Can’t wait to see how they mess up next week!

Loser: Offensive Line

The offensive line absolutely collapsed late in the 4th quarter as the team was attempting to come back. In a matter of a few seconds of playing time, Jordan Love was sacked twice, forcing a turnover on downs. The Packers would get just one more drive after this, during which Anthony Belton was flagged for a false start. They were unable to get any yards this drive, and the game was over.

Don’t worry! I’ve saved a whole paragraph for Rasheed Walker. Walker was flagged four times during the game. His first penalty was a false start, which set the Packers up for a 1st and 15; they were unable to convert, forcing them to settle for a field goal. He was next flagged for being an ineligible player downfield, setting them up with a 1st and 15. They were yet again unable to convert, settling for a field goal. He was then flagged for holding on 2nd and goal, which they were luckily able to get past, due to Josh Jacobs turning into Randy Moss for a brief moment. Walker then had one more false start, setting the Packers up for 2nd and 18. They were able to convert this one, but the drive would end with 0 points after Love took a sack on 3rd and 10.

Really, really disheartening play from the offensive line on Sunday. Everyone needs to play better because the last thing the Packers need is an injury to their star QB.

Winner: Edgerrin Cooper

His name is Edgerrin Cooper, and he’s never heard of a sophomore slump. Cooper had a great game Sunday, recovering an RJ Harvey fumble during Denver’s first drive of the game. He had some big stops, including two for a loss. He forced two turnovers on downs in a row, late in the game, doing what he could to stop the Broncos from getting more than one score ahead. He also forced an incompletion on 4th down to give the Packers the ball back in a one-possession game. While it seems like the injuries sucked the momentum out of the whole team, Cooper still played a high-energy game and did what he could to keep the Packers in it until the end.

Loser: Carrington Valentine

For the love of all that is holy, Carrington, please. Valentine had a rough game and was being picked on all day by the Broncos’ offense. He gave up a big first down to Courtland Sutton after being unable to make a pass break-up, which could’ve been possible had he used his arms. He had a bad missed tackle during Denver’s fourth drive of the game—this tackle could’ve stopped the Broncos behind the line of scrimmage, and instead turned into a gain that was stopped near the goal line. The Broncos would score just a few plays later. Valentine was also burned badly in the 2nd half, giving up a 16-yard completion to Troy Franklin. He also dropped a pick when the Packers could’ve desperately used some momentum. Rough, rough day for #24.

Loser: Keisean Nixon

Carrington Valentine was not the only player being burned by Courtland Sutton on Sunday. Keisean Nixon was torched a few times, giving up a huge 42-yard play on the Broncos’ second play of their fourth drive. They would score shortly thereafter. He also gave up a touchdown to Sutton in the second half, looking completely incapable of making a big play. Nixon does a lot of chirping, which is only fun when the play backs it up. This week, it wasn’t fun.

Winner: Micah Parsons

Forgive me, as I am crying while I write this. Parsons was on absolute fire in Denver from the very first drive of the game. He forced a fumble, which was recovered by Edgerrin Cooper. He also finally got a holding call! It was shaping up to be another monster game. He was able to spot a screen play by Denver’s offense, and forced an incompletion instead of running for the QB and leaving the receiver open.

He was in Bo Nix’s face constantly, forcing quick throws which led to incomplete passes and near-interceptions. And then, late in the third quarter…he went down. At the edge of my screen, I could see that it was non-contact. When the camera went back to Parsons on the ground holding his knee, I think we all knew immediately what had happened. The sinking feeling that coursed through my body in that moment can’t be accurately described. I’m heartbroken for Parsons, as the fear from the team is that he’s suffered a torn ACL. After an incredible start to his Packers career, it looks like things are paused for the next 10 or so months. Here’s to hoping he has a swift recovery and that the 2026 Comeback Player of the Year campaign is one to be remembered.

The vibe heading into Week 16 is suddenly much different from what it was heading into this week’s game. The Packers head to Chicago to take on the first-place Bears in their final head-to-head matchup of the regular season. A win will keep them in it, a loss will…hurt very badly. Catch all the action on Saturday night at 7:20 local time.