The Denver Broncos and the Green Bay Packers go against each other in Week 15, and this one feels different. Denver has taken two of the last three, but no one in Mile High is sleeping on Jordan Love’s offense. And before kickoff, a Broncos coach made sure everyone knew exactly why.

In the pre-game, Broncos DC Vance Joseph broke down what makes this Packers attack so difficult. He pointed straight to Love and the way Green Bay runs its passing game.

“(Love) is doing a really good job of getting the ball to the open guy. It’s not one guy he’s forcing the ball to, so it’s tough to see who you can take away or who you can roll coverage to. There’s not much of that on tape. It’s organic, it’s per read, it’s per concept. So you’ve got to play honest.”

Then the numbers back up every word of it. This season, Love sits at a 105.4 passer rating with 3,028 yards, 22 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions in 13 games. That is efficient and deadly at the same time. So if Denver wants to mute the Packers’ offense, they must rush him early and keep him moving. Pressure cannot be optional.

Green Bay is giving up only 1.4 sacks per game, the fourth-best mark in the league. So this becomes a huge test for Nik Bonitto, Jonathan Cooper, and the rest of the Broncos’ front. And then they have to force turnovers.

The Packers love their deep shots, and those vertical throws keep defenses tense and never quite settled. So if Love wants to keep firing downfield, the Broncos’ defensive backs must turn those chances into mistakes. That puts the Broncos’ cornerback Riley Moss in the spotlight. He sees a lot of targets, and one pick from him would shift the whole night.

Finally, if the Packers try to balance things out and spark their slow rushing attack, Denver’s front seven has the pieces to shut the Packers’ running back Josh Jacobs down. The defense has been up and down since the bye, but this matchup gives Vance Joseph a real shot to crank things back up and deliver a statement against Jordan Love’s crew.

Jordan Love and the Packers know what to do

The Packers walk into Mile High knowing they are facing one of the toughest defenses in the league. The Broncos are holding teams to 16.8 points per game in their last five. Yet the Packers know they can score with anyone. They are putting up 27.3 in their last four.

And this game will be a great NFC vs. AFC showing. Denver has one of the best defenses on third down (30.9%), while Green Bay’s offense is also top on third down (50.6%). So both sides know exactly where this battle may tilt. However, Jordan Love must also beat Denver’s pass rush.

The Broncos lead the league with 55 sacks, so the Packers must be ready for pressure from everywhere.

“It’s not just one guy that you can finger-point out,” QB Jordan Love said of game-planning against so many accomplished rushers in the starting front. “It’s a little bit different than a team that maybe only has one solid edge rusher that you make sure you get chips and lock down that side.

He went on to say, “You’ve got five guys who have all won at different times versus different teams. So we’ve just got to do a good job up front. I’ve got a lot of confidence in our O-line. They’ve been getting better and better as the season has gone on in pass pro. It will be a good test.”

The Packers know they can stretch the field if they protect Love. They sit near the top of the league in explosive plays. Eight different pass catchers have pulled in a 20-plus-yard grab during their four-game win streak. And Love has also ripped back-to-back 120-plus passer ratings in the last two games. So Green Bay knows what to do.