Buffalo Bills

says: Win Super Bowl, 7-1; Over-under win total, 11.5

Strengths: Quarterback Josh Allen is the reigning MVP, and his pass-catching options might be a tick better this year with wide receiver Josh Palmer added and another year of development for Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid. The 1-2 rushing punch of running back James Cook and Allen might be the best in the AFC outside of Baltimore.

Weaknesses: The team in Kansas City is still a member of the AFC. Beyond that, after one aging star (Von Miller) didn’t provide much juice for the pass rush, the Bills are going to try another (Joey Bosa). They have other strong options up front, but the back seven can be vulnerable at times. Maybe yet another aging star (CB Tre’Davious White) can have a throwback year in his return.

Miami Dolphins

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl, 80-1; Over-under win total, 8.5

Strengths: The Dolphins have an impactful collection of skill position guys and Aurora native Mike McDaniel’s offense hums when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is healthy. The names on the outside, particularly with the addition of rookie defensive lineman Kenneth Grant inside, should produce more pressure and sacks for this defense.

Weaknesses: The phrase “when Tagovailoa is healthy” is doing a lot of work. The backup QB is either going to be former Bronco Zach Wilson or seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers out of Texas. Miami added future Hall of Fame safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, but subtracted future HOF cornerback Jalen Ramsey from a position that already looked thin behind him.

New England Patriots

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl, 80-1; Over-under win total, 8.5

Strengths: The Patriots were one of the big spenders this offseason, so there are definitely more quality NFL players on the roster. New England made a splashy addition at each level of the defense. There are other non-contending teams that would trade their quarterback for Drake Maye yesterday, and some that would like Mike Vrabel to coach for them as well.

Weaknesses: These guys might be a trendy pick to be much improved, but they had a lot of turnover this offseason. That doesn’t always work immediately. Also, the offense was terrible last year and the top offseason additions are a rookie offensive tackle and an aging wide receiver (Stefon Diggs) who tore an ACL in October.

New York Jets

BetMGM says: Win Super Bowl, 200-1; Over-under win total, 6.5

Strengths: Cornerback Sauce Gardner and receiver Garrett Wilson are franchise building blocks. A couple of the club’s other recent high first-round picks could be as well. And … the front office doesn’t have to worry about what Aaron Rodgers says on The Pat McAfee Show anymore?

Weaknesses: Just about everything else, unless quarterback Justin Fields can prove he’s ready to take a big leap forward as Rodgers’ replacement. Expect there to be a lot of Arch Manning chatter in the Big Apple this football season, because both New York teams could be in the running for the top pick.

As Audric Estime plunged into the end zone to cap a bruising opening drive last week in Los Angeles, he did so over a right side that had been completely caved in.

Right guard Quinn Meinerz watched Chargers defensive tackle Poona Ford shift from his outside shoulder to inside and knew he had the big man right where he wanted him.

Same for Mike McGlinchey, who saw Joey Bosa move to his inside and collapsed him down right into the path of linebacker Junior Colson.

That left little work for pulling left guard Ben Powers, who cleaned up Colson as Estime easily hit pay dirt.

That����ap $211.5 million in total contract value and $48.5 million in average pay per year paving the way at the point of attack for Denver.

This is what the Broncos are built to do. It����ap what head coach Sean Payton set out to forge from the day he took the job two years ago.

And now comes a critical juncture at which Denver will put its eight-year playoff drought on the line and its inside-out building project to the test against a Cincinnati team that����ap got real problems on both lines but terrific perimeter talent.

“That����ap what this group has prepared for,” Meinerz told The Denver Post. “It����ap what we’ve built on from Day 1 when this staff came in is being ready for the big moments. We talk about the moment of truth all the time and that����ap these type of games. That����ap these type of two-minute drills. That����ap these type of end-of-game, end-of-half scenarios that we’ve been training for for two years now at this point.”

From the moment the Broncos drafted Nix No. 12 overall back in April, Payton’s regularly pointed to two ingredients that make life easier on a rookie quarterback: quality defense and a strong run game.

The Broncos have had the former and sometimes the latter, but what����ap clear is that both are powered by work at the line of scrimmage.

And in that department, Denver’s been really good this season.

In fact, the trenches more than perhaps any other factor have powered the Broncos’ surprise run to the doorstep of the postseason.

They’ll likely determine, too, whether Denver kicks down the door and clinches its playoff spot or falters in the final two weeks of the season and leaves its fate in the hands of others.

“It����ap interesting when you look at how teams are built,” tight end Adam Trautman told The Post, using an example a couple of days before Chicago lost its 10th straight game Thursday night against Seattle. “If you look at the Bears, right, they’re built outside-in. Football is such a dependent sport. The quarterback depends on the O-line. The quarterback depends on the receivers getting open. Receivers depend on the O-line for targets. Tight ends depend on the O-line.

“Everything meshes together, but it all, always, will begin with the guys up front.”

For the most part, the statistical profile of Denver’s offense this year is that of a decent unit.

They’re 10th in the NFL in scoring — and have scored 28-plus points seven times — but have also benefitted from a whopping 39 defensive points.

They’re good in the red zone (No. 8 in red zone TD percentage) and middling on third down (No. 18). They’re tied for No. 22 in net passing yards per attempt (5.8) and tied for No. 17 in rushing yards per attempt.

In terms of overall analytics like estimated points added, the Broncos check in at No. 18 offensively.

Where the offense really shines, though, is in offensive line metrics.

in pass block win rate and No. 3 in run blocking. is less charitable with the run game, ranking the Broncos No. 16 in run blocking, but also considers Denver the best pass-blocking unit in the NFL.

It����ap a group that����ap paid upper-echelon dollars — McGlinchey and Powers were among the first two free-agent signings of Payton’s tenure in Denver, while Meinerz and left tackle Garett Bolles have signed four-year extensions in the past six months — and feels like it����ap performing to that standard.

“One hundred percent,” Meinerz said. “I think the amount of time and effort we’ve put into becoming a cohesive group and the amount of extra reps, extra time, side conversations and all of that (helps) so that we can fit combinations or come up with our own little language of how we want to do things. It����ap within the framework of our rules and stuff like that, but (offensive line coach Zach Strief) also does a great job of giving us the freedom — giving us multiple ways of being able to do something and then kind of leaving it up to us to figure out what the best way is with our skill sets.”

McGlinchey and Powers have played on really good offensive lines for teams that have made playoff runs in San Francisco and Baltimore, respectively. Meinerz, Bolles and center Luke Wattenberg are trying to get to the postseason for the first time.

McGlinchey said the group puts that goal on its own 10 shoulders.

“Our group has preached it here under Strief that we want to be the reason this team goes somewhere,” he said. “I think we’ve done that to an extent so far this year, and now it����ap time to go cash in.”

The group has been at the vanguard of preaching confidence in Nix, the rookie quarterback, but it has also instilled confidence and calm in him.

Payton is quick to point out that pressure can be controlled by the quarterback and the way he operates in the pocket. Sacks, he says often, are as much a quarterback stat as an offensive line stat.

And yet, the Broncos offensive line has consistently given Nix time to think through what he’s seeing.

Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked seven times against Seattle on Thursday night and has now been sacked 67 times in 16 games for a whopping 11.2% sack rate. Washington rookie Jayden Daniels, who is putting together a terrific season and has a chance to get the Commanders into the postseason, has a sack rate of 8.1%. New England’s talented Drake Maye? 8.4%. Nix is rolling along at 4.2%. That����ap just 22 sacks, even though he’s No. 8 in the NFL in drop-backs. The 26% pressure rate against Nix is third-lowest in the NFL.

Former Denver quarterback Russell Wilson, by comparison, missed the first six games of the season but in 10 starts for Pittsburgh has been sacked 29 times on just 351 drop-backs compared to Nix’s 22 on 571.

So even if the Broncos haven’t exactly taken Nix off the high dive all the time — through 16 weeks across the league he was No. 6 in passing attempts — they’ve at least put him in a comfortable situation more times than not.

“If you look around the NFL, teams with good offensive lines play good offense,” Denver offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said. “I think we have one. I feel very confident in that. I think we’re going to run the ball well. Our protection’s been excellent. And when you combine those things, good things are going to happen.”

The Broncos now need good things to happen over the final two weeks of the season.

For a while last week against the Chargers, it looked as though they’d ride a dominant outing by the offensive line to a Week 15 clinch.

Denver rushed it 11 times for 73 yards and a touchdown on its first two drives and by halftime had 89 yards on 13 carries.

That production, though, dried up in the second half. Los Angeles adjusted, the Denver offense stalled and Payton called just eight run plays in the second half despite leading into the fourth quarter and being within a score until the final 2 minutes, 27 seconds.

McGlinchey called the critical fall-off the result of “a little bit of everything,” including adjustments that L.A. made.

“That first-down call matters a lot, and you’ve got to stay ahead of the chains,” he said. “If you can stay in manageable situations and on schedule on second down, it gives the play-caller a lot more confidence to continue to call it. Obviously (Payton) comes from a place where they were lights-out for 20 years and nobody could stop them throwing the ball, so that����ap what he knows. When it comes down to it, we’ve got to give him the reason to trust us and we’ve got to be better throughout the game.”

They should still get their chances to show it over the next couple of weeks, beginning Saturday in what could be a rainy evening against the Bengals.

Asking Nix to match Joe Burrow throw-for-throw is bad business. The Broncos don’t have receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, don’t have a tight end as accomplished as Mike Gesicki (47 catches for 511 yards), and don’t have a running back with nearly the offensive production as Chase Brown’s 1,259 scrimmage yards.

What they do have is a big, expensive offensive line now in its second year mostly playing together.

A group that believes it����ap among the league’s best.

A group that reveled in the early-game slug-fest against Los Angeles this week and is desperate to be turned loose against a Bengals defense that����ap been every shade of bad so far this season.

A group capable of driving an otherwise average offense to a place the franchise hasn’t been since 2015: the playoffs.

“The more you get into important football games, the more obvious situations matter,” McGlinchey said. “The more every play matters. It matters how you block people. Giving the quarterback an extra second in the pocket, giving a receiver an extra second to get open, giving the running back a little bit more daylight to get that extra three or four yards.

“You never know what it����ap going to come down to, but it always comes down to blocking.”

That means it����ap time for fans to stress over their fantasy football teams and doubt the Kansas City Chiefs only for them to stand atop the league in the end. Here’s how each team stacks up ahead of the 2024 season.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

As long as Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are at the helm, Chiefs Kingdom reigns supreme in the NFL.

2. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers fell short last season. But with a handful of key players returning on both sides of the ball, there’s a strong chance they will be in New Orleans in February.

3. Detroit Lions

The Lions are a prime example of drafting well. After bolstering the secondary with the additions of veteran cornerback Carlton Davis III, and rookies Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Detroit will remain a force to be reckoned with in the NFC.

4. Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are a dangerous combo. But there are still questions about Baltimore’s wide receivers and the offensive line, which will have three new starters. Still, there’s enough talent to keep the Ravens atop the AFC North.

5. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles crashed out in the worst way in 2023, losing five of their last six games and getting steamrolled by Tampa Bay in the playoffs. That resulted in sweeping changes to the coaching staff, the hiring of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, and the signing of running back Saquon Barkley.

6. Houston Texans

All aboard the Houston hype train. C.J. Stroud, arguably a top-10 quarterback after one season, has a talented supporting cast that includes Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, Joe Mixon and Nico Collins. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter coming off the edges should strike fear in opposing quarterbacks.

7. Buffalo Bills

The loss of receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis hurts. However, rookie Keon Coleman has the potential to be a special player. Expect quarterback Josh Allen to be in the MVP conversation.

8. Cincinnati Bengals

In a world where QB Joe Burrow stays healthy, the Bengals should make the race for the AFC North crown interesting.

9. Green Bay Packers

Jordan Love will strengthen his case as one of the league’s best quarterbacks while helping Green Bay compete for another postseason appearance and perhaps more.

10. Miami Dolphins

The addition of defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is intriguing. The speed surrounding quarterback Tua Tagovailoa should be enough to make them contenders once again.

11. Dallas Cowboys

Dallas has enough talent to be competitive. Will the Cowboys be Super Bowl contenders? Maybe not, and that may lead to things crashing down in Jerry World.

12. Cleveland Browns

The Browns’ defense is elite, but their success will ultimately be decided by how quarterback Deshaun Watson performs.

13. New York Jets

The return of quarterback Aaron Rodgers should restore postseason aspirations. Breece Hall and rookie Braelon Allen could be a dynamic running back duo.

14. Los Angeles Rams

The Rams’ depth at cornerback is questionable. But they have an intriguing pass-rush duo in Byron Young and rookie Jared Verse.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are solid defensively. But does Russell Wilson have enough in the tank to rejuvenate Pittsburgh’s offense?

16. Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams couldn’t ask for a better situation to walk into. The 2024 No. 1 pick will have an offense that consists of receivers DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze, as well as tight end Cole Kmet. The Bears should be fun.

17. Atlanta Falcons

The additions of Kirk Cousins, Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons are a sign the Falcons are trying to make a run now. In a weak NFC South, they have a shot.

18. Tampa  Bay Buccaneers

The NFC South could come down to the Bucs and Falcons. Are Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans enough to put Tampa Bay over the top?

19. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags have a questionable wide receiver room, but rookie Brian Thomas could turn into a valuable piece. Their schedule is rough with Miami, Cleveland, Buffalo and Houston in the first four weeks.

20. Indianapolis Colts

Anthony Richardson’s four starts before suffering a season-ending injury were encouraging. It����ap just a matter of staying healthy. Laiatu Latu has a shot at Defensive Rookie of the Year.

21. Minnesota Vikings

Whether or not Sam Darnold is better than expected, receiver Justin Jefferson will still put up numbers. A sixth straight 1,000-yard season is loading.

22. Seattle Seahawks

New head coach Mike MacDonald should whip Seattle’s defense into shape, especially with the addition of rookie defensive lineman Byron Murphy II.

23. Washington Commanders

Not sure if quarterback Jayden Daniels is going to have the same effect Robert Griffin III once had as a rookie in Washington. But the Heisman Trophy winner will be fun to watch. Washington is moving in the right direction.

24. New Orleans Saints

Chase Young’s career has been plagued by injury. In New Orleans, he has a chance to prove he can still be a dominant pass rusher. Don’t be surprised if fans are calling for Spencer Rattler to replace Derek Carr at quarterback by the bye week.

25. Denver Broncos

With rookie Bo Nix at the helm, Denver’s young, hungry and ready to prove the doubters wrong.

26. Los Angeles Chargers

Joe Alt may be the next Joe Thomas, but that doesn’t hide the facts that Los Angeles is thin at wide receiver and Joey Bosa hasn’t played a full season since 2021.

27. Arizona Cardinals

Marvin Harrison Jr. will be in contention for Offensive Rookie of the Year. But it won’t be enough for the Cardinals to keep up with the rest of the NFC West.

28. Las Vegas Raiders

With Garner Minshew at quarterback, Raiders fans should just enjoy watching Maxx Crosby and hope the team is in a position to draft Shedeur Sanders in 2025.

29. Tennessee Titans

Even though Tennessee made changes on both sides of the ball, the Titans’ success will be dictated by Will Levis elevating his game in Year 2.

30. New York Giants

The Giants showed faith in Daniel Jones by passing on a QB in the first round and taking receiver Malik Nabers. It wouldn’t be surprising if New York is back to searching for a new quarterback after this season.

31. Carolina Panthers

Hope seems to die in Carolina. If quarterback Bryce Young shows improvement in Year 2, call that a win.

32. New England Patriots

The Pats appear to have found their quarterback of the future. The problem is they lack talent at offensive line and wide receiver.

Hard Knock life: It����ap difficult to imagine a more brutal letdown for the New York Jets than Aaron Rodgers rupturing his Achilles on the fourth play of his tenure there. Before he completed a pass. The Jets can still win games, but that����ap the ultimate downer about Rodgers’ injury. Their defense looks elite. Running back Breece Hall is on the comeback trail, and receiver Garrett Wilson is special. But without Rodgers, what����ap the ceiling?

KC’s road test: The start of Kansas City’s season is getting interesting in a hurry. The Chiefs dropped their opener against Detroit and now go to Jacksonville for a tough road test. An 0-2 start isn’t a disaster — Cincinnati did it last year and still had a great season — but it certainly wouldn’t be ideal even with the best quarterback on the planet running the show. Travis Kelce’s return will help, but Trevor Lawrence and company are no cakewalk.

Rookies clash: The Nos. 2 and 4 overall picks in the 2023 draft square off and three of the top four overall will be on the field when Houston and Indy play Sunday. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson both lost in their debuts. Stroud threw for 242 yards on 44 attempts and rushed for 20, but Houston didn’t find the end zone. Richardson threw for 223, a TD and an INT and rushed 10 times for 40 and another score but was sacked four times.

Around the NFC

Love at first sight: Did the Packers do it again at quarterback? OK, it����ap far too early to say that after back-to-back Hall of Famers, but Jordan Love settled in over the course of Week 1 and ended up throwing three touchdowns and playing turnover free in a rout of the rival Bears. Matt LaFleur’s team has a ton of young talent and a division that����ap up for grabs amid Detroit����ap resurgence and Minnesota’s potential regression. Love’s not going to throw three TDs every week, but if he plays well, the Packers should be in the NFC mix.

Best in the West: San Francisco looked dominant in Week 1 — it was out-gaining Pittsburgh 200-1 at one point in the first half — and Joey Bosa played like he hadn’t just held out the entirety of the preseason. Now the 49ers open divisional play against Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams, who started the year with a surprising blowout win over Seattle. The 49ers’ only loss since the trade deadline last year was when they had to play with Josh Johnson as their quarterback in the NFC title game.

Carr’s fast start: Derek Carr doesn’t have Davante Adams anymore, but he does have second-year wide receiver Chris Olave. The former Ohio State star eclipsed 1,000 yards as a rookie and caught eight passes for 112 yards in New Orleans’ season-opening win against Tennessee. Carr threw for 305 yards and a touchdown in his first game for the franchise. In a very winnable NFC South, the Saints look well positioned to exceed expectations.

Game of the Week

Baltimore at Cincinnati

Divisions aren’t won or lost in Week 2, but the Ravens have a chance to not only get to 2-0, but also drop their rival to 0-2. To do so, they’ll have to win on the road against a Bengals team that dropped a dud in their opener. Joe Burrow threw for 82 yards. Then again, Cincinnati started 0-2 last year before reeling off eight straight wins to close the regular season. This division’s going to be fun to watch all year.

Bengals 24, Ravens 23

Lock of the Week

Chicago at Tampa Bay

We’re not rolling with a big point spread this weekend. The Bears looked bad — really bad — against Green Bay in the season opener. They may not be particularly good, but they’ve got to have a little bit more than that in the tank, right? Right? Either way, there’s nothing easy about going to Florida in September and playing in that heat and humidity. Sunday in Tampa: high of 90, humidity 74%, chance of thunderstorms. And a great chance for Baker Mayfield and company to get the job done as 2.5-point favorites and get to 2-0.

Buccaneers 24, Bears 17

Upset of the Week

Cleveland at Pittsburgh

The Browns looked terrific in Week 1, rushing for 206 yards and dominating Cincinnati. The Steelers looked terrible in a blowout loss to San Francisco. A harbinger of things to come in the division or mostly Week 1 noise? Playing without injured defensive lineman Cam Heyward isn’t going to make life any easier for Mike Tomlin’s team, but they can still hold serve as 2.5-point home underdogs on Monday night.

Steelers 21, Browns 20

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Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley elected to play most of his starters for most of the game at Denver even though their playoff position (fifth seed) and first-round destination (Jacksonville) were locked in before kickoff.

It sure looked like a losing bet when wide receiver Mike Williams was carted off the field, linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. left with a stinger and star linebacker Joey Bosa, who just returned from a serous groin injury, limped around following a cameo appearance that featured a sack and maybe a tweak.

Backups were in by the time the fourth quarter rolled around, although receiver Keenan Allen, who missed most of the season with a bad hamstring, returned and caught a touchdown pass with 6 minutes left.

“We signed up for 17 games,” Allen said. “And I only played, what? Six or seven games this whole year. So, it feels good for me to keep playing, play in this altitude, get some more wind. And I’m tired right now. I can barely breathe now. Good to get out there and play with the guys some more.”

Allen said neither the game plan nor the mindset was affected by learning before kickoff that the Chargers didn’t need to beat Denver on Sunday to avoid a first-round game at Cincinnati.

“No, not at all,” Allen said. “We practiced all week. We prepared to come and fight, to come to play today, and that����ap what we did.”

Even if they left Denver a little more banged up after their 31-28 loss to the Broncos that snapped their four-game winning streak.

If the Chargers go on a run in the playoffs behind third-year pro Justin Herbert, Staley will be hailed for keeping his players sharp.

If not, he’ll face ridicule for risking so much in a meaningless matchup.

“We wanted to go and compete,” Herbert said. “We wanted to be out there. I think whatever Coach Staley and the front office, whatever they decided for us to go out there, we were going to be on board with it 100%.

“We love this game, we love to be able to compete with each other, and we’ve got a special locker room. It didn’t go our way, unfortunately … But hopefully everyone will stay healthy and get after it for next week.”

The Chargers certainly won’t have to worry about rust when they face the Jaguars, a team they lost at home to by a 38-10 score back in September.

“We’re a way different team than we were back then,” Chargers safety Alohi Gilman insisted. “We’ve gone through the ups, the downs of an NFL season, and the good thing about that is that����ap what molds us. That����ap what builds the character into the team that we are now. I’m not going to lie. I don’t even know who that team was in Week 3. This is where we’re at right now.”

A team that got after it Sunday when it didn’t have to.

The Jaguars enter the playoffs on a five-game winning streak after ending a four-year playoff drought by beating the Tennessee Titans 20-16 on the final weekend.

The Titans were 7-3 at their bye just before Thanksgiving but lost their last seven games, including two to Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars, who were just 2-6 at Halloween.

Over in the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks crashed the playoff party, sneaking in as the seventh seed when Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers blew a fourth-quarter lead at Lambeau Field in a win-and-they’re-in game against the Lions.

Detroit was eliminated earlier Sunday when the Seahawks beat the Rams 19-16 in overtime, but the Lions’ mindset was to win in Wisconsin, either to punch their own ticket to the playoffs or to prevent the Packers from going.

So, they were unfazed by not having any playoff carrot to play for.

“Basically we found out in pregame warmup or coming off, and I’m telling you, we were unfazed,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “We knew what we were coming in here for, and it was to gain some respect and show what we’re capable of no matter what happened. We knew the only way to do that is to win. So our guys were locked in, they were unaffected by that, because we knew what the objective was.”

The Seahawks were seen as rebuilders when they traded nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson to Denver in the spring, but Geno Smith led Seattle to the playoffs after succeeding Wilson, who bombed in his first season with the Broncos.

Still, the Seahawks were seen as playoff long shots right up until Sunday night, when the Lions rallied to beat Green Bay in the final game of the NFL’s regular season.

Watching in Seattle were the restless Seahawks.

“As the game went on, you could just feel Detroit was playing really well and they had a legitimate chance. You could just tell,” coach Pete Carroll said after learning he’d be in the playoffs for the 10th time in 13 seasons in Seattle. “It was so much fun for everybody. I was hoping there could be a party tonight.”

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The Week 18 version of the Broncos, Jerry Rosburg’s version of the Broncos, finds a way to finish at Tennessee and at Baltimore. It would never have dug itself a giant hole, at home, against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Once is chance, but twice is a pattern, kids. The Broncos that defeated the playoff-bound Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday were cut from the same jib that scared the living cheeseburgers out of Chiefs coach Andy Reid in Week 17.

Against a Chargers team that kept rolling out its starters in the face of conventional wisdom, logic and coach Brandon Staley’s sanity, Denver was physical at the point of attack (205 rushing yards). With a patchwork offensive line against Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, it somehow kept quarterback Russell Wilson (two sacks allowed) relatively intact.

The Broncos turned wideout Jerry Jeudy loose (154 receiving yards, 39 rushing yards) and made tailback Latavius Murray (103 rushing yards on 15 carries), who turns 33 on Jan. 18, look 25 again.

The football at Empower Field was air-tight, frenetic and fun. A 12-loss Broncos team led a 10-win Chargers crew with all those starters by 11 points roughly four minutes into the fourth quarter. The Mile High crowd that remained for the start of the final stanza sang along to John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” with full-throated glory as if the previous 17 weeks of torture happened to somebody else.

Should Rosburg have had the services of a competent punt returner over the final nine minutes, his guys would’ve wiped that brand spanking new floor at Mile High with the Bolts’ collective backsides.

“(The) style of football we played is the style that I believe is winning football,” Rosburg said after the Broncos’ 31-28 victory, his first-ever as an NFL head coach and a winning completion of two weeks as an interim replacement for the fired Nathaniel Hackett.

“Watch that … you run the ball, (you) have the explosive plays we talked about last week … they were trying to run the ball, they couldn’t, and that put us in such a much better situation. That’s winning football.”

Sure was. To the last. Frankly, it was the kind of football that made you wonder, in hindsight, why the heck the Broncos didn’t hand the keys to Rosburg sooner.

“I think first of all, the thing that coach Rosburg really showed is his experience of winning, the experience of winning at the highest level, winning a Super Bowl … only so many people get to do that,” said Wilson, who seemed to thrive during Rosburg’s fortnight in charge. “And that goes a long way. I mean, to know what it looks like, sounds like, smells like, talks like — you know, all that. And I think all of that has been really awesome to watch and experience.”

They looked like grown-ups, led by a grown-up. In Weeks 17 and 18, the Broncos committed six penalties combined — three in each game — for an average of 29.5 yards per contest.

Context: The Broncos were flagged six times during Week 16’s Christmas Day Massacre alone. Denver committed an average of 5.4 penalties in the five games — all losses — that took place immediately after that victory over playoff-bound Jacksonville in London. They committed 25 penalties in Hackett’s first two games in charge.

Would the Broncos be a postseason team now if they’d turned things over to Rosburg’s steady hands after the Week 9 bye, with a record of 3-5 and old wounds still festering? Maybe.

But they wouldn’t have dropped five straight games. Heck, no. Defensive tackle Mike Purcell wouldn’t have confronted Wilson publicly the way he did at Carolina, the first signs of the locker-room fissures that would eventually cost Hackett his job after that 51-14 shellacking by SpongeBob SquarePants and the Rams.

Based on the last two games, it����ap not hard to imagine them looking like Vegas did in the second half of last season, when interim Rich Bisaccia calmed the post-Gruden Raiders to a 7-5 finish and stunning postseason berth.

“I have a strong belief in a certain style of football,” Rosburg, the 67-year-old interim, who’d been hired just this past September to help Hackett����ap shoddy game management, explained quietly.

“I like to see us run the ball. I like to see us play physical run defense and reject the run. And I like to see us be patient. I like to see us hit big plays and get the ball in your playmakers’ hands … I guess, one word (would be) vision — that (style) fits my vision.”

It’s the kind of style that should grant Rosburg, at the very least, an interview with GM George Paton for the permanent gig. And the kind of vision that Sean Payton, Jim Harbaugh, Dan Quinn — or whoever’s next — would be foolish not to build upon.

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The Broncos broke it open in their final game of the season. Quarterback Russell Wilson had three completions of 50-plus yards, Denver ran for 205 yards and finished with a season-high 471 yards of offense. Justin Outten’s two games as the play-caller resulted in 55 points and six total touchdowns from Wilson (four passing, two rushing).

This will go down as a bad season offensively, without a doubt, but the high-note finish lends a glimmer of hope to whoever the next head coach is that Wilson and the core of Denver’s offensive skill players have brighter days ahead.

Defense — C

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert generated two touchdowns early in the game and then the Broncos’ defense settled in from there. Safety Justin Simmons forced two fumbles, both recovered by the Broncos.  Allowing 28 points is rarely going to mean a truly standout effort – these Broncos were closer to that for most of the two games they played against Kansas City this year – but overall they got done what they needed to. The Chargers’ last scoring drive only needed 28 yards after a special teams turnover. The defense didn’t have its best day against Los Angeles but will be remembered as a salty unit overall.

Special teams — D

One week after Denver had its best special teams performance of the season, the unit hurt the Broncos against the Chargers. Rookie receiver Montrell Washington was inactive for the second straight game since Jerry Rosburg took over as interim head coach. With Kendall Hinton out, too, though, both Freddie Swain and Brandon Johnson muffed punts, and Johnson’s fumble led to a touchdown that got Los Angeles within 31-28 midway through the fourth quarter. After that, Johnson didn’t even attempt to catch a punt that hit at around the 20-yard line and rolled to the 3-yard line.

Coaching — B

The Fighting Rosburgs played hard in another meaningless game.

The interim head coach used his timeouts wisely before halftime and got the Broncos the ball back, preceding Wilson’s 57-yard connection to Jerry Jeudy and touchdown to Eric Tomlinson with six seconds before the intermission.

In two games as the interim coach, Rosburg kept the Broncos playing hard and got a win after more than two decades worth of NFL coaching experience.

Put it this way: Denver’s coaching was much better than Los Angeles’, where Brandon Staley played his starters in a game that didn’t matter at all – they’re locked into the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs – and watched receiver Mike Williams and star pass-rusher Joey Bosa leave the game with injuries.

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When: 2:25 p.m. MT, Sunday

Where: Empower Field

Radio/TV: 850 AM, 94.1 FM/KCNC-4

Broncos-Chargers series: Broncos are 69-55-1 in 125 regular-season games dating back to 1960; the Broncos lost 19-16 in overtime in the last meeting, on Oct. 17, 2022, in Los Angeles.

Key matchup

Ravens vs Bengals

An X-factor before the Broncos and Chargers kick off on Sunday afternoon is the outcome of the Ravens at Bengals game earlier that day.

The Chargers, who have already clinched a playoff spot, hold the No. 5 seed in the AFC bracket heading into the final week. If Cincinnati beats Baltimore (11 a.m. MT kick), that would clinch that No. 5 seed for L.A. and give the Chargers nothing to play for.

Chargers coach Brandon Staley indicated the result of that Ravens game would affect his lineup. If the Ravens lose, it’s likely that a majority of Los Angeles starters would play very little, or not at all.

If that’s the case, the odds would swing heavily in favor of the Broncos, who won’t be sitting any healthy starters and are looking to make a point that Russell Wilson and the offense have finally found some footing late in a lost season.

Denver interim head coach Jerry Rosburg said the team’s mentality and game plan will stay the same whether the Broncos are facing Los Angeles’ No. 1s, or the reserves.

“We’re expecting Sonny Liston out there,” Rosburg quipped. “If Joe Palooka shows up, so be it.”

Who has the edge?

Quarterback

Russell Wilson ran for two TDs last week, but also threw another critical interception, which is becoming a trend. Justin Herbert has thrown 23 touchdowns to 10 interceptions this year. If he doesn’t play, Chase Daniel (2-3 in five career starts) is the backup. Edge: Chargers

Running back

The Broncos run game has been M.I.A. over the past couple weeks, but features Latavius Murray and Chase Edmonds. The Chargers have dual-threat force Austin Ekeler, an Eaton/Western State product who has 1,567 total yards and 18 total touchdowns. Edge: Chargers

Receiver/tight end

Jerry Jeudy has turned on the jets down the stretch of the season, with 35 catches over the last four games. Courtland Sutton has just one TD this year, way back in Week 4. The Chargers feature the trio of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Joshua Palmer. Edge: Chargers

Offensive line

Denver’s banged-up offensive line gets another shakeup with left guard Dalton Risner on season-ending IR with an elbow injury. The Broncos have given up 23 sacks over the last four games. The Chargers have a premier center in Corey Linsley. Edge: Even

Defensive line

Mike Purcell (elbow/ankle) is nursing an injury on the Denver D-line already without Dre’Mont Jones (hip) and D.J. Jones (knee). DeShawn Williams has to step up. L.A. features All-Pro rusher Joey Bosa, who was hurt the last time the teams met. Edge: Even

Linebacker

Alex Singleton looks to polish off a career year at ILB alongside Josey Jewell. Singleton leads Denver with a career-high 152 tackles, while Jewell has 123. On the edge, Denver has zero sacks the last two games. Drue Tranquill leads L.A. with 136 tackles. Edge: Even

Secondary

Pat Surtain II, named the team’s MVP by the Denver media, is the Broncos’ lone Pro Bowler. Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson may be playing their last game together on the back end. Former Bronco Bryce Callahan leads the Rams with three picks. Edge: Broncos

Special teams

The Broncos special teams have ranged from mediocre to dreadful this year. Denver ranks last in kickoff return average (17.5). Brandon McManus is under 80% field goal percentage for the first time since 2017. Chargers punter JK Scott is a Mullen alum. Edge: Chargers

Tale of the tape

* Through Week 17

By the numbers

10: The number of times the Broncos have won four or fewer games in a season, dating back to 1960. The franchise record for fewest victories is two (1963, 1964, 1982).

499: Total regular-season wins for the Broncos.

299: Total home wins for the Broncos during the regular season.

7: Consecutive AFC West titles for the Chiefs; the Broncos last won the division in 2015, and the Chargers haven’t won it since 2009.

7: Consecutive years the Broncos have missed the playoffs since winning Super Bowl 50. It’s the league’s second-longest active playoff drought behind the Jets (12 seasons).

Betting/fantasy

Line: Chargers -2.5

This line is no doubt subject to last-second change should the Ravens lose Sunday morning. If you’ve watched this pitiful Broncos team all season, you know to play the odds and bet on the Chargers.

Prop bet: Over/under 40 points

Regular season finales can be tough to predict, especially if neither team has anything left to play for. But they’re liable to get wild, and when they get wild, the defenses usually suffer. Take the over.

Post predictions

Mark Kiszla, columnist:  Broncos 20, Chargers 17

Jerry Rosburg, the pigskin poet laureate of Denver’s lost season, delivers a soliloquy worthy of William Shakespeare after the Broncos’ play for pride and the joy of beleaguered home fans. All’s well that end’s well. Or something like that.

Kyle Newman, beat writer: Chargers 24, Broncos 21

In a fitting ending to a dumpster-fire season, Justin Herbert or Chase Daniel engineers a last-second, game-winning drive to beat the Broncos and leave the home crowd booing as they leave. Another loss that proves there are serious question marks about Russell Wilson, who throws at least one game-changing interception for a third straight week.

Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Broncos 21, Chargers 17

Sure, there’s nothing important to play for — Denver hasn’t had that in several weeks — but the Broncos turned in a try-hard performance against Kansas City last week. One more Sunday in the season finale and Jerry Rosburg may head back into retirement with a win on his NFL head-coaching ledger. Last time this team played at home, it grounded and pounded to 168 rushing yards, two touchdowns and a win against Arizona. Sounds like a good recipe.

Sean Keeler, columnist: Broncos 21, Chargers 20

Jerry Rosburg’s first week on the job proved what many had suspected all along: This roster needed a “dad” in charge as opposed to Nathaniel Hackett����ap “cool older brother” vibe. And how can you not love a mug who name-drops Sonny Liston and Joe Palooka in the same sound bite?

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1. Here’s what former Broncos great – both now thriving along the shores of Lake Erie – about Bradley Chubb’s move to Miami: “He looked way better than I looked (in a post-trade interview) because when I got traded last year, I was crying and could barely talk. He was in good spirits. I spent 11½ years (in Denver) and he spent 4½ years there. It just refreshes you when you get out of a tough situation like that and go to a winning team that needs you to win right now. It just recharges you and I’m sure Chubb is feeling that same way.”

2. You know what else is likely energizing for Chubb? That massive five-year, $110 million extension he signed, reportedly featuring $63 million guaranteed. That puts him in the top class of defensive players in the game and, according to OverTheCap, behind only Joey Bosa, Myles Garrett, Khalil Mack, T.J. Watt and Aaron Donald in guaranteed dollars among front seven players.

3. A key quote from general manager George Paton in discussing the decision to trade Chubb to Miami for San Francisco’s 2023 first-round draft pick and contending he would have made the trade regardless of the Broncos’ record: “We have other holes to fill on the offensive side of the ball.”

4. On that note, an early glance at one draft analyst����ap thoughts on the class now that Denver has a first-day pick: The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has seven offensive linemen among his top 50 draft-eligible players currently.

5. Denver currently, according to OTC, has the second-most salary cap space for the rest of 2022 at $13.2 million. Rolling over that money to 2023 should help Paton address needs like re-signing defensive end Dre’Mont Jones to a lucrative extension and supplementing the offensive side of the ball via free agency.

6. Another Broncos player tracking toward being one of the highest-paid in the game at some point in the future: Cornerback Pat Surtain II. He’s got two years plus a fifth-year option remaining on his rookie deal, but has wasted no time establishing himself as one of the game’s premier talents on the edge.

7. “He’s long, he’s athletic, can run and he’s physical,” Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson said before the teams played in London. “… This guy is young but he’s that type of player and he’s gaining a lot of respect around the league, obviously. When you watch tape, teams try to throw that way with not much success.”

8. The Jags drew one pass-interference penalty on Surtain during last week’s game, but otherwise he was the nearest man in coverage only one other time, according to the NFL’s NextGen Stats. That play went for minus-4 when Surtain made a knifing tackle in the flat. That means he’s been targeted one time over the past two games on non-penalty snaps.

9. London’s a terrific city and the Broncos should feel more than welcome to play there as frequently as they can convince the NFL. Given the franchise’s international partnership is with Mexico, look for Denver to have a game there – most likely Mexico City or Monterrey – as soon as next season, when it����ap back to having nine “home” games and eight roadies.

10. Met a couple of fellas at the Harrow School – Denver’s practice location in London – who had tested the strong security presence and been escorted back to a public sidewalk and railing from which they could see absolutely nothing. But they were both in fine spirits regardless. One from northern England drove down just to say he was near practice and another from Canada extended a work trip by a day just to get a glimpse of the Orange and Blue and figured out the practice location by looking at photos from the previous days. That����ap dedication.

11. One random personnel thought to close out the bye week edition: Denver could roll with Graham Glasgow at center against Tennessee in place of the injured Lloyd Cushenberry – and a veteran presence might be advised given the level Jeffery Simmons is playing at. But you can’t help but wonder if the extra prep time entices the staff to consider whether rookie Luke Wattenberg is ready for his debut.

The Broncos are tied with Kansas City atop the AFC West standings with their first divisional game of the season looming this weekend at Las Vegas. Despite all the ugliness that accompanied Weeks 1-3 — Nathaniel Hackett’s brain freezes, red zone inefficiencies, O-line injuries, etc. — Denver is better positioned than the Chargers (1-2) and Raiders (0-3) as the calendar flips to October. The Chargers’ defense is in shambles, with star DE Joey Bosa already hurt (groin). Raiders QB Derek Carr and new addition Davante Adams may be best buds, but the latter is already “frustrated and angry” after catching only half the passes thrown his way (17 of 34) in three straight losses. And the Broncos defense has been lights out, albeit against QBs Geno Smith, Davis Mills and Jimmy Garoppolo. So what happens once Russ starts cooking with something other than a George Foreman Grill?

Sean Keeler, sports columnist

The guy who green-lit a 64-yard field goal in Seattle. Seriously. This three-game stretch for the Broncos — at Vegas (0-3) on Sunday; home to the Colts (1-1-1) on Thursday; at the Chargers (1-2) a week from Monday — could be the stretch that either elevates them above the pack … or has us all reaching for the AFC tie-breaker rules in a few months. I love me some Justin Herbert, but the Bolts are literally falling apart before our eyes — star tackle Rashawn Slater (torn biceps), edge-rushing ace Bosa and wideout Jalen Guyton (torn ACL) look like long-term dings, and America’s choice for No. 2 in the AFC West could be 1-4 before they host the Broncos on Oct. 17. The Raiders + Josh McDaniels marriage is getting everything it deserves — which is, to say, nothing at all. If the Broncos can steal one in the desert this weekend, and that����ap still a big ‘if,’ they’ll kill two birds with one football: consigning Team Autumn Wind to the AFC West basement and giving Patrick Mahomes a reason to look over his shoulder.

Kyle Newman, Broncos reporter

I’m going to pencil the Broncos in for a huge win Sunday — their first in Las Vegas — to drop the Raiders to an 0-4 mark that’s only the start of their spiral. Count the McDaniels Zoo out, but don’t do the same with the Chargers. Yes, Los Angeles has significant injuries, but once Herbert is better healed from a fracture to his rib cartilage, they can hang around. Still, Hackett and the Broncos are somehow best set up to challenge K.C., but I see snapping the Chiefs’ six-year divisional championship streak as a much taller task for Denver than I did three weeks ago. The big concern for K.C. this year was the departure of Tyreek Hill. But with tight end Travis Kelce still an elite threat and Mahomes still an MVP-caliber QB, the Chiefs remain the heavy favorite. Win the AFC West in Russ’ first year? Slight pipe dream. A more realistic goal is to snap K.C.’s 13-game domination over the Broncos when the teams meet on Dec. 11 at Empower Field. ]]> /2022/09/27/broncos-roundtable-challenge-chiefs-afc-west/feed/ 0 5394243 2022-09-27T13:46:47+00:00 2022-12-08T12:43:48+00:00