The Denver Broncos had an opportunity to make the playoffs with a win over the L.A. Chargers on Thursday night and they appeared to be on that trajectory heading into the half with a 21-13 lead over L.A.
Just before the half, Denver received a interference penalty which lead to the implementation of a rule that hadn’t been used in over 50 years. The rule gave the Chargers a free kick from just over 50 yards out to which L.A. made just before the close of the first half.
The Broncos moved the ball without much resistance in the first half, establishing somewhat of a running game. By the second half, Jim Harbaugh’s L.A. Chargers figured out Denver’s game plan and held the Broncos to just six points in the second half while scoring 21 in the second half, beating Denver 34-27.
Next week the Denver Broncos will be in Cincinnati to face the Bengals who are just under .500 heading into Sunday’s game. The Bengals and the Miami Dolphins are both fighting for a Wild Card and the only threats to Denver’s chances.
In other sports the Colorado Avalanche enjoyed a two game winning streak after defeating the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Friday night. On Sunday the Avs faced the Seattle Kraken at Ball Arena where the Avs beat Seattle 5-2. The Avs are in Utah this Friday to face the Utah Hockey Club at 7:30 p.m. MST.
The Denver Nuggets were beat by the Portland Trailblazers on Thursday night in Portland after defeating the Sacramento Kings last Monday. The Nuggets were in New Orleans on Sunday night to face the Pelicans and behind Nikola Jokic’s ninth triple-double the Nuggets defeated the Pelicans 132-129 in overtime after being down 59-67 at the half. The Nuggets were down by as much as 12 at the start of the fourth quarter.
This week the Nuggets are at home to host the Phoenix Suns before heading to Phoenix to face them again on Christmas day. Denver returns home on Friday to host the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night.
On Saturday, December 28th the Colorado Buffaloes will take on the Brigham Young Cougars in San Antonio Texas for the Alamo Bowl. The odds makers in Las Vegas have Colorado +3 with a 58 percent probability to win. Colorado’s seniors Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter have both committed to playing.
