The return of Aaron Jones Sunday would be a huge boost for the Green Bay Packers’ offense.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
The Green Bay Packers rank last in the NFL in first half scoring offense at 5.2 points per game.
The Packers are 28th in total offense (281.6 yards per game), 27th in rushing offense (81.6) and 25th in rushing yards per carry (3.5).
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The Denver Broncos rank dead last in the NFL in scoring defense (33.3), total defense (440.3) and rushing defense (172.3). Denver also ranks 30th in passing yards allowed per game (268.0), 32nd in opposing passer rating (117.8) and 32nd in opponents yards per play (6.7).
If ever there’s a time for Green Bay’s struggling offense to get well it’s Sunday, when the Packers travel to Denver for a 3:25 p.m. start.
“Denver’s got good players on their team,” Packers left guard Elgton Jenkins said. “They’ve got good guys up front and good guys on the back end, so it’s always a challenge.
“But we’ve got the guys to do the job. Like I said, they’ve got good guys, but I feel like we’ve got better guys. So we’ve just got to go out there and be consistent. We’ve just got to start fast and play together.”
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The Packers haven’t come close to starting fast in recent weeks.
Green Bay scored 10 points in the first half in Weeks 1 and 2. In its three games since, the Packers have a total of six first half points.
That’s right six — or 2.0 points per game. The Packers have trailed by an average of 16.0 points at halftime in their last three games.
Interestingly, the Packers lead the NFL in second half scoring (17.4). Aside from a monumental comeback against New Orleans in Week 3, though, Green Bay’s deficits have been too large to overcome.
“When I was at Nebraska, we would start out games slow and we would finish games stronger,” second-year wideout Samori Toure said. “But not to this extent being like one of the bottom teams in the league in the first half and one of the top teams in the second half.
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“But it does give us a little bit of confidence, knowing how good we are in the second half. We know as long as we get that first half right, we can put together a complete game.”
The potential return of Aaron Jones would help immensely.
The Pro Bowl running back is Green Bay’s most dynamic offensive weapon, and the offense has always functioned at much higher level when Jones is on the field.
Jones, who suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1 at Chicago, has played just 48 snaps this season. According to league data, the Packers are averaging 0.65 more yards per rushing play and 2.62 yards more passing play with Jones on the field.
Jones was a limited participant at practice all week and is listed as questionable. If he can go Sunday, though, Green Bay’s offense should have another gear.
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“I hope this give us a little confidence, but we know it takes all 11,” Jones said of his return. “I just know when I get in the huddle, the guys, they listen to me. They see me as a leader. So I hope I can bring a spark to them and give them some confidence and we can just go out there and play.”
While the possible return of Jones would help Green Bay’s fledging offense, facing the dreadful Broncos’ defense might be even more beneficial.
Denver’s gave up 70 points and 726 total yards to Miami in Week 3. The Broncos are currently allowing 33.33 points per game, which eclipses the 1981 Baltimore Colts (33.31) as the worst scoring defense in NFL history.
Even if you remove the Miami game from the equation, the Broncos are allowing 383.2 yards and 26.0 points per game in their other five contests.
“I don’t think we’re going into the game looking to put up 70,” Toure said. “But we definitely should have one of our better offensive games. They’re definitely not playing as bad as they were when Miami dropped 70 on them, but it’s still a good opportunity for our offense.”
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Added fellow wideout Jayden Reed: “I know the numbers don’t look great, but they might have cleaned things up just like we’re cleaning things up. You’re only as good and bad as your last game and we’ve just got to focus on getting ourselves better. We obviously got the talent and we’ve got the guys to do the job and now we’ve got to go and do it.”
Sunday seems like the perfect time.
Green Bay — fresh off a Week 6 bye — will have had 13 days to get ready.
The return of Jones would give the entire offense a lift.
And the Packers are facing a team that has been historically bad on defense.
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It begs the question, if the Packers can’t get their offense rolling Sunday, when can they?
“I think you just have to keep your head down, keep working,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “Obviously there’s been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of highs and lows, and it’s not going to be perfect. We know that.
“But the main thing for us is just keep our head down, keep working, everybody keep that mindset that, ‘Hey, we’re going to get this thing turned around, get rolling and get consistent execution on a daily basis.’ ”
Dogs like Bailey — the former Dog of the Week in The Denver Post’s Adventurist newsletter — will be in good company at the first Denver Dog Fair this weekend. (Provided by Barbara Ellis)
Denver Dog Fair
Saturday-Sunday. Woof! If the last few weeks have left you panting, why not surround yourself with unconditional love? The first Denver Dog Fair takes place on Nov. 22 and 23 with the promise of unending poochie goodness. There will be dog adoption booths, “celebrity” dogs, performances and tricks, a dog-fashion show, vendors, a dozen food trucks, kids’ bounce house, crafting, and more.
It takes place indoors at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, 25690 E. Quincy Ave. in Aurora, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Tickets: $20, good for both days; 5 and under free. $5 per dog. Price includes all entertainment and activities (minus adoption fees and food/drink). denverdogfair.com
Christkindlmarket and the Mile High Tree
Friday. The annual Mile High Tree at Civic Center park has quickly become a modern classic in Denver, with its 110-foot-tall display of 60,000, color-changing LED lights. Its location next to the annual Christkindlmarket and across from the brightly decorated Denver City & County Building makes it a one-stop shop for free family holiday fun.
At the 24th Christkindlmarket you’ll find local vendors plus Glühwein (mulled spiced wine), German biers and hot chocolate, Bavarian-style pretzels, fresh smoked salmon, Knödel, goulash, Nürnberger sausages, pastries, caramels and European chocolates. The tree’s light-and-music shows run from 5 to 10 p.m. nightly.
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The market and tree both open on Friday, Nov. 22, with the market running through Dec. 23. The market is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday; and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. denver.org/milehighholidays/mile-high-tree or christkindlmarketdenver.com
Charlie Fausette, 6, from Tampa, Fla., ice skates with her father Rob at Downtown Denver Rink in Denver on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
Free ice skating downtown
Through Feb. 2, 2025. Whatever the weather, you can get a bit of holiday fun in by stopping by the popular Downtown Denver Rink. The rink, which basically bisects the 16th Street Mall’s Skyline Park (just outside the Daniels and Fisher Clocktower at 16th and Arapahoe streets), is a public rink where you can rent or bring your own skates.
It’s open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Entry is free; skate rentals are $12 for adults and $9 for kids 12 and under. winterindenver.com/rink
Santa and Mrs. Claus will be ready for photos at the Denver Christmas Show, this year moving to the National Western Complex. (Provided by Michelle Ellis)
A very merry Denver Christmas Show
Friday-Sunday. You don’t have to be in the market for gifts to get something out of the Denver Christmas Show at the National Western Complex. It’s a family-friendly affair, with Santa visits (and photos), daily storytime and hot cocoa with Mrs. Claus, live music, dancing, and more.
Of course, if you want to pick up some candy or chocolate, local gifts, or holiday decor, that will be right there too (with free gift wrapping), as well as plenty of other vendors. Tickets for the Friday, Nov. 22-Sunday, Nov. 24, event are $14 for 14-and-up, and free for 13-and-under. It runs 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at 4655 Humboldt St. in Denver. denverchristmasshow.com
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Dallas Mavericks (8-7, 11th in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (8-5, fifth in the Western Conference)
Denver; Friday, 10 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Dallas seeks to keep its three-game win streak alive when the Mavericks take on Denver.
The Nuggets are 4-5 in Western Conference games. Denver is fifth in the league with 46.2 rebounds led by Nikola Jokic averaging 13.7.
The Mavericks have gone 6-6 against Western Conference opponents. Dallas ranks sixth in the Western Conference with 17.2 fast break points per game led by Luka Doncic averaging 4.6.
The Nuggets make 46.8% of their shots from the field this season, which is 2.1 percentage points higher than the Mavericks have allowed to their opponents (44.7%). The Mavericks average 115.6 points per game, 0.5 more than the 115.1 the Nuggets give up to opponents.
TOP PERFORMERS: Michael Porter Jr. is shooting 47.9% and averaging 18.3 points for the Nuggets.
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Kyrie Irving is averaging 24.3 points and 5.2 assists for the Mavericks.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 119.7 points, 45.4 rebounds, 30.7 assists, 9.0 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.0 points per game.
Mavericks: 5-5, averaging 118.0 points, 44.3 rebounds, 25.5 assists, 7.7 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 50.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 109.2 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: out (calf), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Nikola Jokic: day to day (personal).
Mavericks: Dante Exum: out (wrist).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Pop music icon Billie Eilish had a very important request before performing a sold-out show at Denver’s Ball Arena on Tuesday night: She wanted to snuggle with some animals.
Two Front Range shelters were more than happy to bring some furry friends for a backstage meet-and-greet with Eilish and her team, Brighter Days Dog Rescue founder and director Becca Orin said.
Broken Shovels Farm Sanctuary first got the request through the venue, and the Commerce City sanctuary teamed up with Brighter Days in Boulder to bring puppies, kittens and a pony to the arena.
Billie Eilish snuggles with a puppy and pony from Brighter Days Dog Rescue and Broken Shovels Farm Sanctuary before performing at Ball Arena in Denver on Nov. 19, 2024. (Courtesy of Becca Orin)
Eilish, her mom and team were “amazing,” Orin said, and showered the animals with love – particularly Samson the pony, who was overjoyed by all of the attention and cookies.
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Brighter Days shared photos of the visit in a post on Facebook, with Eilish grinning cheek-to-cheek with a puppy and getting a nuzzle from Samson.
“This is not the first time we have brought animals to Ball Arena for the artists ahead of their performance, but this was the first time the artist was kind enough and generous enough to let us take pictures and give us permission to post them on social media,” Orin said.
Eilish is set to perform a second sold-out show at Ball Arena on Wednesday night as part of her Hit Me Hard And Soft Tour.
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