Dope Sheet: Packers and Broncos to face off in Denver | Preseason Week 2

Green Bay will travel to Denver to have a joint practice with the Broncos on Friday before the game on Sunday.

• This will be the 11th time the two teams have faced in the preseason (3-7).
• Sunday will be the first preseason meeting between the Packers and Broncos since a 2017 meeting in Denver.
• With the three-game preseason schedule implemented in 2021, the Packers will alternate between hosting one and two preseason games each year. This year, the Packers start with two road games before the Baltimore Ravens come to Lambeau Field to close out the preseason.
• The matchup with the Ravens is designated as the Packers Give Back Game and will recognize Wisconsin Literacy as the nonprofit honoree. Hundreds of Wisconsin Literacy guests will receive a free bus ride to the game, a food and beverage gift card, and tickets to a designated area in the south end zone. Prior to kickoff, several Wisconsin Literacy members will take the field to be recognized. Wisconsin Literacy is a coalition of literacy agencies dedicated to changing lives and strengthening communities through knowledge and advocacy. Founded in 1985, the organization supports over 80 member agencies, serving more than 11,000 adult learners and their families statewide. For more information about Wisconsin Literacy, please visit https://wisconsinliteracy.org/.

WITH THE CALL

Flagshipped by Milwaukee's WTMJ-TV and in conjunction with WGBA-TV in Green Bay, Packers preseason games are televised over a 22-station network throughout the state of Wisconsin, Upper Michigan and northeastern Minnesota, Peoria in Illinois, Cedar Rapids-Waterloo, Davenport and Des Moines in Iowa, Omaha in Nebraska, St. Louis in Missouri, Bismarck, Fargo and Minot in North Dakota, Sioux Falls in South Dakota and Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau in Alaska. All preseason games will also be broadcast on TELEMUNDO.

• The top-notch broadcast team includes CBS's Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) alongside former Green Bay fullback John Kuhn (analyst) with Ashley Washburn of WTMJ-TV serving as the sideline reporter. Washburn will also host an informative half-hour pregame show.
• In addition to flagship station WTMJ-TV and WGBA-TV, the games are televised over WQOW/ABC, Eau Claire, Wis.; WXOW/ABC, La Crosse, Wis.; WKOW/ABC, Madison, Wis.; WAOW/ABC, Wausau, Wis.; KQDS/FOX, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis.; WLUC-NBC/FOX UP, Escanaba/Marquette, Mich.; WMBD/CBS, Peoria/Bloomington, Ill.; KCCI/CBS, Des Moines, Iowa; WHBF/CBS, Davenport, Iowa; KWWL/NBC, Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa; KTVI/FOX, St. Louis, Mo.; KETV/ABC, Omaha, Neb.; KNDB/BEK, Bismarck, N.D.; KRDK/BEK, Fargo, N.D.; KNDM/BEK, Minot, N.D.; KDLT/NBC, Sioux Falls, S.D.; KYUR/ABC, Anchorage, Alaska; KATN/ABC, Fairbanks, Alaska and KJUD/ABC, Juneau, Alaska. For a map of the affiliates, please go to packers.com/video/tv-network.
• All Packers games can be heard on the Packers Radio Network, which is made up of 54 stations in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and North and South Dakota. 97.3 The Game – WRNW-Milwaukee begins its third season as the flagship station of the Packers Radio Network. For a map and full listing of radio affiliates, go to packers.com/video/radio-network. 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 30th season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 26th season of broadcasts together. They surpassed Jim Irwin and Max McGee for the most regular-season and postseason games broadcast for the Packers with 313 at the 2018 season opener against Chicago.

SAVE THE DATE

Important dates to remember (all times CT):

• Thursday, Aug. 22 – Last open practice of training camp (joint practice against Baltimore Ravens), 10:30 a.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 24 – Home preseason game, presented by Cenex, vs. Baltimore Ravens, 12 p.m.
• Tuesday, Aug. 27 – Roster reduction to a maximum of 53 players by 3 p.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 28 – Upon receipt of the personnel notice, clubs may establish a practice squad of 17 players, as long as one player qualifies as an International Player.
• Friday, Sept. 6 – Regular-season opener at Philadelphia Eagles, São Paulo, Brazil, 7:15 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 15 – Home opener vs. Indianapolis Colts, Lambeau Field, 12 p.m.

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT

Packers at Denver:

• All-time, regular season: 7-7-1
• All-time, postseason: 0-1
• All-time, preseason: 3-7
• All-time, at Denver (regular season): 1-7
• Streaks: Green Bay has won four of the last six regular-season games played.
• Last meeting, regular season: Oct. 22, 2023, Empower Field, Broncos won, 19-17

COACHES CAPSULES

• Matt LaFleur: 56-27-0, .675; (3-4 postseason); 6th NFL season
• Sean Payton: 160-98-0, .620; (9-8 postseason); 17th NFL season
• Head to Head: LaFleur 1-2 vs. Payton
• vs. Opponent: LaFleur 1-1 vs. Broncos; Payton 6-2 vs. Packers

MATT LaFLEUR…In his sixth season as the Packers' 15th head coach.

• Is in his 16th season in the NFL, having previously served as an offensive coordinator for two seasons (Los Angeles Rams, 2017; Tennessee Titans, 2018), a quarterbacks coach for six seasons (Washington Redskins, 2010-13; Atlanta Falcons, 2015-16), and an offensive assistant for two seasons (Houston Texans, 2008-09).
• In his first five seasons leading the Packers, has authored one of the greatest starts to a head-coaching career in NFL history. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, his 56 wins are tied for the second most in league history by a head coach in his first five seasons in the NFL, trailing only George Seifert (62 in 1989-93). Green Bay's 56-27 regular-season record since 2019 is tied for No. 3 in the NFL and ranks No. 1 in the NFC.
• Became the first coach in NFL history to post 13-plus wins in three straight seasons and his 39 wins from 2019-21 passed Seifert (38) for the most wins by an NFL head coach in his first three seasons in the league (Elias). His 39 wins are also tied for the second most by a coach over any three-season span in league history, trailing only Andy Reid's 40 wins with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2020-22 and Mike Ditka's 40 wins with the Chicago Bears from 1985-87 (Elias).
• Guided the Packers to a 32-9 record (.780) in the regular season from 2019-23 at Lambeau Field, the top home mark in the NFL over that span. His .733 win percentage (22-8 record) against NFC North opponents in his first five seasons also ranks as the best in the history of the NFC North/Central (min. 10 games).
• In his first season leading the Packers in 2019, became the first coach in club history to lead the team to the playoffs in his debut season. Also led the largest one-year win improvement in team history (plus-seven wins).

SEAN PAYTON…In his second season as the Broncos' 20th head coach.

• Spent 15 seasons as head coach of the New Orleans Saints (2006-11, '13-21), and led the franchise to its first Super Bowl championship (Super Bowl XLIV) during the 2009 season.
• Owns the Saints' top win total and winning percentage, and his 160 regular-season wins is tied with John Harbaugh for fourth among active head coaches, trailing only Andy Reid (258), Mike Tomlin (173) and Mike McCarthy (167).
• Produced nine seasons with 10-plus wins and led New Orleans to the No. 1 seed in the NFC on two occasions (2009, '18).
• In his first season in Denver, helped the Broncos to a 7-4 record in their final 11 games, including a five-game winning streak.

THE PACKERS-BRONCOS SERIES

• Green Bay and Denver first met in 1971, and the Packers defeated the Broncos, 34-13, in the inaugural game of the series.
• One of the most iconic games in the series was the Super Bowl XXXII matchup that pitted Packers QB Brett Favre against Broncos QB John Elway. Denver, loser of four previous Super Bowls, beat Green Bay, 31-24, to give the franchise its first Super Bowl victory.
• Green Bay has won four of the last six regular-season contests, allowing fewer than 20 points in four of those six.

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

Packers K Anders Carlson is from Colorado Springs, Colo., and attended The Classical Academy High School…Packers WR Dimitri Stanley is from Greenwood Village, Colo., where he attended Cherry Creek High School, and began his collegiate career at Colorado (2018-21)…Packers assistant quarterbacks coach Connor Lewis is from Littleton, Colo., and attended Chatfield High School… Packers defensive quality control coach Anthony Perkins played collegiately at Colorado (2008-11) and then began his coaching career at his alma mater (2012) and later coached at Colorado State (2019-21)…Packers national scout Sam Seale was a four-year letterman at Western State College in Gunnison, Colo., where he was elected to the Western State College Hall of Fame in 2002…Packers RB Emanuel Wilson entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Broncos in May 2023...Packers offensive quality control coach Rob Grosso started his NFL career with the Broncos as a training-camp operations intern in 2015-16, an operations intern in 2017 and an assistant to the head coach in 2018…Grosso was the assistant to Broncos current defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who served as Denver's head coach in 2017-18…Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements and Grosso also both coached with Joseph in Arizona in 2019-20…Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi is the grandson of former Packers head coach Vince Lombardi…Broncos defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach Jim Leonhard is from Tony, Wis., and played collegiate football at Wisconsin (2001-04)…Leonhard then coached at Wisconsin (2016-22), serving as the Badgers' defensive coordinator from 2017-21 and as the interim head coach for the final eight games in 2022…Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was Leonhard's position coach in Cleveland in 2014…Broncos assistant special teams coach Chris Banjo was a safety for Green Bay from 2013-16…Broncos CB Tremon Smith played one season with Green Bay (2019)…Broncos assistant strength and conditioning coach Korey Jones was a linebacker for the Packers during the 2014 preseason…Broncos senior defensive assistant Joe Vitt coached defensive backs for the Packers in 1999…Broncos DE Matt Henningsen is from Menomonee Falls, Wis., and played collegiately at Wisconsin…Broncos G/C Quinn Meinerz is from Hartford, Wis., and played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater…Broncos assistant strength and conditioning coach Shaun Snee spent eight seasons (2015-22) at Wisconsin, serving as the director of football strength and conditioning for his final two years…Broncos assistant to head coach Paul Kelly was on the staff in Tampa Bay with Packers assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia and in Washington with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur…Bisaccia coached on the Raiders' staff with Broncos pass game coordinator John Morton (2019-21), assistant offensive line coach Austin King (2020-21) and defensive quality control coach Addison Lynch (2021)…Bisaccia coached with Broncos inside linebackers coach Greg Manusky with the San Diego Chargers…Clements and Vitt coached on the staff together in Kansas City in 2000…Packers vice president of communications Jason Wahlers began his NFL career as a PR intern with the Broncos in 2001-02…Packers tight ends coach John Dunn was an offensive assistant with Chicago when Broncos FB Michael Burton played for the Bears (2017)…Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich was on San Francisco's coaching staff when Broncos T Mike McGlinchey and DT D.J. Jones were players with the 49ers…Packers defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich was on the coaching staff at Syracuse during Broncos P Riley Dixon's collegiate career…Packers TE Luke Musgrave's uncle, Bill Musgrave, played quarterback for the Broncos in 1995-96…Packers DL T.J. Slaton, Broncos WR Brandon Johnson and CB Patrick Surtain II were teammates at American Heritage (Fla.) High School…Former college teammates include: Packers S Xavier McKinney, RB Josh Jacobs and Broncos CB Levi Wallace (Alabama); Packers RB AJ Dillon, LB Isaiah McDuffie and Broncos DE Zach Allen (Boston College); Packers Carlson, DL Colby Wooden, Broncos QB Bo Nix and QB Jarrett Stidham (Auburn); Packers S Evan Williams, Nix and Broncos WR Troy Franklin (Oregon).