For two weeks the Denver Broncos had a chance to lock up the last wild card spot in the post season. For two weeks they have fallen short of doing that including their last attempt on Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati.
The Cincinnati Bengals are in a race to secure the last spot in the AFC Wild Card race, and defeating the Broncos on Saturday helped their case. Denver’s next game is at home and against the defending champions in the Kansas City Chiefs.
A few weeks ago the Broncos were at Arrowhead to face the Chiefs and lost to Chiefs 16-14 after getting the game winning field goal blocked which would have helped them get into the playoffs.
The scenario Denver is in now puts a lot of pressure on both coach Sean Payton and rookie quarterback Bo Nix. For fans a trip to the playoffs in a season deemed a ‘rebuilding season’, is a huge move in the right direction for the organization.
The Broncos will host Kansas City this Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High with the time to be determined.
In other sports the CU Men’s football team traveled to San Antonio to face Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars in the Alamo Bowl. BYU was ranked amongst the top teams in the country at one point when they were undefeated. CU made the rankings after a much better season than expected.
Coach Deion Sanders was pivotal in revitalizing a once proud football program that flourished in the 80’s and early 90’s. His presence in Boulder has helped influence an increase in enrollment and sparked a new way for recruits to move about the portal in the offseason.
Despite a fairly decent season in Boulder, the Buffs were clearly out coached and played in their bowl game with BYU. By halftime CU was down 20-0 but was able to score a couple of touchdowns to prevent an absolute shutout. Shedeur Sanders was 16-23 for 208 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Heisman trophy winner, Travis Hunter had 4 receptions for 106 yards and one of CU’s only two touchdowns. Next season CU will start with a new young gun quarterback and a bunch of new faces.
The Colorado State Rams who finished third in the Mountain West faced the Miami RedHawks on Saturday in the Snoop Dogg Bowl (a.k.a. the Arizona Bowl). CSU, too, was out coached and out played, losing 43-17.
The Colorado Avalanche are enjoying a four-game winning streak after defeating the Utah Hockey Club on Friday night 4-1. Their last meet-up was back on December 12th when Utah thumped the Avs 4-1 with goalie Scot Wedgewood between the pipes. Friday’s game featured Avs goalie Mackenzie Blackwood who stopped 34 shots on goal.
The Avs are at home for the next four fames to host the Winnipeg Jets, the Buffalo Sabres, the Montreal Canadiens and the Florida Panthers.
