RSS Broncos Team Notes

[Denver Broncos]

Denver Broncos playoff picture: What Week 15 vs. Packers means for AFC standings

Week 15 is nearing its conclusion and we had some wild games and major developements in the AFC postseason picture. With a win over the Packers, the Denver Broncos became the first team in the AFC to clinch a postseason berth as they improve to an impressive 12-2 record. The Broncos also extended their AFC lead over the Patriots who blew a double digit second half lead to the Buffalo Bills who kept their slim AFC East hopes alive. The Chargers defeated the Chiefs and eliminated them from the postseason, the Texans dominated the Cardinals, and the Jaguars dropped nearly 50 points on the Jets. Meanwhile. the AFC North remains tight as the Ravens defeated the Bengals while the Steelers host the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football.

The Denver Broncos have a one-game lead + tie-breaker over the New England Patriots with 3 games to go for the number one seed in the AFC pic.twitter.com/L5e1qeHy6V

— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) December 15, 2025

Things are starting to take shape in the AFC and these final three games will ultimately decide seeding and if any other teams can sneak into the AFC playoffs.

Before we get to that, let us take a look at the updated AFC West Standings and see where things stand with three weeks left to go in the 2025 NFL regular season.

AFC West standings​

1. Denver Broncos: 12-2
2. Los Angeles Chargers: 10-4
3. Kansas City Chiefs: 6-8
4. Las Vegas Raiders: 2-12

AFC updated NFL playoff picture​

Division Leaders​

1. Denver Broncos (12-2)​

With a big victory over the Green Bay Packers, the Denver Broncos improve to 12-2 on the year and have officially clinched a postseason berth. However, they have their eyes set on bigger prizes and are nearing an AFC West title and perhaps the number one seed in the AFC.

A loss by the Patriots now has them trailing the Broncos by one game in the loss column and the Broncos have the tie-breaker advantage over them as well. They also hold a 2-game lead over the Chargers with 3 games to go which includes a season finale game between the two teams.

Barring an absolute collapse during these final three games, the Broncos appear to be heading towards an AFC West title, the number one seed in the AFC, and homefield throughout the playoffs.

Looking ahead, they do have a big game against a very hot Jacksonville Jaguars team. They beat up a bad Jets team this week, but will have a tougher test next week, on the road in Mile High. Following that is a Christmas Night game vs. the Chiefs and quarterback…Gardner Minshew. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL vs. the Chargers and will be out for the remainder of the year which makes this game a bit less difficult for the Broncos. Still, it’s Arrowhead in late December, so it won’t be the easiest game. Finally, they have a season finale against the Chargers, but hopefully, the Broncos will have everything locked up before this game, and we see Jarrett Stidham get the start for the Broncos.

Remaining Games: Jaguars, at Chiefs (Christmas Night), and vs. Chargers

2. New England Patriots (11-3)​

The Patriots were leading the Bills 21-0 at one point and appeared to be stomping out their AFC East rivals at home in Foxboro. However, Josh Allen led the Buffalo Bills back from this 3 touchdown hole and and would end up defeating the Patriots by the score of 35-31.

The Patriots now fall one game back of the Broncos in the loss column in the AFC and do not have the tie-breaker advantage either. So, the Patriots will need some help if they want to be the number one seed in the AFC. This loss kept the Bills faint postseason hopes alive and while the Patriots remain the favorites to win the AFC East, the Bills are lurking.

Next Sunday, the Patriots will face an inconsisent Ravens team on the road as they look to keep their number one seed hopes alive and the Bills behind them in the AFC East. A loss would make getting the one seed difficult and put the Bills back in the AFC East race(if they win) with two games to go. After that, the Patriots face a bad Jets team on the road and then host the Dolphins in the season finale.

Remaining Games: vs. Jaguars, at Chiefs (Christmas Night), and vs. Chargers

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4)​

The Jaguars absolutely dominated and blew out the New York Jets on Sunday and nearly scored 50 points on them. With this win, the Jags improved to 10-4 on the year and keep their one-game lead over the Texans who are also on a win streak and lurking one game back of the Jags in the AFC South.

This division is far from over.

First-year Head Coach Liam Coen has quarterback Trevor Lawrence playing the best ball of his career and they look like a sneaky Super Bowl contender in the AFC. Add in a good run game and tough defense, and the Jags are a team to keep an eye on moving forward.

Next up for the Jags is a potential AFC Playoff preview on the road against the 12-2 Broncos. A win over the Broncos would keep their hopes of winning the one seed alive while a loss could allow the Texans to leapfrog them in the division. This will very much be a playoff-like game for both teams.

After that game, the Jags finish out the year against Grandpa Phillip Rivers and the Colts and Cam Ward and the Titans. If the Jags can beat the Broncos, they have a favorable final two games of the season.

Remaining Games: at Broncos, at Colts, and vs. Titans

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)​

The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football and have yet to play at the time of this writing. However, win or lose, they will still lead the AFC North division over the Ravens. This division will likely go down to the season finale against both teams and could go either way due to both team playing inconsisent football throughout the year.

A win over the Dolphins would give the Steelers a cushion over the Ravens while a loss will still keep that at the top of the AFC North but both teams will have a 7-7 record.

Looking ahead, the Steelers host a Dolphins teams fighting to keep their slim postseason hopes alive before back-t0-back road games against the Lions and Browns before the season finale at home vs. the Ravens.

Remaining Games: vs. Dolphins, at Lions, at Browns, and vs. Ravens

Wildcard Teams​

5. Los Angeles Chargers (10-4)​

A tough win on the road vs. the Chiefs kept them two games back of the Broncos in the AFC West and as the top wildcard team in the AFC. They are doing this despite quarterback Justin Herbert dealing with a broken non-throwing hand, down both offensive tackles, and dealing with pressure and hits each and every week.

With three games left, the Chargers will need to win out and hope the Broncos slip up moving forward if they want to win the AFC West. They are two games back and play at Mile High in the season finale. However, the Chargers have a tough road ahead which could eliminate them from AFC West contention before they reach the season finale.

Following their win over the Chiefs, the Chargers will have a road game vs. the explosive Dallas Cowboys offense, a tough home game vs. the dominant Texans defense, and another road game vs. the Broncos. Facing two of the top pass rushing teams in the final two weeks will be a tough test for the banged up Chargers offensive line.

Remaining Games: at Cowboys, vs. Texans, and at Broncos

6. Buffalo Bills (10-4)​

With a big comeback win over the Patriots, the Bills keep their slim AFC East hopes alive and show the Patriots that they will be a tough test for them if they meet again in the playoffs. Led by Josh Allen, this Bills team, even with their flaws, will be a tough test for whoever plays them moving forward.

The Bills are comfortably in the playoffs and would need an absolute collapse for that to change. However, they will need to win out and get some help if they want to win the AFC East.

Next up for the Bills is a road game vs. Myles Garrett and the Browns, a home game vs. the defending champion Eagles, before a season finale against a very bad Jets team. If they can get by the Eagles, they should be able to win out and push for the AFC East title.

Remaining Games: at Browns, vs. Eagles, and vs. Jets

7. Houston Texans (9-5)​

The Texan are getting hot at the right time and appear to be one of the better teams in the AFC despite their 7th seed ranking in the AFC. Led by their dominant defense, the Texans will be a tough out for whoever faces them and they still have a good shot at winning their division.

They trail the Jaguars by one game in the loss column with three games to go and we could see this division come down to the final week of the season.

Next up for the Texans is a home game vs. the Raiders, a game they should dominate, a key game on the road vs. the Chargers, and a season finale matchup vs. 44 year old Grandpa Phillip Rivers and the Colts.

Remaining Games: vs. Raiders, at Chargers, and vs. Colts

In The Hunt​

8. Indianapolis Colts (8-6): After losing quarterback Daniel Jones to an Achilles injury, the Colts signed retired quarterback and grandpa Phillip Rivers to their practice squad and started him this Sunday vs. the Seahawks. Rivers played well for a guy signed off the street who last played in 2020, but the Colts still lost and now fall farther out of playoff contention.

9. Baltimore Ravens (7-7): The Ravens only way in to the playoffs will be by winning the AFC South, but to do that, they need to get past the Steelers who currently lead that division and hold the tie-breaker over them. They play against each other in the finale and that game may very well decide who wins that division and goes to playoffs and who goes home.

10. Miami Dolphins (6-7): The Dolphins play the Steelers on Monday Night and will need to win to keep their slim postseason hopes alive. Even with a win, they will need a ton of help and likely a Texans collapse if they want to make the playoffs. A loss to the Steelers would likely eliminate them from postseason contention.

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv...5-afc-standings-wild-card-seeding-tiebreakers

 

[Denver Broncos]

Game balls for the Broncos 34-26 win over the Packers in Week 15

The Denver Broncos moved to 12-2 on the season with an impressive victory over the Green Bay Packers to take sole possession of the bests record in the NFL with just three games to go. The game was a seesaw type game with many lead changes, but the second half proved to be the Broncos half and they pulled away from Green Bay in the third quarter and never looked back.

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After a third quarter touchdown, the Packers were up by nine points and had the ball. However, a Jordan Love deep shot was intercepted by Pat Surtain II and that marked the momentum shift that saw the Broncos outscore the Packers 20-3 to win their 11th consecutive game. It was Bo Nix’s best game as a pro and there were plenty more game balls to hand out than what our staff could claim.

Here are Mile High Report’s game balls for the Broncos’ 34-26 victory against the Packers on Sunday!

Bo Nix​

The Broncos second-year quarterback just put up his best game in the NFL. Nix was simply phenomenal in every way on Sunday. Nix finished the game 23-for-34 passing for 302 yards and four touchdowns. He also added 10 yards on seven carries. And while the stats are off the charts, they still don’t do justice to just how good Nix was in the win over the Packers. Nix wasn’t sacked despite some hairy moments in the pocket. He also didn’t commit any turnovers. And when the Broncos needed big-time throws, Nix delivered. What a game. What a performance. What a win. – Ian St. Clair

Bo Nix:

0.57 EPA per dropback: second-best mark of his career
15.2% CPOE: second-best mark of his career
25% explosive pass rate: best mark of his career
72.9% win probability added: second-best mark of his career

Huge, huge, huge performance.

— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) December 15, 2025

RJ Harvey​

An early fumble by a rookie could have been devastating, but Harvey sat out a series and collected himself. While he only averaged 3.4 yards per carry he did enough with 19 carries for 64 yards. His longest run was also just eight yards, but if you watched the game he fought for every inch and picked up some key first downs. His touchdown run was his 10th touchdown of the season. RJ Harvey is doing just fine and had a game ball type performance on Sunday. – Tim Lynch

Courtland Sutton​

It wasn’t just that Courtland Sutton had a big game. Seven catches on ten targets for 113 yards and a TD is a legit stat line. Sutton deserves a gameball for being Bo Nix’s security blanket in the biggest moments. 3rd down? Throw it to Court. Need to throw it where only one guy can get to it? Chuck it up for Court. He’s gonna toe tap. He’s gonna box out and get the first. Courtland Sutton is the guy Bo Nix can rely on. Against the Packers, when it really mattered, Sutton put on a masterclass. Give that man a gameball. – Adam Malnati

BO NIX SUTTON pic.twitter.com/Y26Kt2LGV6

— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) December 15, 2025

Veteran wide receiver Courtland Sutton had a clutch performance in Denver’s victory over the Packers. On ten targets, Sutton has 7 receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. Several other catches were chain movers on third down. There is no question Sutton is the most reliable receiver on the team. When it matters most, count on Courtland to come down with the big play. The Nix-to-Sutton connection flourished in the second half of last season and appears to be doing so again this year. This is the type of performance Broncos fans were hoping for. Well done, #14! – Chris Hart

Pat Surtain II​

Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games. Patrick Surtain showed why he’s the reigning defensive player of the year when Denver needed a big play in the second half. His interception was a complete momentum shift in what might be the best win so far in his career. – Jeff Essary

PS2 WITH AN INCREDIBLE DIVING INT!!!pic.twitter.com/EKwPdCcryO

— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) December 14, 2025

Troy Franklin​

Troy Franklin gets my game ball this week. He was consistent, reliable, and was a big time chain mover for the team. He attacked the zone defense perfectly to get a touchdown in the 2nd half. My hats off to Troy for staying with it and being such a big part of this very important win. – Sadaraine

BO NIX THROWS HIS 4TH TOUCHDOWN PASS, THIS TIME TO TROY FRANKLIN pic.twitter.com/vEaKZlKgKi

— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) December 14, 2025

Mike McGlinchey and Garett Bolles​

The Green Bay Packers boast a talented pass rush, that was headlined by Micah Parsons. Those guys didn’t do a dang thing all game long. And while Bo Nix was doing his usual fancy work in the pocket, the leagues best pass blocking offensive tackles put on a show and once again. There’s a couple big reason that Nix didn’t take a single sack on Sunday and #72 and #69 were just nothing but great. – Ross Allen

Who gets your game ball for the Broncos-Packers game? Share in the comments section below.​

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/bron...-denver-broncos-win-green-bay-packers-week-15

 

[Denver Broncos]

Broncos victory over Packers proves they are contenders

With their statement victory over the Green Bay Packers, the Denver Broncos have now won eleven straight games. Touting a 12-2 record, they have defied the odds and found a way to grind out hard-fought battles throughout their 2025 campaign.

As the season chugs along, so do the Broncos who now boast a multi-game lead in AFC West. Better yet, they are poised to earn the conference’s top playoff seed if they can take care of business in the final three games. Even so, the national media and analysts are still sleeping in the Broncos. Though not many would go so far to call them frauds.

For several seasons, the Broncos have embraced the underdog mentality. But yesterday’s win over the Packers proves they are overdogs—and a formidable squad capable of competing for the Lombardi Trophy. The offense looked tremendous, and the defense rallied in the second half and forced two turnovers that helped swing the game’s momentum.

Teamwork makes the dream work. Denver’s dazzling performance against the Packers should have fans across Broncos Country excited about the team’s title-contending potential in ‘25. Yeah, I said it. This year’s Broncos are true Super Bowl contenders. Don’t forget that this year’s squad is excelling despite significant salary cap restraints. What the coaching staff and players have accomplished this season is impressive.

And what was more impressive than second-year signal caller Bo Nix’s performance against Green Bay?

Though in his last four games, Nix has turned the corner and has been playing some of the best football of his young career. Not too shabby for the sixth quarterback selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. But Sunday’s outing versus the Packers demonstrated the second-year signal caller has the ability and moxie to lead the Broncos on a deep playoff run.

“The thing about him is he loves playing, and so it’s contagious, and that’s a really good trait for a player in his position and his teammates feel that,” stated Head Coach Sean Payton in glowing praise of what’s helping guide Nix’s performance as of late and the hopes of chasing the franchise’s fourth championship.

There are those who feel Nix’s best game to date was against the Packers. Count me in as one of them. He finished yesterday’s gridiron battle going 23-of-34 for 302 yards and 4 touchdowns. When the stakes were highest, Nix once again rose to the occasion, leading the Broncos to 20 second half points and yet another comeback victory. Another clutch effort.

It wasn’t just the offense who came up big in key moments. While the Broncos defense struggled in the first half, reigning Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II’s interception in the third quarter prove to be the catalyst that reignited the defense’s second half performance and gave a much-needed momentum swing for the entire team.

All it takes is one big play to change a game. That’s precisely what happened with Surtain’s incredible pick. After shredding the Broncos’ secondary in the first half, Jordan Love was held in check the remainder of the game. A tip of the hat is in order to Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph for dialing up the right halftime adjustments, as well as to the players who executed well when it mattered most.

“Man, he went after that football, got it and that’s when I felt like it kind of started falling back on our side, the momentum did. It got the crowd back into it. When our crowd is going, it’s a really hostile environment. It’s tough to play in for an opponent,” stated quarterback Bo Nix.

Next up for Denver? Hosting a roaring 10-4 Jacksonville Jaguars squad who currently lead the AFC South. If the Broncos can find a way to replicate yesterday’s formula for success—bank on them being 13-2 by the end of next Sunday. Maybe, just maybe, that would be enough to convince some of the doubters to hop on board with the idea Denver sports a championship caliber squad.

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv...ctory-over-packers-proves-they-are-contenders

 

[Denver Broncos]

Broncos can clinch the AFC West and number one seed this Sunday

Last Sunday, the Denver Broncos clinched a postseason berth with a win over the Green Bay Packers, but the job was far from finished. Due to the New England Patriots losing to the Buffalo Bills, the Broncos’ lead for the one seed grew while their lead in the AFC West remained the same after the Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs and eliminated them from making the postseason.

This week, the Broncos could clinch both the AFC West and the number one seed in the AFC with a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and losses by the Chargers, Patriots, and Bills.

The Broncos can clinch the AFC West title AND the number one seed this Sunday.

Here are the clinching scenarios pic.twitter.com/Eni1sHU2tC

— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) December 16, 2025

To clinch both the AFC West and the one seed, the Broncos will need a lot of things to go their way this Sunday. First, they will need to defeat the surging Jacksonville Jaguars at home, which figures to be a tough test for both teams. Then, they need the Chargers to lose to the Cowboys, the Patriots lose to the Ravens on Sunday Night Football, and the Browns to upset the Bills.

All three teams will be playing on the road, but it would be surprising if this scenario played out. First, the Broncos, who won 11 straight, have a tough game against a hot Jaguars team. This will be another postseason atmosphere game with a lot on the line for both teams, so it should be an exciting one. As for the Chargers, they’ll be facing an explosive Cowboys offense, but also a not-so-great Dallas defense. The Cowboys have also been eliminated from the postseason, so we’ll see how much fight they have in them. On Sunday Night Football, the Patriots will travel to Baltimore to take on a Ravens team fighting to keep their postseason hopes alive. Finally, we’ll need Shedeur Sanders and Myles Garrett to upset Josh Allen and the Bills. This is the most unlikely scenario to play out, but as they say, any given Sunday,

We will be big Cowboys, Ravens, and Browns fans this Sunday.

While the number one seed scenario is complicated, the AFC West title scenario is a bit more straightforward. Beat the Jaguars and hope the Cowboys can defeat the Chargers, and the Broncos will win their first AFC West title since 2015.

If all goes well, the Broncos could have a memorable weekend and wrap up all their regular-season goals before the Christmas holiday. That would allow them to rest key players on a short week vs. the Chiefs on Christmas Night and again in the season finale vs. the Chargers. If not, the Broncos will have a chance to clinch one or both again on Christmas Night in Arrowhead against the Patrick Mahomes-less Kansas City Chiefs.

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv...yoff-scenario-jaguars-bills-chargers-patriots

 

[Denver Broncos]

Broncos snaps and stats for the win over the Packers

The Denver Broncos inactives for against the Green Bay Packers were: Sam Ehlinger, Pat Bryant, Reese Taylor, Que Robinson, Geron Christian, Jordan Jackson, and Sai’vion Jones.

Player	Pos	Num	Pct	Num	Pct	Num	Pct
Luke Wattenberg	C	68	100%	0	0%	4	15%
Bo Nix	QB	68	100%	0	0%	0	0%
Mike McGlinchey	T	68	100%	0	0%	0	0%
Alex Palczewski	T	66	97%	0	0%	4	15%
Garett Bolles	T	66	97%	0	0%	4	15%
Quinn Meinerz	G	66	97%	0	0%	4	15%
Courtland Sutton	WR	60	88%	0	0%	0	0%
Lil’Jordan Humphrey	WR	46	68%	0	0%	7	27%
RJ Harvey	RB	46	68%	0	0%	0	0%
Adam Trautman	TE	42	62%	0	0%	5	19%
Troy Franklin	WR	34	50%	0	0%	0	0%
Nate Adkins	TE	25	37%	0	0%	5	19%
Marvin Mims	WR	21	31%	0	0%	4	15%
Evan Engram	TE	19	28%	0	0%	0	0%
Adam Prentice	FB	17	25%	0	0%	16	62%
Frank Crum	T	12	18%	0	0%	10	38%
Jaleel McLaughlin	RB	9	13%	0	0%	10	38%
Tyler Badie	RB	7	10%	0	0%	16	62%
Talanoa Hufanga	S	2	3%	66	100%	6	23%
Alex Forsyth	C	2	3%	0	0%	4	15%
Calvin Throckmorton	G	2	3%	0	0%	4	15%
Michael Bandy	WR	2	3%	0	0%	0	0%
Riley Moss	CB	0	0%	66	100%	6	23%
Patrick Surtain II	CB	0	0%	65	98%	0	0%
Alex Singleton	LB	0	0%	65	98%	0	0%
Dre Greenlaw	LB	0	0%	51	77%	0	0%
Zach Allen	DL	0	0%	50	76%	6	23%
Ja’Quan McMillian	CB	0	0%	49	74%	0	0%
Nik Bonitto	LB	0	0%	45	68%	0	0%
Jonathon Cooper	LB	0	0%	45	68%	0	0%
John Franklin-Myers	DL	0	0%	37	56%	6	23%
Brandon Jones	S	0	0%	34	52%	0	0%
P.J. Locke	S	0	0%	32	48%	14	54%
Malcolm Roach	DT	0	0%	24	36%	6	23%
Jonah Elliss	LB	0	0%	22	33%	21	81%
Dondrea Tillman	LB	0	0%	21	32%	16	62%
D.J. Jones	DT	0	0%	20	30%	6	23%
Eyioma Uwazurike	DL	0	0%	16	24%	6	23%
Jahdae Barron	CB	0	0%	15	23%	1	4%
Devon Key	DB	0	0%	2	3%	22	85%
Kris Abrams-Draine	CB	0	0%	1	2%	15	58%
JL Skinner	S	0	0%	0	0%	16	62%
Jordan Turner	LB	0	0%	0	0%	16	62%
Wil Lutz	K	0	0%	0	0%	10	38%
Mitchell Fraboni	LS	0	0%	0	0%	6	23%
Jeremy Crawshaw	P	0	0%	0	0%	6	23%
Justin Strnad	LB	0	0%	0	0%	4	15%

Because of the kneel-downs at the end of the game, only two of the OL guys played every snap. Alex Forsyth, Calvin Throckmorton and Frank Crum all got two snaps at the end of the game. Crum also got 10 snaps as the 6th OL.

Talanoa Hufanga got two offensive snaps in the victory formation. Justin Simmons used to do this at the end of games when we were kneeling the ball.

Courtland Sutton was WR1 with 60 of 68 offensive snaps. LJH was WR2 getting 46. Franklin and Mims got 34 and 21. Michael Bandy only got two, but he caught a TD on one of them.

RJ Harvey got the most RB snaps with 46. McLaughlin and Badie got 9 and 7. Adam Prentice got 17 at FB.

Trautman got the most TE snaps with 42. Nate Adkins got 25 and Evan Engram only got 19 which is interesting.

Defensively we had only two players take every defensive snap: Hufanga and Moss. PS2 and Singleton took all but one snap.

Dre Greenlaw got 51 snaps on D.

Ja’Quan McMillian got 49 at the slot CB spot. Jahdae Barron got on 15 snaps and KAD only played one.

Brandon Jones only played 34 snaps before he was injured. PJ Locke filled in well for him at the other safety spot. Devon Key got two defensive snaps at S/CB.

Zach Allen played 50 on the DL which is what we have come to expect from him. I hope we can get him a little rest in the final three games so that he is fresh for the playoffs. JFM, Roach, DJ Jones and Uwazurike played 37, 24, 20 and 16 snaps.

At edge, Bonitto and Cooper each got 45 snaps with Elliss and Tillman getting 22 and 21 snaps.

Jordan Love is hard to sack (came in with only 18 sacks on the season) and the Broncos were not getting to him in the first half, but that changed in the second half as the Broncos got him three times. He was sacked five times in the Packers loss to the Browns at the beginning of the season.

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denver-broncos-stats/166816/broncos-snaps-stats-for-win-over-packers

 

[Denver Broncos]

Secret Superstars 2025: Zach Allen brings electricity to Denver’s defense with Watt-like performances

Throughout the 2025 NFL season, SB Nation’s Doug Farrar will write about the game’s Secret Superstars — those players whose performances might slip under the radar for whatever reasons. In this installment, it’s time to catch up with Denver Broncos pass-rusher Zach Allen, who may be the most underrated interior defensive lineman of his era.

J.J. Watt would probably agree.

When it comes to pass-rushers, sacks set the pace regarding public awareness, but they don’t tell the whole story. Just as you would be selling defensive backs short if you only went by their interception totals as opposed to all other available metrics and tape, evaluating defensive linemen by their sack totals alone will never paint the entire picture — especially in today’s NFL, where blitz and stunt packages are designed to cause as much havoc as possible in an overall sense. Total pressures are valued because when you disrupt the quarterback, the quarterback’s performance is generally negatively affected. Simple logic, right?

And when it comes to creating havoc for enemy quarterbacks, there’s no defensive lineman — especially no interior defensive lineman — who has matched Zach Allen of the Denver Broncos this season. Allen is well-known in NFL circles as a transcendent player, and the four-year, $102 million contract extension with $44,25 million guaranteed he got in the 2025 offseason tells you what the Broncos already thought of him, but when it comes to recogniti0n verses performance, Allen still doesn’t get what he deserves… and he may be playing better than ever at age 28.

In the Broncos’ 34-26 win over the Green Bay Packers, Allen had half a sack, but he also had six quarterback hits and six quarterback hurries, and it could be said that with all the other stuff Jordan Love and Green Bay’s offense had to deal with when it came to Denver’s diabolical pass rush, what Allen did to affect Love, and the negative plays that resulted, made the difference in the Broncos’ 11th straight win.

Zach Allen had half a sack against the Packers. No biggie if that's all you count. But here's how Jordan Love did on Allen's 12 (!) pressures in that game: 4 of 10 for 71 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 25.4.

Pressures matter. pic.twitter.com/iyEEAclnbu

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) December 17, 2025

In that game, Allen became the second player since quarterback hits were officially tracked in 2006 to have at least 40 in two consecutive seasons. The list is: Allen in 2024 and 2025, and J.J. Watt, who did it four straight times from 2012-2015.

. I’ll bring the snacks @JJWatt https://t.co/5NQ1zNinkc

— Zach Allen (@TheZALLEN44) December 16, 2025

The difference in perception between Watt and Allen has a lot to do with sack totals. In that four-year stretch, Watt had an incomprehensible 74 sacks per Pro Football Focus, which counts half-sacks as full sacks, and includes the postseason. Allen had 14 sacks in 2024, and he already has nine this year, so he’s been as much as closer as he’s been a disruptor, but matching Watt’s peak is a tough go.

It’s also tough to stand out in a defense where even the edge guys don’t get the credit they deserve. Having grown up in Denver (Hello, Green Mountain!) and understanding the frustration caused by Howard Cosell ignoring the Broncos through years of Monday Night Football halftime highlights, I’m well-familiar with an overall underratedness when it comes to the Broncos. Don’t even get me started on the Hall of Fame snubs.

It’s still happening, because we’re not talking enough nationally about how marvelous Nik Bonitto has been, never mind Jonathon Cooper, who might as well be on a milk carton in a national sense. Right now, Denver’s defense has four players with at least 30 total pressures for the season: Allen with 63, Bonitto with 61, Cooper with 45, and the grievously underrated John Franklin-Myers with 34. That Denver front is just a Shark Sandwich (R.I.P. Rob Reiner) for any quarterback who has to deal with it, and Allen is the tone-setter. Leading the NFL with 58 sacks is one thing; leading the NFL with 180 pressures is just something else.

“I don’t think much has changed with Zach,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said in October. “I mean, he’s just getting older as a player. He’s always been a great rusher. He’s gotten stronger over the years, but he’s always been a smart player. It’s opportunities. I think Zach playing with better outside rushers allows him to get more one-on-ones. When you’re the only rusher inside, you get all the slides of a double team. Now he’s playing with Nik and ‘Coop’ and ‘JFM’ . It’s fair across the board. All of our guys should improve with those kinds of numbers.”

True, but let’s not assume that Allen can’t get home when he’s double-teamed… because he most certainly can. Three of his sacks and 11 of his pressures have come when he’s been doubled this season, and as much as anyone, he’s the guy opposing offensive lines need to focus on in their protection calls.

The Broncos have dudes all over their defensive line, and that does leave one-on-ones for Zach Allen… but let's not assume that Allen needs them. He can still blow stuff up when doubled just fine. pic.twitter.com/K36jvlU9HT

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) December 17, 2025

“That’s a great question,” Sean Payton said on December 5, when asked what it is about Allen’s skill set that has made him such a difference-making disruptor. “He’s so quick off the ball. He bends well. I would say he’s one of those guys, when you talk about stamina and play after play, it’s unique. This [No.] 98 [Raiders EDGE Maxx] Crosby is the same way. The other day, we were talking about a play we’ll put in. Then I said, ‘Well, we’ll call it when he’s not in the game,’ and they said, ‘The last two games, he’s played 100 percent of the snaps.’ So we took that play out. Because usually there’s a substitution pattern sometimes. But Zach’s one of those guys with great—different position here—but great stamina, and I would say, great bend. The second part of the rush, when it continues, he continues to play hard.”

Allen has been off the field for 238 snaps this season (on-field for 626 snaps), and the Broncos’ pass-rush performance without him tells another tale. Denver’s pressure rate of 45.3% with Allen drops to 35.6% without him, the sack rate goes from 10.7% to 8.9%, the blown block pressure rate goes from 20.8% to 11.1%, and the blown block sack rate goes from 6.1% to 2.2%.

Yes, that pass rush is loaded with horses, but Zach Allen in the Big Bronco in Denver’s quarterback disruption strategies. And he’s doing it at a level that brings some of the best in recent years to mind.

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv...o-denvers-defense-with-watt-like-performances

 

[Denver Broncos]

Broncos vs. Jaguars: Wednesday practice participation report

The Denver Broncos have another big game against a playoff team this week with the 10-4 Jacksonville Jaguars coming to town. There is a scenario where the Broncos can clinch a lot of things this weekend, so the importance of this game cannot be understated. They’ve got to get and stay healthy, though, especially with safety Brandon Jones going on injured reserve with a pec injury on Sunday.

For some good news, most of their guys are looking like they’ll be good to go against the Jaguars — including offensive guard Ben Powers who has been out for two months. He was activated off injured reserve last week and looks like he’ll be trending towards playing this week.

Here is your full practice report for Wednesday.

Denver Broncos Injury Report​

Player	Pos.	Injury	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Game Status
Pat Bryant	WR	Hamstring	FULL
RJ Harvey	RB	Ribs	FULL
Mike McGlinchey	T	Neck	FULL
Marvin Mims Jr.	WR	Biceps	FULL
Karene Reid	ILB	Hamstring	FULL
Luke Wattenberg	C	Ankle	FULL
Ben Powers	G	Biceps	LIMITED
Justin Strnad	ILB	Foot	DNP

Jacksonville Jaguars Injury Report​

Player	Pos.	Injury	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Game Status
Arik Armstead	DT	Hand	FULL
Walker Little	OL	Concussion	FULL
Travon Walker	DE	Knee	FULL
Ezra Cleveland	OL	Shoulder	LIMITED
Jalen McLeod	LB	Ankle	LIMITED
Josh Hines-Allen	DE	Illness / Shoulder	DNP
Danny Striggow	DE	Ankle	DNP
Bhayshul Tuten	RB	Finger	DNP

BOLD – Indicates change in status; NIR- Indicates not injury related; *- Team conducted a walk-through / report is an estimation
STATUS DEFINITIONS: Did not participate (DNP); Limited: means less than 100 percent of a player’s normal repetitions; Full—100 percent of player’s normal repetitions; Out: will not play; Doubtful: Unlikely to play; Questionable: Uncertain to play

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv.../broncos-vs-jaguars-wednesday-practice-report

 

[Denver Broncos]

Broncos vs Jaguars Week 15: Keys to victory

Who would’ve thought that at the beginning of the season we’d be able to say that with a win and certain losses on Sunday, the Broncos can secure the top seed in the AFC? Honestly I was hoping we’d be able to clinch a playoff spot, but there is so much more at stake here.

The Broncos have the edge in their matchups all-time, winning eight of the 15 games they’ve played against each other, also winning four of the last five. The last time they faced off was in 2022 when Denver went into Jacksonville to take the 21-17 victory. There are also a couple of long winning streaks on the line come Sunday, as the Broncos have won 11 in a row and the Jags have won five.

Let’s take a look at what the Broncos will likely need to do to maintain their stranglehold on the AFC West and the conference as a whole.

1. Slow Trevor Lawrence’s roll​

Trevor Lawrence has played well over the last three games, posting a massive stat line against the Jets last week. Lawrence put up six total touchdowns, threw for 330 yards, and didn’t record a turnover in a blow out victory. And besides what Travis Etienne has been doing on the ground, the Jags can credit most of their offensive success to their quarterback, who is having one of his best seasons yet.

But four weeks ago he had an awful game. In their overtime win over the Cardinals, Lawrence was responsible for four turnovers, including three interceptions that all came off of just poor decisions and passes.

That game is what gives me confidence for this week. Vance Joseph has been nasty with the coverages he’s been showing, and this defense is just fantastic in man coverage. They killed Jordan Love last week and pundits thought he’d do well, for some reason. And if Denver can keep getting home on their pass rush against a Jacksonville offensive line that is giving up more than two sacks a game, things should be rough for Lawrence.

2. Play clean football​

The Broncos are the second-worst team in the league when it comes to penalties. The Jaguars are the worst team in the league. The Jags have 117 penalties on the year, good enough for 985 yards of self-inflicted damage. Obviously, this makes things difficult for any offensive or defensive unit.

Since we know that it’s not an “if” but a “when” the Jags will give free opportunities to the Broncos, it’s imperative that not only do the Broncos take advantage of those, but that Denver plays their cleanest game of football yet. They don’t want to bog themselves down with excessive mistakes that only serve to keep the game sloppy, rather than rise above their opponent.

Denver has been better penalty-wise as of late. They need to keep that trend going.

3. Keep Bo Nix spreading the ball around​

In one of the best, if not the best, game of his career on Sunday, Bo Nix threw for four touchdowns to four different receivers, including to a practice squad guy that never caught one before (shout out Michael Bandy). Denver’s ability to spread the love around helped contribute to Courtland Sutton making those clutch plays that went for chunk yardage. It kept the Packers guessing and it seemed like there was always someone open.

That’s also likely what’s contributed to Nix’s sharp increase in completion percentage since the bye week.

Sean Payton has been starting to really open up the playbook the last few weeks, except against the Raiders, and it’s almost like that’s by design and he was keeping his best stuff for late in the season/ playoffs. The offensive schemes have been great, and Nix appears to have more weapons than we thought he had. And now with Pat Bryant returning to play, there’s many opportunities to be had this week.

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denver-broncos-news/166950/broncos-vs-jaguars-3-keys-to-victory

 

[Denver Broncos]

Thursday Night Football Week 16: Rams at Seahawks – Live Discussion

The NFC West is clearly the most dominant division in the football this season with three teams with 10+ wins with three games to go. In fact, the winner of this game will take sole control of the division and the other will be knocked back to fight it out with the San Francisco 49ers for second place. So this game is pretty huge in that context as the winner likely comes out with the number one seed in the NFC.

Kickoff is set for Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 6:15 p.m. Mile High time at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington and will air on Prime Video.

My Prediction​

According to FanDuel, the Seattle Seahawks are 1.5-point home favorites over the Los Angeles Rams in this game. In their last matchup, Sam Darnold threw four interceptions and, yet, the Rams barely held on for a 2-point victory. While I think the Rams are the more talented team, it seems like Seattle’s defense has figured something out about them and if Darnold can avoid turning the ball over they should win this game.

Prediction: Seahawks 23, Rams 16.

Open thread in the comments section below. Discuss the games action there!​

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv.../tnf-week-16-rams-vs-seahawks-live-discussion

 

[Denver Broncos]

Broncos vs. Jaguars predictions: Final score picks for NFL Week 16

The Denver Broncos go into Week 16 looking to defend their 11-game win streak and undefeated home record against the red-hot Jacksonville Jaguars. Coming off a big win over the Green Bay Packers who had come into Denver as favorites despite having a worse record, confidence should be running sky high for this Broncos football team.

There is a scenario where the Broncos can clinch all of the things from the number one seed in the AFC and the AFC West division title. It’s unlikely for all of those to happen, but they can certainly take the division with the win and a Los Angeles Chargers loss on Sunday.

Game Overview​

Denver Broncos vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday, December 21, 2025 at 2:05 P.M. Mile High time
Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado
ATS Betting Lines: Denver -3.5
Moneyline Odds: Denver -180 / Jacksonville +152
Over/Under: 46.5
Note: All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Broncos vs Jaguars Score Predictions​

Collectively, our Mile High Report staff is predicting a Broncos 31-16 win at home over the Jaguars. Here’s how each of us predicted things would go individually:

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Broncos 27, Jaguars 17​

Part of me doesn’t want to stop predicting one-score games, but this is a matchup that I feel favors the Broncos in almost every category. Trevor Lawrence has been playing out of his mind, but his worst games have all come against elite defenses. With Bo Nix playing like the best version of himself, I feel like the Broncos will pull away from the Jags in this game at some point. – Tim Lynch

Broncos 31, Jaguars 23​

The tests don’t stop for the Broncos. The Jags come in on a heater with 5 wins in a row. They have a strong run game and a quarterback who is on fire. Their defense is exceptionally great at taking the ball away. That being said, they haven’t played a team at the Broncos level yet. I like Denver at home with the altitude and the rabid fans behind them. – Sadaraine

Broncos 41, Jaguars 17​

Broncos haven’t lost at home since Week 6 of 2024, they’ve won 11 straight games, and QB Bo Nix is coming off his best career game. Last week, this team just defeated a tough Packers team that came into Mile High hot and feeling good and will do the same against the Jags this Sunday.

The Jags have beat up on the Titans, Jets, and a Colts team after they lost their QB in recent weeks. The Broncos are a different animal and are peaking at the right time.

Bo Nix has back-to-back 4 TD performances(If Geno Smith can do it against the Jags, Bo can), RJ Harvey tops 100 yards from scrimmage, the defense gets multiple turnovers and 5+ sacks of Trevor Lawrence and clinch the AFC West after the Chargers fall to the Cowboys. – Scotty Payne

Broncos 27, Jaguars 20​

Two division leaders are going head-to-head in this one. I think it’s going to be a great game. I’ve got a lot of respect for the Jaguars for what they have accomplished this season. Their offense has been scoring a lot of points lately and their defense creates a lot of turnovers. Even so, I’m confident that the Broncos can keep rolling and continue their incredible win streak. I think Bo Nix and the offense continue their success and think the defense makes a few big plays to change the momentum. It’ll be a close game but believe Denver will come away with their thirteenth victory in 2025. – Chris Hart

Broncos 28, Jaguars 10​

These are two very similar teams. They feel disrespected and they are exceeding the expectations of the experts. Bo Nix and Trevor Lawerence have remarkably similar statistics except that Lawrence has taken twice as many sacks as Bo. And the Broncos defense has more than twice has many sacks as Jacksonville. That’s the difference. Bo will have time to throw; Trevor will not. The pass rush wins this game. – Mike DeCicco

Broncos 31, Jaguars 7​

Streaks always end. It’s just a fact. But not this week. As Scotty mentioned, the Jaguars have been on a run of their own, but against bad teams. The Broncos have put together a run that includes beating a desperate Chiefs, and a Packers team that many believe could (have) been a Super Bowl contender. With a chance to clinch the division, and inch closer to that #1 seed in the AFC, Sean Payton will have the offense ready to go. The defense will get to Trevor Lawrence, PS2 will limit Jakobi Meyers. The Dline will bottle up Travis Etienne. – Adam Malnati

Broncos 31, Jaguars 17​

Payton, Nix, and the Broncos are on a mission. They want to win the AFC West. They want the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Any chance of a Michael Dean Perry-esque lagging off the field on third down isn’t going to happen this Sunday. The defense is going to make the day completely miserable and uncomfortable for Lawrence. The Broncos will control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and the offense will put forth another complete game. And Broncos Country is going to bring the Rocky Mountain Thunder like its old Mile High. – Ian St. Clair

Broncos 34, Jaguars 20​

There is too much on the line for this team to come up short. Over the last three months the Broncos have shown up to very occasion and have proven themselves to be an elite team. Their offense is running on all cylinders, the offensive line is getting a boost with Ben Powers returning, and if the defense looks like it did in the second half of last week’s game, then it should be a long night for the Jags. – Ross Allen

What is your score prediction for the Broncos-Jaguars game? Let us know in the comments section below.​

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv...s-jaguars-predictions-score-picks-nfl-week-16

 

[Denver Broncos]

Broncos vs. Jaguars: Friday practice participation report

The Denver Broncos will be without linebacker Justin Strnad as expected as he injured his foot last weekend. While guard Ben Powers is listed as questionable, it does appear he’ll be back to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Though as Mike Klis of 9News noted, it will likely be in a shared reps situation. It is good to see the offensive line getting back to full strength just before the playoffs. Hopefully it stays that way.

Here is your full practice report for Friday.

Denver Broncos Injury Report​

Player	Pos.	Injury	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Game Status
Pat Bryant	WR	Hamstring	FULL	FULL	FULL	—
John Franklin-Myers	DL	NIR – rest	—	LIMITED	FULL	—
RJ Harvey	RB	Ribs	FULL	FULL	FULL	—
Mike McGlinchey	T	Neck	FULL	FULL	FULL	—
Marvin Mims Jr.	WR	Biceps	FULL	FULL	FULL	—
Ben Powers	G	Biceps	LIMITED	LIMITED	FULL	QUESTIONABLE
Karene Reid	ILB	Hamstring	FULL	FULL	FULL	QUESTIONABLE
Luke Wattenberg	C	Ankle	FULL	FULL	FULL	—
Justin Strnad	ILB	Foot	DNP	DNP	DNP	OUT

Jacksonville Jaguars Injury Report​

Player	Pos.	Injury	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Game Status
Arik Armstead	DT	Hand	FULL	FULL	FULL	—
Josh Hines-Allen	DE	Illness / Shoulder	DNP	LIMITED	FULL	—
Walker Little	OL	Concussion	FULL	FULL	FULL	—
Travon Walker	DE	Knee	FULL	FULL	FULL	—
Ezra Cleveland	OL	Shoulder	LIMITED	LIMITED	LIMITED	—
Jalen McLeod	LB	Ankle	LIMITED	LIMITED	LIMITED	OUT
Danny Striggow	DE	Ankle	DNP	DNP	DNP	OUT
Bhayshul Tuten	RB	Finger	DNP	DNP	DNP	OUT

BOLD – Indicates change in status; NIR- Indicates not injury related; *- Team conducted a walk-through / report is an estimation
STATUS DEFINITIONS: Did not participate (DNP); Limited: means less than 100 percent of a player’s normal repetitions; Full—100 percent of player’s normal repetitions; Out: will not play; Doubtful: Unlikely to play; Questionable: Uncertain to play

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv...6991/broncos-vs-jaguars-injury-report-week-16

 

[Denver Broncos]

Future Broncos: Analyzing the George Paton draft era

Happy Saturday, Broncos Country. What a wild first game to start the college football playoffs! The Alabama Crimson Tide looked like they were out of it early on but roared back with 27 straight points to wind up defeating the Oklahoma Sooners. Let’s hope today’s games are just as eventful. ICYMI: Here is last week’s installment that highlights the games and players to watch.

For today’s installment of Future Broncos, I thought I’d take a break from talking prospects and focus on something else. A focus and analysis about how the Denver Broncos find themselves among the top teams in the National Football League this season.

Just a few years ago, it seemed like the Broncos were in line for a lengthy rebuild after the failed Russell Wilson trade. After incurring over $90 million in dead money against the cap the past two seasons, Denver was operating at a disadvantage compared to other teams.

Regardless, Head Coach Sean Payton and his coaching staff have been able to reel off back-to-back playoff bound seasons immediately after sending Wilson packing. They deserve a huge amount of credit for righting the ship so quickly. However, it’s also important to acknowledge George Paton’s success as a general manager.

While some moves have certainly been questionable, Paton’s drafting prowess is a big reason why the Broncos have a strong foundation of players that will have them competitive for years to come. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and do a review of each draft class under his leadership.

The Class of 2021

Paton’s first class is one I’d chalk up as a clear success. Patrick Surtain II, Quinn Meinerz, and Jonathon Cooper have proven to be gems and earned long-term extensions. The best cornerback in the league and reigning DPOY, an All-Pro guard, and an underrated edge rusher. Those are all great selections.

Now with other teams, Javonte Williams and Baron Browning are the only other players still active in the league. Having a better hit rate on Day 3 would be ideal given the number of picks, but Cooper becoming a quality player for a late seventh-round draft class is beyond impressive. It’s a shame that Caden Sterns’ career was derailed by injuries.

2024 Defensive Player of the Year teach tape @PatSurtainll | @Broncos pic.twitter.com/XTqbk3gQc7

— NFL (@NFL) June 5, 2025

The Class of 2022

The Broncos didn’t have a first-round pick in ‘22 due to the Wilson trade. Even so, they struck gold with Nik Bonitto at the end of the second round. We’ll gladly take All-Pros at pick #64 every day of the week. The former Sooners standout is ascending into one of the NFL’s most dynamic defenders. That really helps out the success rate of this class.

Luke Wattenberg as a fifth-round pick recently earned an extension. He has been a solid starter and is the first center in ages the team has drafted and offered a second contract to. Additionally, Denver is finally starting to see some major progressive from Eyioma Uwazurike.

Delarrin Turner-Yell and Matt Henningsen are still on the team’s practice squad. Unfortunately, Greg Dulcich and Damarri Mathis never realized their potential. Having two players who have become starters that earned extensions helps this class. If Uwazurike earns an extension, that would make it even better.

Nik Bonitto SACK!pic.twitter.com/TxqGQnVvO8

— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) September 30, 2025

The Class of 2023

Another draft where the Broncos operated at pick disadvantage. It marks the first with Coach Payton alongside Paton in the war room. Marvin Mims Jr. as an All-Pro returner and versatile offensive weapon in the late second round was a great pick. The Broncos traded future resources to move up and get Riley Moss, and he has proven to be a good #2 cornerback for the team.

JL Skinner hasn’t seen many defensive snaps but has grown into being a core special teamer for the squad. Alex Forsyth is the team’s backup center. The blemish on this class is Drew Sanders, who has only been able to play in 21 games since being drafted. I had high hopes for him, but like Sterns, injuries have derailed his career.

For only five picks, I’d say the Broncos were able to make the most of them. How it ultimately grades out will be determined by what players can be extended. Mims and Moss would certainly be great to keep around, but we will have to wait and see if Payton and Paton opt to extend them this coming offseason.

MARVIN MIMS JR. TO THE HOUSE!

DENvsLV on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/0ZpcnhsSQQ

— NFL (@NFL) December 7, 2025

The Class of 2024

With the 12th overall selection, the Broncos nabbed themselves their quarterback of the future in Bo Nix. I’d have to say this is definitely a Payton pick as opposed to Paton. Nevertheless, that’s a huge get for Denver who desperately needed to find a quarterback after Wilson’s departure from the Mile High City. An absolute home run selection.

The next three picks: Jonah Ellis, Troy Franklin, and Kris Abrams-Draine have all been solid contributors given where they were taken. I feel they have done a great job maximizing their reps. Audric Estime and Devaughn Vele are no longer with the team, though that ‘26 fourth-round pick the Broncos got from the Saints for Vele was certainly a good get.

The early returns from their first four picks are tremendous. Even better? Having Nix in the fold gives the Broncos so much potential and versatility with how they want to build a roster around him. For the next few seasons, Denver will have the benefit of building a strong team around him while maximizing his rookie deal.

Since entering the NFL last year, Bo Nix is top 10 in key passing stats in the entire league:

3rd in completions (696)
7th in passing TDs (52)
7th in passing yards (7,031)

He did this as a rookie and second-year player. pic.twitter.com/P93KgIkz8s

— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) December 20, 2025

The Class of 2025

It’s far too early to grade this year’s rookie class. However, the potential is there for this to also be a good one. Jahdae Barron has been a versatile piece in Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph’s secondary. Meanwhile, running back RJ Harvey has impressed with ten touchdowns to date. That’s the most of any rookie skill position player. I expect both these players to be bigtime playmakers for Denver throughout their rookie deals.

Third-round wide receiver Pat Bryant has been an effective chain mover on offense when targeted. I’ve liked his toughness and blocking in the run game as well. He could very well become an important piece in the offense long-term. Not only that, but Jeremy Crawshaw has impressed as a punter this season and looks way better than what we saw during the preseason.

We haven’t seen much from Sai’vion Jones or Que Robinson thus far. Hopefully their sophomore campaigns show some growth and development. I don’t expect much from Caleb Lohner, he was a late-round, trait-based flyer pick. Overall, I’m pretty happy with what I’ve seen from this class thus far.

Denver hasn't had a back that can move like this in a loooooong time. RJ Harvey is the run game savior. pic.twitter.com/niaWOZWUGI

— Frankie Abbott (@FrankiesFilm) September 9, 2025

Final thoughts on five George Paton drafts

No draft is perfect. It’s impossible to hit on every pick. There have been some whiffs and misses. But truth be told, most players drafted are out of the NFL within four seasons. All things considered, I’m really happy with how Paton’s classes have panned out. Just take a look at how many players he has drafted and extended in five seasons compared to what John Elway did in a decade. How about you, Broncos Country? What kind of grade would you give Paton’s drafting? Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv...-broncos-analyzing-the-george-paton-draft-era

 

[Denver Broncos]

Saturday Football Week 16: Packers at Bears – Live Discussion

A marquee matchup for Saturday Night Football with an NFC North showdown that could end up deciding the NFC North division. The Chicago Bears are currently up by a half game on the Green Bay Packers, so a win by them would give them an inside track to lock the division up in the final two weeks. The same would go for the Pack if they win, though to a lesser degree given they’d only hold a half game lead.

Kickoff is set for Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 6:20 p.m. Mile High time at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois and will air on FOX.

My Prediction​

According to FanDuel, the Bears are slight 1.5-point home favorites over the Packers this week. It would have been hilarious if oddmakers had the Pack favorites in back-to-back road games against teams with better records only to lose both. I’ll have to settle for one of two, because they’ll lose this game as road dogs. I think the Bears are a team people are sleeping on in much the same way they’ve been sleeping on the Broncos. This will end up a critical win for Chicago in their pursuit for that NFC North crown… or loss, if I’m wrong.

Prediction: Bears 27, Packers 24.

Open thread in the comments section below. Discuss the games action there!​

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv...11/saturday-football-packers-at-bears-week-16

 

[Denver Broncos]

Week 16: Broncos vs. Jaguars – Live Discussion

The Denver Broncos (12-2) could go a long way to wrapping up the number one seed in the AFC with a win at home today over the Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4). A loss would bring all of that in doubt as there are multiple 10-4 teams to start this week and with just a one game lead with two games to go, it would make things quite stressful for this young Broncos’ team.

Kickoff is set for 2:05 p.m. Mile High time on Sunday, December 21, 2025 at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. You can watch the live stream of the game through FuboTV or on FOX. The game will be called by Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Daryl Johnston (analyst), and Allison Williams (sideline). You can also check local Broncos radio network affiliate stations.

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Broncos vs. Jaguars score predictions​

According to FanDuel, the Broncos are 3.5-point home favorites over the Jaguars, which is a slight increase from their opening spread. This is one of those games where I feel like the Broncos match up well in multiple areas and should win the game. However, any time I feel like this team should win a game they win by a much closer margin that I expect. Even so, I’ll give my prediction for what I think they should win by anyway.

Prediction: Broncos 27, Jaguars 17.

Join the discussion in the comments section below.​

Broncos vs. Jaguars live updates​

All in the details pic.twitter.com/nHKv65QVLd

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 21, 2025

With the Chargers' win in Dallas, the Broncos will have to wait until at least Thursday to clinch the AFC West.

Still have complete control of their own destiny.

With a win today vs. the Jags, Denver would head to KC with the opportunity to clinch the division and No. 1 seed.

— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) December 21, 2025

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv...7126/broncos-vs-jaguars-live-coverage-week-16

 

[Denver Broncos]

Broncos playoff picture: What Week 16 vs. Jaguars means for AFC standings

The AFC Playoff picture tightened up a bit in Week 16 with the Broncos falling to the Jaguars, the Chargers defeating the Cowboys, the Bills defeating the Browns, the Texans defeating the Raiders, and the Steelers defeating the Lions in a wild one that came down to the end in Detroit. The Patriots avoided losing two straight by coming back vs. the Ravens and being the second team in the AFC to clinch a postseason berth.

Despite their loss, the Broncos remain as the one seed in the AFC, but things are tight behind them. The Patriots also have a 12-3 record, but the Broncos have a tie-breaker over them, while the Chargers are one back from the Broncos for the AFC West lead and hold the tie-breaker.

The Broncos still control their own destiny, but it figures to be a wild final two weeks of the NFL season with multiple teams in play for the one seed in the AFC.

AFC West standings​

1. Denver Broncos 12-3
2. Los Angeles Chargers 11-4
3. Kansas City Chiefs 6-9
4. Las Vegas Raiders 2-13

Updated AFC playoff picture​

1. Denver Broncos 12-3 (clinched playoff berth)
2. New England Patriots 12-3 (clinched playoff berth)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars 11-4
4. Pittsburgh Steelers 9-6
5. Los Angeles Chargers 11-4
6. Buffalo Bills 11-4
7. Houston Texans 10-5
8. Indianapolis Colts 8-5 (In the Hunt)
9. Baltimore Ravens 7-8 (In the Hunt)

Eliminated from AFC playoff contention​

• Miami Dolphins
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Cincinnati Bengals
• New York Jets
• Cleveland Browns
• Tennessee Titans
• Las Vegas Raiders

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv...16-afc-standings-clinched-seeding-tiebreakers

 

[Denver Broncos]

Winners and Losers from the Broncos 34-20 loss to the Jaguars

Well, that sucked.

The Broncos have their 11-game win streak snapped, and they lost their first home game since week 6 of last season. For the first time this season, the Broncos were outplayed and beaten easily. The Jaguars came into this game with a chip on their shoulder and proved they are the real deal in the AFC. Meanwhile, the Broncos played one of their worst games of the season. Sloppy play, penalties, drops, turnovers, and just poor play throughout led to this 14-point loss.

Despite this loss, the Broncos remain the one seed and lead the AFC West, but things are getting tighter. With all that said, here are the winners and losers from the Broncos’ 34-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

LOSER – Broncos defense​

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What the hell was that?

The Jags sliced and diced the Broncos’ defense all game. They scored 17 first-half points and followed that up with another 17 second-half points. A big reason for this was piss poor tackling throughout the game and their top-ranked red zone defense giving up 4 total touchdowns.

Riley Moss, whom I have defended this year, struggled to tackle Jaguars wide receiver Parker Washington on two plays, which led to big gains and eventual touchdowns. It was frustrating to watch and is concerning to see.

We have seen Vance Joseph’s unit take a step back in recent weeks, and is coming off a season where we saw them struggle late in the year on defense. Hopefully, that trend will not continue moving forward.

If the Broncos want to be Super Bowl contenders, they need this defense to play MUCH better moving forward.

LOSER – Offensive mistakes​

The Broncos’ offense looked good at times throughout the game, but they had multiple errors throughout the game that led to this loss. Quarterback Bo Nix fumbled a handoff, which the Jaguars recovered, and would later throw an interception on 4th down, where he threw right into tight coverage and allowed the Jags defender to make the easy INT. He had running back Tyler Badie wide open as the check-down but he simply missed him.

Nix wasn’t bad in this game, but he wasn’t nearly as good as he was vs. the Packers. We need better from Nix moving forward against playoff teams if the Broncos want to win in the playoffs.

What didn’t help was the big drops throughout this game. Courtland Sutton dropped a deep throw that would have put the Broncos inside the 5-yard line while the Broncos were down 7. Rookie Pat Bryant dropped a big 3rd down pass, which was thrown behind him, but also a pass he needed to catch. Sutton also dropped another potential touchdown late in the game.

The Broncos have dealt with drops all season, and they came up big once again tonight.

WINNER – RJ Harvey​

The rookie running back was the lone bright spot for the Broncos’ offense today. He had 7 carries for 50 yards and 1 touchdown, as well as 4 receptions for 71 yards. That is 11 touches for 121 yards and 1 touchdown. His touchdown now gives him 11 scores on the year, which is impressive for the Broncos’ rookie runner.

Not bad.

Unfortunately, it came in a losing effort.

With JK Dobbins sidelined, the Broncos will need efforts like this from Harvey if they want to make noise in the playoffs.

LOSER – Vance Joseph​

The Broncos’ defensive coordinator was outcoached by Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen throughout this game as a disturbing trend continues.

Last season, the Broncos’ defense took a step back in December and ultimately were blown out in Buffalo by Josh Allen and the Bills. We saw signs of that throughout the month of December this season, and now getting blown out by the Jaguars at home is a concerning red flag.

If the Broncos are going to contend, they need this defense to play like the elite unit it was early in the season. If not, we could see them have another quick exit in the postseason. Vance and this Broncos defense needs to step up.

LOSER – QB Bo Nix​

Nix had his good moments throughout the game, but two costly turnovers in the second half landed him on the losers’ list.

A fumbled handoff and an ugly INT in the second half derailed any hopes of another second-half comeback. We saw flashes of the quarterback we saw vs. the Packers, but also flashes of bad Bo Nix, where he looked flustered, had happy feet, and made some poor decisions/bad throws.

He was off target on a handful of passes, was outplayed by Trevor Lawrence, and couldn’t lead a 4th quarter comeback this time.

Nix wasn’t awful, but his mistakes and play were a reason for this loss.

LOSER – AFC West and One seed lead​

While the Broncos remain at the top of the AFC West and still are the 1 seed in the AFC, this loss brings the competition closer to them with two games to go.

The Chargers are now just one game back in the division, hold the tiebreaker over the Broncos, and will still play them in the season finale. Meanwhile, the Patriots have a chance to gain a game back tonight with a win vs. the Ravens, and suddenly, the Chargers and Jaguars are contending for the one seed as well.

The Broncos control their own destiny still and will play a beat-up Chiefs team down to their third-string quarterback on Christmas Night, but they will likely need to win out if they want to win the AFC West and get the one seed.

Other notable winners and losers​

• LOSER – Refs: While the Broncos deserved to lose, the refs did not help them throughout this game. Some iffy penalties on the Broncos, while the Jags were allowed to run the play clock down to zero and then some without a flag being thrown. This has been a trend throughout the year, and 3 of the 4 Jaguars’ touchdown drives had big penalties on the Broncos.
• LOSER – CB Riley Moss: He had his good moments in this game, but was absolutely worked by Parker Washington on multiple plays that led to big gains. Poor tackling. Need to be better when all eyes are on you.
• WINNER – John Franklin-Myers: Had 2 sacks and played well
• WINNER – RB Jaleel McLaughlin: Had a couple of nice runs and nearly broke a long touchdown run early in the game
• LOSER – Broncos 3rd down offense: They went 5 of 14 on 3rd downs tonight. Can’t have that.
• LOSER – Penalties: Broncos had 6 penalties called on them for 61 yards, while the Jags had 2 for 20 yards
• LOSER – K Wil Lutz: He has been automatic, but he doinked one off the pole early in the game
• LOSER – Red Zone/3rd down defense: Jags scored 4 touchdowns in the red zone and had no issues against the Broncos’ top red zone defense. The Jags also converted 8 of 15 third downs in this game.

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv...s-to-the-jaguars-nix-lawrence-playoff-picture

 

[Denver Broncos]

Broncos must fix issues quickly to defeat the Chiefs on Christmas

The Jacksonville Jaguars devoured the Denver Broncos on Sunday. That gave the Broncos their first loss since Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers. With a 12-3 record, Denver still controls their own destiny. The formula is simple: win the final two games and they secure the AFC West title and the #1 seed in the AFC.

Losses are tough. It’s unfamiliar territory for this year’s team who enjoyed the thrills of an impressive 11-game winning streak. Though yesterday’s reality check might just be what the team needed to make the necessary adjustments and changes to finish off their remaining regular season games on a high note.

It’s time to refocus and reload. Get over the loss, learn from it, and be ready to compete at a high level in just a few days. Head Coach Sean Payton’s had a simple message to the players in the locker room after being handled by the Jaguars 34-20.

“There was one message. I said to them, ‘One of the things you managed to do each week is get on to the next challenge.’ In other words, digest the win. I think the same thing has to apply, especially on a short week like this. You’ve shown the ability to digest the game before and then get onto the next challenge and you have to do the same after a tough loss,” stated Payton.

Broncos coach Sean Payton, on the Broncos' defeat Sunday to the Jaguars "This wasn't an officiating [thing], this was — we got beat. And Jacksonville was a better team yesterday, and I think our players know that." pic.twitter.com/nhEnNwm2Y3

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 22, 2025

The next challenge for the Broncos? Traveling to Arrowhead Stadium to face off against their division rival Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas. While the Chiefs have been dethroned as kings of the AFC West, the Broncos can’t afford to let them play spoiler to their postseason hopes on Thursday.

The Chiefs will be without their top two quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew. That means third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun will get the start. After giving up 34 points to the Jaguars, the Broncos’ defense will have a shot to get back on track facing third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun.

After starting off the first half of the season hot, the defense has experienced major regression over the past five or six games. At one point in time, they were surrendering less than 19 points a contest. That number has jumped a full touchdown over the past five weeks of play.

On Sunday, blown coverages, missed tackles, and failing to stop the Jaguars in the red zone were three major issues. It’s a lot to overcome and fix on such short notice. Nevertheless, star defensive lineman Zach Allen is confident he and his teammates will be able to accomplish that.

“We’ll be fine. I mean the group—we’ve done that all year—kind of flushing it and moving on to the next one. Watch it, digest it, get the notes for the corrections and then move on,” stated Allen

His sentiments were echoed by various other players, including those on offense such as veteran tight end Evan Engram. Just two weeks ago against the Green Bay Packers, the Broncos’ offense put together one of their most impressive performances of the season. Quarterback Bo Nix was on fire and arguably had the best game of his career.

The Broncos are 12-3 with a 2nd year QB & their biggest cap hit ($32 M) a backup QB for the Giants.

Sean Payton has turned this team into a true contender, and Bo Nix is showing promising signs of development.

They have the best odds at representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/t4nVujDK5Y

— Joe Rowles (@JoRo_NFL) December 22, 2025

Unfortunately, the consistency and efficiency fans saw against the Packers was hardly evident on a drive-by-drive basis against the Jaguars. In order for the Broncos to earn a victory on Christmas, they will need the offense to do their part to help get things back on track.

“We’re going to learn the lessons, and we have a really short week, Christmas game against Kansas City, and everything is in our control,” Engram stated with confidence after the loss. “We have a locker room full of professionals that are going to respond.”

There is a lot to be proud of with this year’s team. They have overcome a lot of obstacles and adversity. Their penchant for reeling off a lot of comeback victories has been inspiring. Even so, finishing off the season with wins is an absolute must. Doing that will give them homefield advantage in the playoffs.

If not, the Broncos could wind up being a road team in the Wild Card Round that won’t get to host a postseason matchup. And that’s the last thing the coaches, players, and fans across Broncos Country want to see happen.

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv...ues-quickly-to-defeat-the-chiefs-on-christmas

 

[Denver Broncos]

Broncos Film Review: Quinn Meinerz vs the Jaguars

Well, that was a frustrating game to watch.

Missed opportunities, self-inflicted wounds, and an abysmal bit of officiating spelled disaster for the Denver Broncos on Sunday. But it wasn’t all bad. There were plenty of individual performances that shined through the darkness, and that includes Quinn Meinerz, who should be revered as at least a top-two offensive guard in the league/ I don’t think that he’s number two though.

Let’s wash this bad taste out of our mouths by enjoying the succulent Chinese meal that was Quinn Meinerz against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Stat crunch​

The Broncos had 65 offensive snaps and Meinerz was on the field for all of them. They had 16 designed run plays and 49 designed pass plays.

He had two pancakes and one blown block.

He gave up zero TFLs, zero pressures, one QB hit, and zero sacks.

He did not commit a penalty.

Meinerz finished the game with three “Bad” blocks, two “Meh” blocks, eight “Alright” blocks, 51 “Good” blocks, and one “Great” block. This was good enough for 59.25 points out of a possible 65, or 91.2%.

In run protection he scored 15.25 points out of 16 (95.3%) and in run protection he scored 42 points out of 49 (85.7%).

In general​

This was another clean game of football from Quinn Meinerz, and we can add this game to a long list of those he’s had throughout his career. When you watch him play you get the feeling that you’re watching a masterful artist paint. While this art had a few bad strokes interwoven through, the final product was incredibly pleasing to the eyes.

Maybe I’ll stop with all of the metaphors now.

Meinerz was dominant through most of the game, and I can only imagine how much easier he makes life for Luke Wattenberg and Mike McGlinchey. Meinerz does a great job working through his double teams as he gets a big chunk of the defensive tackle, giving ample opportunity for his backside help to get there, and then he quickly makes his way up to the second level, plays with great leverage, and rarely gets shed. And he’s always looking to hit those linebackers with force. He’s not just there to get in front of a guy.

His footwork is nearly unmatched, especially among offensive guards. His pass protection really shows this aspect of his game off, as he is almost never off balance, he’s quick to move back inside when the defensive tackle counters, and his feet are quick and remain wide the length of the block. He gets his first two feet in the ground so quick and that’s also what allows him to dominate in run protection as well.

And besides all of the physical traits that he posses, the mental game might be an even stronger aspect of his. His vision, anticipation of what the defense is going to do, and his patience, particularly on double team blocks, makes what he does look so easy. It’s like a flow state that he enters in to.

But, while they were few, he did have some mistakes in this one and most of them were in pass protection. He was slow on a couple of his stunt pick ups, which led to one QB hit and what could’ve been another if it wasn’t for Adam Prentice chipping the defender before going out on a route. There was also one example of him getting compressed into Nix, causing what technically was a sack, due to him losing the hand-fighting game.

We’ll take a look at a couple of these in the film.

The specifics​

Pass play – Drop back – Good block

If you want to see a textbook example of one-on-one pass protection, then here you go.

Look at those feet. Short and choppy, staying on the insteps, his chest is mostly staying over the top of his hips, playing well-balanced. He does a great job of keeping proper leverage (staying inside the defender) and when the DT makes a move to the inside, Meinerz is smooth and beats him to the punch, forcing the DT to have to go back to the outside.

This is how you mirror the defender.

Run play – QB Sneak – Bad block

I think Meinerz, for lack of a better description, just gets a little lazy on this block.

On the QB Sneak, you block it up front like a veer play, so everyone is crashing down to their inside gap. So with that, you can make the argument, that since the DT went to the B gap, that this is McGlinchey’s fault. But you already know what side I’m arguing should be taking the blame.

This kind of play is hard because you do need to be firing out as low as possible to match the DT, but when you just dive with your eyes to the ground, I’m going to ding you points. If Meinerz plays with his eyes up, then he might be able to see the DT throwing that swim move and would at least be able to get a chunk of him to give Nix or McGlinchey more time to make a play.

Bad eyes mean bad block.

Run play – Outside Zone – Great block

This is what you’re supposed to do to an undersized defender that wants to play up at the line of scrimmage.

That initial contact is what seals the defender’s fate right from the start. Meinerz gets both hands on the chest while striking low to high, and that lifts his guy up, takes a foot off of the ground, and all Meinerz has to do is run his feet and he plows the defender into the grass.

This is fantastic. It truly shows off Meinerz’ strength.

Pass play – Drop back – Good block

I’m going to blame Zach Strief for this clip, as all three Denver guards that have played this year all do a great job of passing off their block to Wattenberg, when possible, and then looking outside to help their tackles with the edge defenders.

And if that defender is going to be rushing with his back end out like that, then they might has well have just painted a big bullseye on themselves, especially when Meinerz is on the hunt. This poor DE does a great job of compressing McGlinchey on the bull rush, but Meinerz is there to make him pay. Great block. It’s a really good job of looking for work.

Pass play – Drop back – Good block

Here is the play I alluded to earlier about Meinerz getting compressed, which makes Nix want to leave the pocket, and then he steps out of bounds before getting the ball away.

This block comes down to hand placement and losing the battle for either man’s chest. Often times in both run and pass protection the block comes down to who’s able to get their hands on their opponents’ chest first. If you control the chest then you control the man. Like Davey Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean (bet you weren’t expecting to see that reference in this article).

Meinerz strikes with his hands too wide, the DT gets to Meinerz’ chest, and Meinerz is then playing off of his back foot. He does a good job at recovering by forcing the weight onto his insteps and getting his feet behind him, and locks up the DT when he tries to work inside, but Nix still feels the pressure and has to bail from the pocket.

Run play – Inside Zone – Good block

Let’s finish up with looking at exactly what you want the first part of a double team on Inside Zone to look like.

The rule on double teams is for both guys to stay on the first-level defender until you can touch the linebacker. So, if the linebacker declares to a rushing lane and attacks, then whoever is closest must come off of the defensive lineman. But if the backer plays back, then you put that DT into the lap of the linebacker. That’s what Meinerz and McGlinchey do on this play.

Great hands and great leverage lead the way as they beat up on the DT. More teach tape here.

Final thoughts​

Quinn Meinerz is fantastic and is almost always a bright spot on this team. I’m not sure there’s not much more I can say, or that there’s anything more I need to say. I think you all are on the same page.

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/bron...-review-quinn-meinerz-vs-jacksonville-jaguars

 

[Denver Broncos]

Broncos vs Jaguars: The No Bull Review

That was honestly a surprising game to see the Denver Broncos play. The Jacksonville Jaguars beat our team soundly in every facet of the game by and large. Their coaches out-coached ours. Their players wanted the win way worse and played fast and hungry. Credit to the Jaguars for coming into Denver and laying a whooping on this team the likes of which we haven’t seen this season.

For Broncos Country, let’s not overreact to this. I honestly think a loss late in the season for a high-win team is good. Good teams use a loss like this to temper themselves into a stronger version.

Offense​

The Jaguar defense played this team very well and caused multiple problems for Sean Payton’s offense. They had pressure on Nix better than most teams. They covered well enough especially in critical downs. They made some plays knowing what was coming.

This is all the script we typically see the Broncos offense having the advantage. The crazy thing was that we still had some play designs that took the Jags by surprise, but wasn’t able to capitalize on them (deep throw inaccuracy and drops were the main problems). The offense didn’t execute the play calls well enough.

The offensive skill players have got to learn how to catch footballs that hit them in the hands. So many inept drives had catchable balls dropped. The drop consistency from all over the roster is baffling and could be the cause of an early end to a spectacular season.

Finally, the offense has got to keep finding ways to run the ball. I know the game started getting away from us, but that doesn’t mean abandoning the run, especially when both your main backs were averaging over 7 yards per carry. The team had 17 runs to 47 passes which seems way too lopsided even for a game where we ended up being down 2 scores late and needed to go all out on passing.

Quarterbacks​

This was a pretty up and down game for Bo Nix. He threw a perfect fade to Sutton in the end zone for an easy 6. Then he has a baffling read option fumble trying to pull the ball when McLaughlin was a step past him. His interception throw was a terrible choice. Bryant was completely dominated on the play and Bo just locked on and let it rip. The only good thing about it was that it pushed the Jags back down the field.

The biggest nit I have to pick with Nix over this season is his long ball placement. He’s consistently underthrowing wide open scoring plays all season long. He’s got to stop moon balling every deep throw and figure out how to lengthen the angle to hit his deep threats in stride. It was evident on two deep throws in this game where his guys had to try to make contested catches that got broken up because of it.

Line​

The line had a much rougher outing this week (again, credit the Jags’ pass rush – they were far more disruptive than most other teams we faced outside of the Texans). Garett Bolles having two false start penalties at home was honestly irritating. I’m sure he’s kicking himself over it, but we can’t have our vets making simple mistakes like that to set the team back. Ben Powers was back this week and I noticed him having some trouble with some of the stunts that were run to his gaps. It wasn’t a major issue by any stretch of the imagination and I expect it is largely due to being his first game back after an injury.

Running Backs​

R.J. Harvey continues to blossom as the season wears on and had a spectacular game. One play had him motion everywhere, then dip outside for an easy catch to move the chains on 3rd down. He had an astounding run for a touchdown making guys miss and keeping his balance to dive for the endzone. That was supreme effort on the field and this offense needs to keep finding ways to get the ball in his hands.

Jaleel McLaughlin was no slouch in this game either. He had a big run early that would have been an 80 yard touchdown if the last defender hadn’t yanked him down by his shoulder pad.

Receivers​

Courtland Sutton is playing his best ball at just the right time. He’s one of the guys that dropped a key ball the back of the endzone through that hit him in his hands). Yes it was a very difficult ball to catch given how wide it was thrown, but he’s the #1 receiver and needs to make that play.

Marvin Mims, Jr. finds a huge hole in the Jaguar’s zone defense and got a huge gain. He was 3 of 3 on his targets. I still hold that we need to find more ways to get him targets.

Pat Bryant catches a quick out and twists through a tackler to gain a couple of extra yards. Drops a catch on 3rd down that he had to twist around for. I get that it was a difficult catch, but it was in his hands and should have been caught. Thoughts and prays for him and his recovery from a plainly filthy hit by the Jaguar’s defender. That defensive back should have been ejected from the game and didn’t even get a flag for his helmet to helmet hit on a defenseless receiver.

Troy Franklin also gets kudos for a consistent game. He caught a deep corner while getting tackled for 48 yards. He caught 4 of 5 targets on the day and made his plays count.

Defense​

Vance Joseph was completely out coached in this game. His defense looked out of place, undergunned, and outmatched in the secondary. It seemed like Jacksonville had a very clear plan on how to get receivers open and it played right into what Trevor Lawrence is capable of (which is a lot…he doesn’t get enough credit for how good he is in my opinion).

The killer for the defense was poor tackling. It was all over the field at all levels and it looked absolutely pathetic compared to the standard this team has put in place for how they play defense. We heard from the sideline Joseph cussing out the defense and I 100% get it. This team was trying to be the NFL’s best team in the league and the defense came out this week and flopped around on the field like a bunch of stranded fish.

While I think this game was likely a blip on the radar, I can guarantee you if the defense plays like this against the Chargers, we will lose that game. If they play this way in the playoffs, they will be one and done.

Front 7​

Jonathan Franklin-Myers had an absolute monster of a game up front for the defense. He got a pocket collapsing sack with help from superb coverage early and late in the game for 2 sacks on the day (the later coming on a 3rd down to end a drive). He also had a tackle for loss and 2 quarterback hits.

Malcolm Roach shoots around his defender for a big sack on 3rd and 15. He also had a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit. This defensive line is one of the deepest I’ve seen for the Broncos in a long time.

Big shout-out to Que Robinson for his play in this game. He got on the field for only 19 plays, but made them count. He got a pass defense on a batted pass, had a big sack inside the 10, got 2 quarterback hits, and had a tackle for loss as well.

In a game full of bad angles taken for tackles, of course Alex Singleton needs a moment to shine. He took bad angles multiple times in the game including a total whiff on a run to the outside. He’s still a guy that leads the team in tackles, but tackles after big gains don’t mean much in my books.

Secondary​

Riley Moss mostly played a really good game. He had perfect defense on an out breaking route to bat the ball away as well as a tackle for loss on a sideline pass. The bad was that he took the same poor tackling angle on two passes to the outside and got owned on both giving up huge plays. He’s got work to do on that technique for sure and solve that issue or other quarterbacks we face are going to wear that sideline pass out on him for big gains. It is hard to pile on too much when a guy gets a sack, tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, 6 tackles, and 2 pass defenses from the cornerback position.

P.J. Locke’s coverage is far too soft. He gave up multiple big catches by letting receivers have too much of a cushion. With Brandon Jones out, this is a big area of concern for me as Locke was a guy that was front and center of many of our bad losses last season to good quarterbacks. The scary thing is that I see a big lack of depth at safety (I noticed that before the season started). I don’t think swapping in Devon Key or JL Skinner is the answer to any of the questions this defense has.

Special Teams​

Wil Lutz had a bad miss in this game for a kick that was under 50 yards. In a game where there were plenty of problems to be had, a field goal miss is honestly probably not that big of a deal (they lost by 14 after all).

Final Thoughts​

Let me reiterate that the Jacksonville Jaguars outplayed our team from top to bottom. They deserved to win this game.

That being said, I can’t close this out without wondering if the NFL has it in for the Broncos or if Sean Payton pissed in Shawn Hochuli’s Post Toasties the morning before the game. This ref crew absolutely wrecked the Broncos with so many drive killing (or extending for the Jags) penalties. The late hit on Locke was nonsense (he had already left the ground when the whistle blew and Lawrence didn’t throw the ball to the ground), the pass interference call on Barron was just wrong (you can put your arm on the receiver’s arm), there were two OPIs that the refs swallowed their whistles while the Jaguars were allowed to push away our defenders to make big catches, and the flag on Roach for landing on the quarterback was at best questionable. But the icing on the cake to me was how multiple times in the game the play clock hit 0 before the Jags hiked the ball and they just got to play on instead of getting the full impact of playing an away game. The fans at the stadium did their jobs and the refs just ignored it completely.

On to business, though. The Broncos need to dial in and lock on to the game at Kansas City on Thursday. They have to win it and shouldn’t for one second think it will be easy just because the Chiefs are on their 3rd string quarterback.

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/general/167630/broncos-vs-jaguars-no-bull-review

 

[Denver Broncos]

Broncos at Chiefs preview: Denver aims to get back on track

For the first time since September, the Denver Broncos (12-3) suffered a loss.

Now they’ll look to get back in the win column when they travel to take on the Kansas City Chiefs (6-9) on Christmas night. And while the loss was disappointing, everything is still in front of Bo Nix and the Broncos. It starts with a rebound win at Arrowhead Stadium.

Since the Chiefs will be down to their third-string quarterback, FanDuel Sportsbook has Denver as the huge -12.5-point favorites. The total sits at over/under 36.5 points.

Offensive Rankings​

Denver: Tenth in total offense (352.1 yards per game), 18th in rushing offense (118.3 YPG), eighth in passing offense (233.9 YPG), 13th in scoring offense (24.1 points per game).

Kansas City: Thirteenth in total offense (342.9 yards per game), 22nd in rushing offense (109.7 YPG), ninth in passing offense (233.2 YPG), 20th in scoring offense (22.5 points per game).

Defensive Rankings​

Denver: Fourth in total defense (291.6 yards per game), second in rushing defense (90.2 YPG), 10th in passing defense (201.4 YPG), fifth in scoring defense (19.7 points per game).

Kansas City: Tenth in total defense (307.9 yards per game), ninth in rushing defense (103.4 YPG), 12th in passing defense (204.5 YPG), fourth in scoring defense (19.6 points per game).

Here are the MHR staff’s keys to Thursday night’s game.

Don’t eff it up!​

The Chiefs are down Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew. Kansas City has been eliminated from the AFC Playoffs. So don’t eff around and look passed the Chiefs. Crazy things happen at Arrowhead in December, especially when the Broncos play there. Denver must take Thursday’s game seriously. The Broncos should win this game, so play and think as if it were a playoff game. All of the Broncos’ goals are within reach, but it starts with a victory on Christmas night. — Ian St. Clair

Play KC’s nightmare on Christmas​

The Chiefs will be rolling out a third-string QB on Christmas. Chris Oladukun has taken over for the injured Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew, and the Chiefs are playing for draft position more than anything else. How does Denver get back on track? Nightmare on Christmas. A Santa Claus-sized bag of sacks and harassment for the third-string QB. — Adam Malnati

Win​

Just win. I don’t care how. Just get to 13-3 and begin preparing for the Los Angeles Chargers. Win out and get the one seed. That is literally all that matters! — Tim Lynch

Lean on the run game​

They should be able to lean on their run game a bit more, as there’s no good reason they should ever trail in this game. I’d like for them to try some more between-the-tackles running for Jaleel McLaughlin and some more tosses or stretches for Harvey. Let’s see what they can work with. — Ross Allen

Play fundamental football​

Over the past few weeks, the Broncos have had some issues with the fundamentals. Miscues, missed tackles, penalties, drops, and turnovers have been holding the team back. After being soundly defeated by Jacksonville, it’s time for Denver to shape up and keep the self-inflicted wounds to a minimum. Even though the Chiefs are without their two top quarterbacks, this isn’t a game where Denver can inhibit itself from earning a must-win game. If they want to leave Arrowhead Stadium victorious, the Broncos have to play fundamental football. — Christopher Hart

What are your keys to Thursday’s game?​

Source: https://www.milehighreport.com/denv...iefs-preview-denver-aims-to-get-back-on-track