Nik Bonitto, Marvin Mims Jr. open up about 11-2 Broncos being betting underdogs against 9-3-1 Packers

Earlier in the week, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and head coach Sean Payton suggested they weren't bothered by the fact that the 11-2 Broncos were betting underdogs for their home game versus the 9-3-1 Green Bay Packers this coming Sunday. 

Broncos star pass-rusher Nik Bonitto went down a different route while speaking about the line. 

Broncos being an underdog "fuels" Nik Bonitto

"I love it," Bonitto said, per Arnie Melendrez Stapleton of The Associated Press. "It fuels me, honestly. I like when people doubt us. They can stay on that side. We’ll go out and prove what we’ve got to prove."

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook still had the Packers as 2.5-point road favorites over the Broncos. Denver and the 11-2 New England Patriots are competing against each other for the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed. Meanwhile, the 9-4 Los Angeles Chargers are attempting to leapfrog the first-place Broncos in the AFC West standings. 

New England hosts the 9-4 Buffalo Bills this coming Sunday afternoon. Interestingly, the Patriots have been betting underdogs for that matchup throughout the week. 

Do Broncos feel disrespected by betting line? 

It's worth noting that not every outlet is sleeping on the Broncos heading into the weekend. As of Friday morning, the ESPN Football Power Index gave Denver a 22.3% chance to play in Super Bowl LX. Only the Los Angeles Rams were above the Broncos (28.9%) on the list at that time. 

Nevertheless, Broncos kick returner Marvin Mims Jr. hinted that at least some within the Denver locker room are using the betting line as bulletin-board material. 

"Personally, I couldn’t care less," Mims said about the Broncos being underdogs against the Packers. "But I mean some guys feel disrespected by it." 

The Broncos and Chargers will meet in Week 18 for what could be a massive game for both clubs. That said, Denver can't afford to look past any opponent. The same is true for a Packers team that holds a slight lead in the NFC North standings over the 9-4 Chicago Bears and the 8-5 Detroit Lions.

Green Bay trails only the 10-3 Rams for the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed.