The Green Bay Packers finish the road part of the preseason schedule with a trip to Colorado to play the Denver Broncos.
It will be Green Bay’s first preseason trip to Denver since 2008, when it won, 27-24. Prior to that, the teams had not played in the preseason since squaring off in four straight preseasons (1998-2001).
This will be the 10th preseason meeting between the Packers and Broncos, with Denver winning six of the previous nine matchups. The regular-season series between the two is even at 6-6-1.
In six of the past seven seasons, Green Bay has had a preseason matchup against an AFC West opponent. Since 2000, there have been 12 seasons in which the Packers have played a team from the AFC West in the preseason.
The Packers play just one AFC team in the preseason for only the second time (2013) since 2000. For comparison, there have been eight seasons since 2000 where Green Bay has played one NFC team in the preseason. And there have been four preseasons (2000, 2001, 2005, 2012) where the Packers have only played AFC teams during the exhibition season.
With wins over the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins, the Packers began the preseason 2-0 for the second consecutive year.
The first preseason game the Packers played in the city of Denver was not against the Broncos. It was a 35-31 loss to Washington on Sept. 10, 1946.
The Packers are 9-2 all-time in preseason games played on August 26. (1961, 1973, 1978, 1989, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2016; only losses came in 1978 and 2005).
WITH THE CALL
Preseason games are televised over the 16-station Packers TV Network throughout the state of Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, northeastern Minnesota, the Quad Cities, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Waterloo in Iowa, Omaha in Nebraska, Fargo in North Dakota, Sioux Falls in South Dakota and Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau in Alaska.
The top-notch broadcast team includes CBS’s Kevin Harlan (playby-play) alongside fellow CBS broadcaster Rich Gannon (analyst), with Lance Allan of WTMJ-TV serving as the sideline reporter. Allan will also host an informative half-hour pregame show featuring former Packers tackle Mark Tauscher.
In addition to flagship stations WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee and WGBA-TV in Green Bay the game will be televised over WKOW/ABC, Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC, Wausau/Rhinelander, Wis.; WXOW/ABC, La Crosse, Wis.; WQOW/ABC, Eau Claire, Wis.; WLUC/NBC, Escanaba/Marquette, Mich.; KQDS-TV/FOX, Duluth/Superior, Minn.; WHBF-TV/CBS, Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities); KCWI-TV/CW, Des Moines, Iowa; KWWL-TV/NBC, Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa; KMTV-TV/CBS, Omaha, Neb.; KVRR/IND, Fargo, North Dakota; KDLT/NBC, Sioux Falls, South Dakota; KYUR/ABC, Anchorage, Alaska; KATN/ABC, Fairbanks, Alaska amd KJUD/ABC,Juneau, Alaska.
Milwaukee’s WTMJ (620 AM), airing Green Bay games since November 1929, heads up the Packers Radio Network that is made up of 50 stations in five states. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst) call the action. McCarren first joined the team’s broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 23rd season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 19th season of broadcasts together.
BREAKING DOWN THE ROSTER
The Packers currently have an 90-man roster that is composed of 44 offensive players, 42 defensive players and four specialists.
Of the 90 players on Green Bay’s roster, 41 of them (45.6 percent) were draft picks of the Packers. Dating back to 2007, Green Bay has at least one member of each draft class still on the roster.
Green Bay has 44 players on the roster that began their careers as undrafted free agents, with 36 of those originally signed by Green Bay.
60 percent of the players (54 of 90 percent) on Green Bay’s roster entered the league as a sixth-round or seventh-round pick or as an undrafted player.
The Packers have five players on the roster that played in the NFL prior to the 2009 season. Four of those five players were draft picks of the Packers (QB Aaron Rodgers , K Mason Crosby , WR Jordy Nelson and LB Clay Matthews ) and three have made at least one Pro Bowl.
Of the 90 players on the roster, 77 began their pro careers with the Packers (85.6 percent).
Only 21 of the 90 players on the roster (23.3 percent) were selected in the first three rounds of the draft, with 19 being drafted by the Packers.
GREEN BAY'S ROSTER...
BY AGE (as of August 26)
21-24: 57 players
25-28: 24 players
29-32: 7 playeres
33-plus: 2 players
BY EXPERIENCE
R-1: 42 players
2-3: 22 players
4-5: 10 players
6-9: 10 players
10-plus: 6 players
BY DRAFT ROUND
1st: 7 players
2nd/3rd: 14 players
4th/5th: 15 players
6th/7th: 10 players
Undrafted: 44 players
THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT
Packers vs. Broncos:
All-time, Preseason: 3-6-0
All-time, Regular season: 6-6-1
All-time, Postseason: 0-1
Streaks: The Packers have won three of the past four meetings during the regular season.
Last meeting, regular season: Nov. 1, 2015; Broncos won, 29-10, Sports Authority Field at Mile High
COACHES CAPSULES
Mike McCarthy: 124-69-1, .642 (incl. 10-8 postseason); 12th NFL season
Vance Joseph: 0-0, .000; first NFL season
Head to Head: 0-0
vs. Opponent: McCarthy 2-1 vs. Broncos; Joseph 0-0 vs. Packers
MIKE McCARTHY ...is in his 12th year as the Packers' 14th head coach.
Led the Packers to their eighth consecutive playoff appearance last season, tied for the third-longest streak in NFL history. Has also led the team to nine playoff appearances in the last 10 years (2007, 2009-16).
Ranks second in franchise history in total victories, trailing only Curly Lambeau.
Guided the Packers to top-10 finishes in scoring in eight straight seasons (2007-14), joining the Patriots as the only other team to accomplish the feat over that time; Packers finished first overall in scoring in 2014.
Reached the 100-win plateau faster than any active NFL head coach, needing just 155 games.
Joined Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the only coaches to guide the Packers to a Super Bowl title with a win over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.
VANCE JOSEPH ...is in his first year as the Broncos' 16th head coach.
Begins his first season as an NFL head coach after spending the past 12 seasons as an assistant coach and coordinator with four teams.
Returns to the state of Colorado after playing collegiately at Colorado (1990-94) and two stints coaching the Buffaloes, first as a graduate assistant from 1999-2001, then as the defensive backs coach from 2002-03.
From 2014-15, was the Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive backs coach and during that time, Cincinnati defenders intercepted 41 passes, most in the NFL, as well as compiling more interceptions than touchdowns allowed.
Was a cornerback for two seasons in the NFL, starting six of 17 games played and picking off two passes in his career.
THE PACKERS-BRONCOS SERIES
The Packers first met the Broncos in 1971, Denver's 12th year of existence as an NFL franchise. A Week 2 showdown, Green Bay defeated Denver, 34-13, at County Stadium in Milwaukee.
Green Bay is undefeated in the series in games played in Wisconsin (5-0-1) and won its first in the series outside of its home state in 2007. In the Packers’ first appearance at Mile High (and first trip to the city since 1999), the Packers won for the first time in the regular season in six tries against the Broncos in Denver.
Four-time Super Bowl loser Denver recorded its first-ever win in the NFL’s title game with a dramatic 31-24 victory over Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXII in one of the greatest quarterback matchups in Super Bowl history, pitting Brett Favre vs. John Elway.
NOTABLE CONNECTIONS
Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy spent the 1995 season on the Packers practice squad…Packers strength and conditioning asst. Chris Gizzi entered the NFL as an UDFA with the Broncos in 1998… Denver G/T Allen Barbre was a fourth-round pick by Green Bay in 2007 and played for the Packers from 2007-09...Packers defensive front asst. Jerry Montgomery played for the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League…Packers DL coach Mike Trgovac served in the same role at Colorado State from 1990-91…Green Bay T David Bakhtiari and K Mason Crosby both played at Colorado…Packers WR Max McCaffrey is a native of Castle Rock, Colo., and his father, Ed, won two Super Bowls as a wide receiver for the Broncos…Broncos assistant head coach/running backs coach Eric Studesville was a DB at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and was born in Madison, Wis. …Broncos asst. strength and conditioning coach Mike Eubanks played at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire…Denver tight ends coach Geep Chryst’s brother, Paul, is the head football coach at the University of Wisconsin...Geep is from Madison and began his coaching career at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 1987, followed by spending the 1988 season at Wisconsin…Broncos TE Austin Traylor played collegiately at Wisconsin from 2011-15...Denver head coach Vance Joseph and assistant defensive backs coach Johnnie Lynn were on the defensive coaching staff in San Francisco while Green Bay DT Ricky Jean Francois played for the 49ers… In 2005, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy and Joseph worked on the same staff for the 49ers...Jean Francois and Broncos DL Zach Kerr spent the 2014 season as teammates on the Colts’ defensive line…Denver OLB Kasim Edebali and Packers G Jahri Evans teamed together with the Saints for three seasons from 2014-16…Green Bay tight ends coach Brian Angelichio coached in Cleveland while Denver DE Billy Winn played for the Browns…Broncos LBs coach Reggie Herring coached in Houston while Packers asst. special teams coach Jason Simmons played for the Texans…Herring worked under then-head coach and current Packers DC Dom Capers while he was in Houston...McCoy, Davidson, Chryst and Packers defensive line coach Mike Trgovac coached together with the Carolina Panthers…Trgovac also coached alongside Broncos QBs coach Bill Musgrave with the Eagles in 1998…Musgrave coached with Packers secondary – cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr. with the Falcons in 2007… Denver offensive line coach Jeff Davidson (1986-89) played at Ohio State while Green Bay special teams coordinator Ron Zook (1988-90) coached defensive backs for the Buckeyes…Broncos OLBs coach Fred Pagac was on the same Ohio State coaching staff as Zook…Broncos WRs coach Tyke Tolbert served as the TEs coach for the University of Florida while Zook was the head coach in 2002…Tolbert and Studesville coached together with Packers QBs coach Alex Van Pelt in Buffalo…Van Pelt was in Buffalo while Broncos DL coach Bill Kollar was on staff from 2006-08…Studesville coached Packers offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett in Chicago from 1998-99 while Studesville was the Bears offensive quality control coach…Former college teammates include Packers TE Martellus Bennett and Broncos LB Von Miller (Texas A&M), Packers DE Dean Lowry and Broncos QB Trevor Siemian (Northwestern), Packers TE Richard Rodgers and Broncos RB C.J. Anderson (California), Packers C Corey Linsley and Broncos CB Bradley Roby (Ohio State), Packers S Morgan Burnett and Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas (Georgia Tech), Green Bay FB Aaron Ripkowski and Broncos T Donald Stephenson (Oklahoma),Broncos DL Nelson Adams and Packers LB Johnathan Calvin (Mississippi State), Packers FB Joe Kerridge , LB Jake Ryan , Broncos TE Jake Butt and S Dymonte Thomas (Michigan), Green Bay CB LaDarius Gunter , P Justin Vogel and Denver S Jamal Carter (Miami), Packers S Kentrell Brice and Broncos WR Carlos Henderson (Louisiana Tech), Broncos OLB Deon Hollins, CB Marcus Rios, Packers QB Brett Hundley and DT Kenny Clark (UCLA), McCaffrey and Denver WR Anthony Nash (Duke), Packers CB Demetri Goodson and Broncos S Orion Stewart (Baylor), Packers director of public relations Jason Wahlers began his NFL career as a PR intern with the Broncos in 2001-02.
