GREEN BAY, Wis. — For the third consecutive week, the Broncos seemed poised to come back from a double-digit deficit.
And for the third consecutive week, the Broncos fell short.
In the team's 27-16 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, three turnovers by Denver's offense proved too costly to overcome. Two of the turnovers led directly to touchdowns for the Packers.
Defensively, the Broncos held tough but again failed to make game-changing plays. The team remains without a sack or a takeaway through three weeks.
The Broncos, who have never defeated the Packers on the road, are still winless at Lambeau Field.
Game-changing moment
In a key stretch in the second quarter, the Broncos put together a 15-play, 63-yard drive to tie the game at 10-10. The Broncos initially appeared to take a four-point lead, but a holding penalty on Emmanuel Sanders brought back a Royce Freeman touchdown. The change from a touchdown to a field goal, though, was only the start of a defining swing. The Broncos promptly forced a three-and-out and had a chance to take the lead before halftime. But on first-and-10 from the Denver 18-yard line, Joe Flacco was strip-sacked by Preston Smith, and the Packers recovered at Denver's 5-yard line. The Packers scored two plays later to take a 17-10 lead, and Denver trailed the rest of the way.
Defining statistic
3-0.
For the second consecutive week, the Broncos lost the turnover battle. And in Green Bay, it pushed the Broncos to an 0-3 record. Two of the turnovers — Flacco's fumble and a Noah Fant fumble — led directly to Packers touchdowns. In an 11-point win for Green Bay, those two scores made the difference.
In other areas of the game, the Broncos looked borderline dominant at times. They ran the ball effectively, controlled the clock and made several big plays. The turnovers, though, wiped out the benefits of the rest of their efforts.
On defense, the Broncos weren't able to close the turnover margin. The Broncos still have not recorded a takeaway or a sack this season.
Top performer
For the third time in his short career, Phillip Lindsay recorded a multi-score game. The second-year player scored a pair of 1-yard touchdowns on Sunday to go with 81 rushing yards and 49 receiving yards. His longest play of the game was a 36-yard reception in the third quarter.
Memorable highlight
Phillip Lindsay's second touchdown of the game was big for the Broncos, as it pulled Denver within one score in the third quarter. But Lindsay wouldn't have reached the end zone on fourth-and-1 without a big guy. Rookie Dalton Risner made sure Lindsay found the end zone.
