Winners of six of their last seven, the Broncos are looking to continue their momentum in Week 15. Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver takes on the Lions at Ford Field in Detroit.
Live updates
Pre-game updates
Scouting report (4 p.m.): Check out how the Broncos match up with the Lions in Ryan McFadden’s scouting report.
Game predictions
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Broncos 27, Lions 26
This is obviously the toughest game left on Denver’s schedule. It’s going to be difficult to slow Detroit down on its home turf. But Denver also needs to stack wins more than the Lions do, its defense is playing well, and you know Sean Payton wants to get the best of his mentee, Dan Campbell. Somehow, I suspect he will.
Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Broncos 27, Lions 24
The Lions have faltered lately, dropping two of their last three games. Denver will take advantage of a struggling team to keep its playoff hopes alive. Sutton has another highlight reel catch in him.
Sean Keeler, columnist: Broncos 23, Lions 21
Team Takeaway is 5-0 over its last five versus the NFC North. The Motor City Kitties are on the cusp of a clean AFC West sweep this fall. But here are two stats to hang your Orange & Blue hopes on: Since Oct. 22, a span of six games, the Lions are a collective minus-8 in turnover ratio and have been averaging 2.12 giveaways per tussle. Uh-oh.
Matt Schubert, sports editor: Lions 27, Broncos 21
Detroit is trending downward with Jared Goff unable to stop giving the ball away to the opposing team. And Denver is trending up with a defense that can’t stop taking it away. So how in the world is this pick going to the Lions? Because winning on the road is hard, and the Broncos’ one defensive weakness (stopping the run) happens to be Detroit’s biggest offensive strength.
Broncos-Lions NFL Week 15: Must-reads
On roster ripe with undrafted success stories, Ja’Quan McMillian might already be Broncos’ brightest: “That’s just J-Mac”
The standout performances come easily to Steve Ellis’ mind. To him, they doubled as harbingers. This kind of breakout, he insists, was inevitable for Ja’Quan McMillian. The two crossed paths for only one season (2021) at East Carolina, but all the same, Ellis saw more than enough to know that he knew.
A punch-out on a game-deciding play against Navy. Critical picks against Marshall and SMU. Whenever the Pirates needed a defensive play, McMillian made it. Sound familiar?
In the midst of McMillian transforming himself from a practice squad player as a rookie into potentially a Pro Bowler in his second pro season, this will also ring familiar to those who play next to McMillian, coach him or have otherwise witnessed his ascendance on a daily basis, Parker Gabriel reports. Read the full story.
Broncos’ high-flying defense in for a stiff prime-time test against balanced, explosive Lions: “We can kind of prove the type of team we are”
As the Broncos defense has transformed into one of the NFL’s best over the past eight games, it’s faced all types of offenses. The rugged, run-heavy Cleveland Browns. The magic of Patrick Mahomes, even this frustrated-by-poor-receivers version. The barely-bother-to-run Los Angeles Chargers.
Next up is perhaps the most difficult challenge since Denver gave up 70 points at Miami, a performance so terrible and so different from this group’s recent run that it feels more like three years ago than less than three months ago. At the least, it’s a task on par with playing at Buffalo a month ago.
The Lions, powered by quarterback Jared Goff, a fleet of young, talented skill players and a big, physical offensive line and orchestrated by coordinator Ben Johnson, has a calling card: balance, Parker Gabriel reports. Read the full story.
Vance Joseph’s Broncos defense is dialing up the pressure, and producing plenty of sacks: “It’s a little bit contagious”
In Denver’s 24-7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers last week, the Broncos generated sacks from anyone and anywhere.
In the first quarter, Denver had Baron Browning, Drew Sanders, Jonathon Cooper and Delarrin Turner-Yell on the edges, while inside linebacker Alex Singleton manned the middle behind defensive lineman Zach Allen. As Justin Herbert dropped back, Singleton charged up the middle and chased down the Chargers’ star quarterback before sacking him near the sideline.
Los Angeles faced a third-and-10 with 12:13 to go in the second when Singleton stormed into the backfield again. This time, his pressure set up Allen to swoop in from the right side and sack Herbert.
By the end of the day, the Broncos had six different players record a sack in one of their best defensive performances this season, Ryan McFadden reports. Read the full story.
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