Before one of the biggest games of this NFL Sunday, a scuffle in the warmups kept tensions high between the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos.
As the Packers came running out onto the field for warmups, a few Broncos players standing near the Green Bay sideline caused trouble.
Packers defensive lineman Rashan Gary ran between two Denver players standing near their bench – with Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton shoving him as he passed by.
Gary immediately spun around and started approaching Singleton – with many of his Packers teammates joining in.
Then, from a few steps away from the crowd, Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw ran in and bodychecked Green Bay safety Jaylin Simpson.
All hell broke loose from there – with the two sides getting into a heated scuffle as more Broncos players, including quarterback Bo Nix, ran over to protect their people.
The Broncos and Packers clashed together before their game kicked off on Sunday
Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton (orange, L) shoved Packers DL Rashan Gary (52)
After Gary and his teammates confronted Singleton, Dre Greenlaw (R) ran in to add to the chaos
Officials quickly stepped in to try and restore order to the chaos – as did the coaches of both teams.
Eventually, things became calm and both sides were able to separate and get their preparations underway.
The Broncos held an 11-2 record going into their game at home against the 9-3-1 Packers.
However, Denver were underdogs despite the better record and the familiar surroundings.
At halftime, Green Bay held a narrow 16-14 lead over the Broncos but they suffered a double blow when they lost defensive end Micah Parsons and their lead within a couple of plays of each other.
Parsons, who signed a massive four-year, $188 million deal with the Packers following his trade from the Dallas Cowboys in summer, was forced to exit the matchup with a non-contact injury.
Green Bay fear that Parsons may have suffered a torn ACL, according to multiple reports. He will reportedly undergo an MRI to confirm the diagnosis.
A few plays later, Nix threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game to propel the Broncos into a 27-23 with 15 minutes left to play.
Nix and the Broncos went on to seal a 34-26 victory at Empower Field to become the first AFC team to clinch a playoff berth.