Boy, has it been a week for Broncos Country. I was struck with sadness and concern at losing Bo Nix to a freak injury that punched me in the face post-game after one of the most memorable playoff games I’ve seen the Broncos play (and I’ve seen a hell of a lot of them).
Denver, CO
Broncos vs Patriots: The ‘No Bull’ Keys to the game
I immediately took notice of how Sean Payton talked about it in his announcement press conference, and my attitude switched to hope.
I spent some time this week reviewing my past posts about Stidham to help give me a sense of what we can expect. I’ve been just as excited as all of you out there with the way this team and fanbase are rallying around Jarrett Stidham. Side note: I absolutely love the Stiddy Lebron meme that has taken us by storm on social media. I have no idea who started it, but I give a big hat tip to the creative mind behind it.
As the week has progressed, I’ve gotten settled into the idea that this game is going to be difficult. The Patriots are not a pushover. We’ve all called them cupcakes because of their schedule all season long, but they have proven time and time again that teams underestimate them at their own peril.
Here are the central keys to the Broncos coming out of this game with a victory and a Super Bowl appearance for the first time since 2015:
What the Broncos need most is a productive run game. That’s been an honest weakness. RJ Harvey isn’t nearly as impressive running the ball as he is catching passes out of the backfield or pass blocking. Jaleel McLaughlin is more productive, but doesn’t pass block as well, which tends to make the offense less dynamic when he’s in.
With J.K. Dobbins ruled out, the Broncos have to find a hot hand and produce ways to keep the offense on schedule. While I’d normally suggest an offense supplement this with a screen game, the Payton offense already does that each and every week. Heck, if Tyler Badie starts popping off, give him more touches.
If the Broncos do get the run churning early, look for it to open up the play-action deep shots we all love.
2) Take what the defense gives in the passing game
Jarrett Stidham is a smart quarterback. He’s been in this offense for three years, and that makes him well-suited to knowing what Payton is calling, why he is calling it, and where he should be going with the ball. Stidham needs to be patient and let the team get to work. He should only play hero ball at the end of the half and game when the impact of a turnover is minimized.
The secret sauce of this team all year long has been the offensive designs of Sean Payton and his staff. They absolutely will get the Pats in unfavorable situations. When those plays come up, Stiddy and the offense must execute. The wide receivers especially need to catch everything that hits their hands. The offense can’t afford the amount of drops we saw vs the Bills if they expect to win.
One big worry from the Bills game was the horrible run defense. The defense probably had its worst game of the season as far as stopping the run is concerned. The matchup of our pass defense vs the Pats pass offense is favorable to the Broncos. To get to that, you have to stop the run and keep them from gashing us for 5-10 yards per play. That’s easier said than done with quality runners like TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson running the ball. The defense’s ability to stop the run could be the difference between victory or defeat.
2) Pressure Drake Maye smartly
One constant I’ve seen in the playoffs is that Maye will make mistakes if you pressure him. Vance Joseph and the defense need to do what they’ve been doing all year and mix in relentless pass rushing to get Maye to make mistakes.
The big problem they need to stay away from here is letting him have open lanes to run. He’s a very athletic, mobile quarterback who will gash this defense with his legs if given the opportunity. So pressure, but do it in the cage rush manner like what they employed against the Bills and Eagles.
3) Mix up the coverage looks
If people still think the Broncos are a man-coverage team, they either haven’t been watching the games or don’t know what they are talking about. They do such an excellent job of mixing up their coverage with disguise that is has caused a ton of problems (ask Josh Allen).
I expect wrinkles of all types in the coverage game, which could lead to big turnovers.
I’m cautiously optimistic about this game. The Broncos are at home. The crowd is going to impact the game. The altitude is going to impact the game. The world thinks this Broncos team is done. This team loves being doubted. We’ve heard it all season long, and they have responded in any way necessary to pull out a victory.
It isn’t going to be easy. Nothing is going to be handed to this team. They will have to go out there and take victory. They have to want it more than the Pats while being able to execute to the highest level of their abilities.
I’m seeing the right things from this team that I’ve seen from other teams in 1997, 1998, and 2015. One thing I can say is this team believes in each other moreso than any Broncos team I’ve seen. They can absolutely win this game. Let’s go, Bronocos Country!
Denver, CO
Claimed by Christ, Free in Him: Archbishop Golka Celebrates First Juneteenth Mass in Denver
The annual archdiocesan celebration highlighted human dignity, Black Catholic faith and the healing power of Christ’s love.
“This is my first Juneteenth celebration as a priest or a bishop. I’m honored that this could be my first, right here,” Denver Archbishop James Golka said during the Mass commemorating Juneteenth at Curé d’Ars Parish in Denver on Sunday, June 14.
Celebrating the day the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the United States. This year’s annual archdiocesan Mass, organized by the Office of Black Catholic Ministry and bringing together parishes and groups from across Northern Colorado, also served to welcome the recently arrived archbishop, who was warmly greeted with processions by the Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary, liturgical participation by the Curé d’Ars youth group and choir, and additional music by the Queen of Peace African Catholic Society.
“You have a very beautiful church here. The building is okay, also,” Archbishop Golka remarked, noting the beauty of the people of God, the Church, amid laughter and applause.
Carolyne Richardson, member of the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary at St. Ignatius of Loyola, was particularly touched by Golka’s quiet enthusiasm.
“The church was overflowing with diverse ethnicities joining in this celebration. Everyone was elated to meet Archbishop Golka. He seemed to look each parishioner in the eye with genuine care and concern,” she noted. “It was sheer jubilation watching him sing the gospel songs along with the choir.”
Recalling his time with fellow bishops at their annual spring meeting in Florida, the archbishop reflected on Pope Leo’s encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, and its discussion on the reality of slavery.
“Although there was not always consistency in practice — slavery was long tolerated before being unequivocally condemned — there has been a continuous affirmation throughout history of the dignity of every human being created in the image of God, even if it took eighteen centuries for the full incompatibility with slavery to be explicitly recognized,” the Holy Father wrote. “This constitutes a wound in Christian memory, one for which we cannot consider ourselves detached. It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many in stark contrast to their immeasurable dignity as persons infinitely loved by the Lord” (Magnifica Humanitas 176).
“Finally, Pope Leo says this to you, to all of us,” the archbishop noted as he finished quoting the Holy Father’s encyclical. “‘For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”
(Photos by Matt Walker/Denver Catholic)
In his characteristically deeply pastoral way, Archbishop Golka offered the deep, personal love of Christ as a spiritual foundation and antidote to any and all attacks against humanity, be they in the form of slavery or the lurking dangers of artificial intelligence.
“At your Baptism, you were claimed by Jesus Christ. That’s our identity. The evil one tries to make us forget that. We forget that we are beloved children of God. We begin to think that maybe we are worthless, that there’s no reason why we’re here. That is a lie,” the archbishop emphasized. “When God created the universe, he had you in mind, to be here at this time, and this place for his purposes. And he wants to use you in everything. That means, he can use your weakness and your mistakes if you let him.”
The call to surrender more completely to the Lord of love, whose Sacred Heart burns in love for souls, resonated deeply with those in attendance.
“The Mass was more beautiful than I could have imagined,” said Kateri Williams, director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministry. “Archbishop Golka’s homily deeply touched those in attendance, and many were moved to tears as he spoke of the Father’s unconditional love and as he reminded us that each of us has a unique purpose and calling in God’s plan.”
Osahon “Osi” Ogbeide, one of several members of the Youth Ministry at Curé d’Ars who read the Prayers of the Faithful, was also taken by the seeming contradiction in Archbishop Golka’s homily.
“The homily focusing on being a slave and surrendering to the lord was very impactful because it reminded me that God wants the best for us. And that can only be achieved in surrendering to him,” he said.
As we continue to surrender to God and follow his plan, even when it surprises and confounds us, we participate in the Kingdom of God, the archbishop concluded.
“God’s purposes are much more immense than my plan. My plan is pretty puny,” Archbishop Golka said. “God’s purposes began with creation, and they’re going to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Reign of God. We get to participate in the Reign of God coming, if you use God’s gifts for God and God’s purposes.”
Factors such as declining birth rates and families moving out of the city are contributing to declining enrollment at Denver Public Schools. In turn, it’s reshaping the district’s future.
“I think we’re in a good position, but it’s responsible for us to always be looking in the future and knowing we have to make some adjustments,” said Chuck Carpenter, the district’s CFO.
In a two-year span between this past school year and next, DPS expects a decline in enrollment of around 1,700 students.
“We haven’t really seen anything like this,” said Carpenter in response to the consistent decline.
Because of this trend, the district is facing a $28 million structural deficit over the next five years.
“We have a balanced budget now, and we’re not predicting that we’ll have an unbalanced budget in three years,” said Carpenter. “We’re saying we need to make adjustments over the next three, four years, so that our budgets are balanced.”
DPS’s Director of Campus Planning, Andrew Huber, told CBS Colorado in an interview last month that those adjustments will likely include closing down more schools.
“Additional school closures will be necessary in the upcoming years. When exactly that would be is hard to forecast right now,” said Huber.
The district’s CFO says his biggest takeaway from a recent round of closures is to make sure to give families options for what’s next.
“No one wants their school closed, but the second-best option isn’t going to be the same for every family,” said Carpenter.
This issue could be one Denver faces for years to come.
“We sort of say, how many kids are born here? Because in five years, those kids will be kindergartners,” Carpenter added.
The city’s birth rate peaked in 2005, meaning those babies have already graduated high school. And, according to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, more young families move out of Denver and into surrounding counties than move into the city.
“I think school consolidation is very — I understand why people want to talk about it, but I think it’s more about, like, how do we make sure that the programs that are offered are rich programs,” said Carpenter.
Carpenter also says the district is closely monitoring some potential cuts to federal grants for students of poverty and language learners. He says those decisions will be made by October for the start of the new fiscal year, and cuts would have a “terrible” impact.
The Denver Broncos hosted eight tryout players at mandatory minicamp this week, including quarterback Sawyer Robertson. It sounds like the team has made decisions on those tryout players, and Robertson won’t be signed (at least not right now).
Instead, the Broncos are signing offensive lineman Reid Holskey (according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler) and cornerback Blake Cotton (according to the Denver Post‘s Parker Gabriel). Holskey (6-6, 306 pounds) spent time on the Houston Texans’ practice squad in 2025 before joining the New York Giants in January. He was cut by New York last month. Cotton (6-2, 195 pounds) is a rookie who spent last fall at Utah, totaling 30 tackles and seven pass breakups in 13 games.
The two moves came one day after Denver wrapped up minicamp. The 91-man offseason roster was already full, so the Broncos will need to make corresponding moves to make room for Holskey and Cotton on the roster.
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