It’s a short week for the Denver Broncos as they prepare to take on the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football. A lot is riding on this one, and Sean Payton’s return to New Orleans is a must-win game for the Broncos.
After the next two games, the Broncos hit the toughest stretch of their schedule, and a win in this game would put them in a good spot to weather it, including three road games in four weeks.
To help the Broncos walk out of Caesars Superdome with the win, they need to be cautious of a few matchups. And Denver has to win them.
Winning these matchups will go a long way toward getting the Broncos the win and a plus-.500 record.
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Young is currently having his best year in pressure rate, generating pressure on 16.8% of his snaps, which is among the highest at the position in the NFL. Every one of his 29 pressures has come from working the edge, which is the fourth-most in the NFL.
Young plays off the left tackle, and while he moves around on that side, he has yet to take a snap against the right side of the offensive line this season. That would put him against Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles, who’s had ups and downs this season.
Now, the Saints could switch things up and flip Young to go against the Broncos’ right tackle, especially with some uncertainty about who it will be. The Broncos opened the practice window for Mike McGlinchey, and Alex Palczewski has been ruled out of Week 7. Matt Peart garnered the start last week.
The odds are that Dennis Allen and Joe Woods will stick with what they’ve done and put Young against Bolles, who has allowed one sack and 13 pressures this season, with five of those pressures coming in the season opener. Bolles has also been called for eight penalties this season.
He has also struggled with protecting the arch, where Young has had the most success. The Broncos need Bolles to handle that against Young.
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Sep 8, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga (75) and defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) head to the locker room after the game against the Carolina Panthers at Caesars Superdome. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
The other side of the ball also comes down to the left tackle and the edges. Bonitto is a quick and explosive pass rusher, with an average get-off of 0.78 seconds, among the fastest in the NFL.
Now, the Broncos opened the practice window for rush linebacker Baron Browning as they did with McGlinchey, but it seems unlikely they’ll be activated with the short week. The Broncos could instead take advantage of the mini-bye week after Thursday night’s game — a 10-day stretch between games.
Bonitto ranks second on the team in total pressures, but his quarterback pressure rate ranks sixth among Broncos pass rushers at 10.9%. While he has shown some flashes, his pass rush has needed more consistency and substance.
The Broncos also need him to step up against the run, which has been a problematic area for Bonitto this season. Jonathon Cooper has done well, but he has been missing a partner off the edge, and if Bonitto can step up, it will help him. It would also help Zach Allen, one of the NFL’s best interior defensive linemen this season, and John Franklin-Myers.
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Whatever way you slice it, Bonitto needs to step up, especially with Browning on the verge of returning and taking the starting job back. Bonitto has had four games to step up but has struggled to do so, which doesn’t bode well for his long-term outlook.
Saints offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga has faced some tough matchups over the past four weeks, but he’s a rookie. He’s had a solid season, but he is tied for the seventh-most pressures allowed and the ninth-worst pass-blocking efficiency, per Pro Football Focus.
This is a good opportunity for Bonitto to make a case to remain the starter even when Browning is activated off injured reserve. If Bonitto can win, it will help take pressure off a Broncos defense that will be without Patrick Surtain II.
And if Bolles can step up and handle Young, the Broncos offense might be able to get into a rhythm.
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New York Knicks (9-7, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (9-6, fifth in the Western Conference)
Denver; Monday, 9 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets host the New York Knicks in a non-conference matchup.
The Nuggets have gone 5-3 at home. Denver ranks sixth in the Western Conference with 12.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Jokic averaging 4.4.
The Knicks are 4-5 in road games. New York ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference allowing only 112.4 points while holding opponents to 47.3% shooting.
The Nuggets are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.5 percentage points higher than the 47.3% the Knicks allow to opponents. The Knicks average 14.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.2 more made shots on average than the 13.1 per game the Nuggets allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Nuggets.
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Jalen Brunson is averaging 25.1 points and 7.4 assists for the Knicks.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 118.4 points, 45.5 rebounds, 31.6 assists, 8.7 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 49.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.7 points per game.
Knicks: 6-4, averaging 120.3 points, 42.9 rebounds, 29.9 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.5 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: out (calf), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Vlatko Cancar: out (knee).
Knicks: Precious Achiuwa: out (hamstring), Miles McBride: day to day (knee), Mitchell Robinson: out (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Could the Brooklyn Nets’ No. 1 scoring option team up with a two-time league MVP?
According to Paul Pierce, it’s possible.
On a recent episode of “Ticket & The Truth,” the former Boston Celtics star suggested a move from Brooklyn to the Denver Nuggets for Cam Thomas to provide the 2023 NBA Champions with a depth boost.
“Alright, let me put my GM hat on,” Pierce said. “I think right now, for Cam, I’d like to see him off the bench for Denver. …Because they need that spark plug off the bench.”
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He may want to take that hat off.
The Nuggets do not have an asset they’d be willing to part ways with that would entice the Nets enough to move off of a 23-year-old who’s turning in over 24 points per game. And even if Denver were to offer a king’s ransom of draft capital, as long as Nikola Jokic is healthy a Nuggets’ choice will never hold much value.
Oct 29, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets small guard Cam Thomas (24) shoots the ball against the Denver Nuggets during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
When reports suggested Thomas could be available in negotiations, they didn’t mean Brooklyn was looking to give him away. The return would have to warrant the transaction, and a hypothetical package consisting of Christian Braun and two first-round picks (no offense Christian) won’t be enough to entice Sean Marks.
The Nets shouldn’t look to move Thomas until a can’t-say-no deal emerges. Until then, let him continue to drop nearly 25 a night on the opposition and revisit any potential thoughts of trading the electrifying scorer at February’s deadline.
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Mike Johnston, the Democrat mayor of Denver, has stated that he will urge citizens to oppose the mass deportations of migrants that President-elect Donald Trump has planned in Colorado. This comes as local authorities in “sanctuary cities” have started organising how to handle the issue.
Mike Johnston, mayor of Denver, Colorado, stated that he is prepared to serve time in prison in order to halt any attempts at deportation.(Bloomberg)
Speaking to Denver’s station 9, Johnston, 50, stated that he is prepared to serve time in prison in order to halt any attempts at deportation.
Calling it a “Tiananmen Square moment,” the mayor of Denver has pledged to use local police and 50,000 citizens “stationed at the county line” to protect migrants residing in his sanctuary city from Trump’s mass deportation.
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“More than us having [federal agents] stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” he stated.
“It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment … right?” Johnston asked, making a reference to the well-known conflict between a Chinese student and a government tank at Tiananmen Square, China, during the 1989 uprising.
“You’d have every one of those Highland moms who came out for the migrants,” he continued, adding that “And you do not want to mess with them,” recalling the time when Denver people were reportedly ready to fight the federal government to the death.
Mike Johnston faces flak for his warning
Danielle Jurinsky (R), a councilwoman for Aurora City, told The Post that Johnston’s strategy will simply highlight his ineffectiveness in one of the nation’s so-called sanctuary cities, which deter or prohibit local officials from assisting federal immigration investigators in migrant cases.
“Aurora does not plan to provide the Trump administration any assistance, as far as I know, but we will certainly not stand in the way of what the American people voted for,” he stated.
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Also Read: Trump border Czar Tom Homan issues fresh warning to President-elect’s critics, illegal migrants: ‘You got a problem’
After Johnston compared his endeavor to Tiananmen Square, Xi Van Fleet, a Chinese survivor of Mao’s revolution, lambasted him on Thursday, telling Fox Business that he is “either profoundly ignorant of the history, or he did the false analogy on purpose.”
Elon Musk, who Trump just appointed to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), also reacted to Johnston’s warning, saying that it demonstrates “the mayor of Denver hates his constituents.”
Trump’s border czar speaks out
Tom Homan, Trump’s choice for “border czar,” told The Post that he hopes the incoming government will sue sanctuary communities and stop providing them with federal funds.
He claimed that if they don’t alter their stand, the Trump government will “flood” certain communities with Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel to stay outside local prison for the release of illegal migrants.
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Johnston declared that he would not permit local law enforcement to help the federal government apprehend undocumented migrants.
“Absolutely not,” Johnston remarked. “We won’t do it.”
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