DENVER (AP) — Denver is the hub of the sports world right now with the NBA's Nuggets and NHL's Avalanche off to historic starts as they seek to add some hardware to their trophy cases and the Broncos are an NFL-best 12-2.
“I've had the chance to talk to a couple of Nuggets players and I told them it's our turn to bring a parade to the city,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said, noting that both Nikola Jokic and Nathan MacKinnon have earned champagne showers and celebrations while the Broncos last won the Lombardi Trophy a decade ago.
“And so we feel it's our turn to do our part for the city in terms of keeping the winning tradition going,” Sutton said. “Them boys are playing some great ball and great hockey and it's exciting to be a part of. And I know people around the United States are definitely shocked that the state of Colorado is bumpin' right now.”
To keep that going, the Broncos will have to fend off the Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) on Sunday at Empower Field in the AFC's premier Week 16 matchup, which pits division leaders in what may very well serve as a playoff preview.
With Trevor Lawrence playing the best football of his five-year NFL career, figuring out the nuances in coach Liam Coen’s offense and stoking his connection with deadline trade addition Jakobi Meyers, the Jaguars have won five in a row, outscoring their opponents by a cumulative 171-72.
“We’ve been on a roll for a while, just doing what we do best: executing our plays, minimizing mistakes and playing our brand of football,” Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. “We have faith in ourselves and are trying to go out there and trying to impose our will on our opponents. It doesn’t matter who we play. Of course, they’re a really good team. But it’s always about us.”
With Bo Nix emerging as one of the league's elite quarterbacks (22-10) in Year 2 to complement an overpowering defense that's collected 58 sacks so far, the Broncos own their longest winning streak since 2012. They have mounted 10 come-from-behind wins and prevailed in 10 of 12 one-score games.
The Broncos ended an eight-year playoff drought last year as a wild card but are aiming to get the conference's No. 1 overall seed and its first-round bye this time. So, coach Sean Payton has insisted all week that despite clinching a playoff spot already, the Broncos haven't accomplished any of their goals yet.
“I think that’s the biggest thing for us is making sure that we don’t become drunk of the situation of look what we’ve done and listen to the different people who do want us to give us the pat on the backs — which aren’t many,” Sutton said.
“We’ve been staying to ourselves, we’ve been showing up week in and week out, having great weeks of work, and then showing up on Sunday and just putting that on tape and we’ve been able to come out successful."
The Broncos have outscored their opponents 115-51 in the fourth quarter, including 67-29 at home. The altitude undoubtedly plays a role in Denver’s penchant for wearing teams out late in games in the Mile High City.
"We got to get ready for that," Lewis said. "We got to understand that does sometimes play a factor. But we got to be ready for the fourth quarter.”
The Jaguars have 18 interceptions and are plus-10 in turnover differential. But that doesn't mean the Broncos are doing anything different to prepare.
“It’s just something to be aware of,” Nix said, "but nothing to be scared of.”
Jacksonville is averaging 32.9 points over its last seven games, all since a bye week. The Jaguars scored a combined 84 points in back-to-back wins against the Colts and Jets.
“We all have a lot of confidence in what we’re doing,” Lawrence said. “It seems like we’ve got the ball rolling the last few weeks, so it feels good."
The Jaguars have a chance to sweep one of the NFL’s toughest divisions, the AFC West, for the second time in history. They already beat Kansas City, Las Vegas and the Los Angeles Chargers — Jacksonville topped 30 points against each of them — and can cap the AFC West sweep for the first time since 2007 on Sunday.
Sunday marks the return of former Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick, who has three TD catches in Jacksonville, matching his total from last year in Detroit, where he signed after Denver waived him following a torn ACL in 2022 and a torn Achilles in 2023.
Sutton said Patrick won't talk to him until they do a jersey swap post-game Sunday.
Asked if he'll have to fend off teammate Garett Bolles, who, like Patrick, went to the University of Utah, Sutton said: “G.B. is going to have to get his sent. It's already locked in, receiver-receiver. He's going to try to do the old ‘Utes’ thing, but me and Tim tapped in already.”
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AP Pro Football Writer Mark Long contributed from Jacksonville, Florida.
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