The frustration and disappointment were clear as day inside the Broncos’ locker room late Sunday night.
A loud scream echoed from the showers. Outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper stood in front of his locker, shaking his head and at a loss for words. Quarterback Russell Wilson walked off the podium before the final question was asked.
“We had everything to play for and we were at home,” Cooper said in disbelief after Denver fell, 26-23, to the New England Patriots on Christmas Eve. “It sucks.”
On Sunday night, the Broncos’ Christmas miracle turned into a nightmare in an instant.
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Denver scored 16 straight points to tie the game at 23 late in the fourth quarter, then got the ball back with 1:42 to play and a shot at a game-winning drive. The Broncos offense went three-and-out instead, and the defense let quarterback Bailey Zappe drive the Patriots 43 yards on seven plays to set up Chad Ryland’s 56-yard game-winning field goal with two seconds remaining.
“You just can’t do that. Not in these types of games. Not in a must-win. Not in meaningful games in December, games you’ve got to win,” fullback Michael Burton said.
Denver (7-8) entered Christmas Eve with a 22% chance of making the playoffs, according to the New York Times playoff simulator. More importantly, the Broncos controlled their own destiny to some degree. Beat the three teams left on their schedule — each starting a backup quarter, and two led by interim head coaches — and the Broncos’ postseason odds improved dramatically.
But after Ryland’s kick soared through the uprights on a crisp December night, their playoff chances plummeted to 4% as their record dipped below .500 for the first time since Week 10.
“I haven’t done the math,” Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson said about the team’s playoff odds. “I’m feeling this loss right now. We thought we should have won this game.”
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Empower Field at Mile High has been a mecca for missed opportunities for the Broncos this season.
Among Denver’s home losses have been setbacks to the Washington Commanders, New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders and Patriots — teams that have a combined record of 20-39.
Sunday’s defeat to the Patriots stung the most. Not only was there a lot at stake for the Broncos, but New England was already out of the playoff picture and playing without safety Jabrill Peppers, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, running back Rhamondre Stevenson and tight end Hunter Henry.
The Patriots even handed Denver an early holiday present when Zappe fumbled the ball on the first play of the game, gifting the Broncos possession at New England’s 6-yard line. Four plays later, Denver had zero points to show for it, and the team’s list of missed chances only grew from there.
When asked about his team’s postseason picture, Broncos head coach Sean Payton responded that he didn’t want to “insert the Jim Mora ‘playoffs’ press conference.”
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“We have our next opportunity next week and we kind of go from there,” he added.
Safety P.J. Locke said he understood the season is not completely over. At the same time, he was frustrated knowing the Broncos need more than just victories in the final two weeks to play meaningful games in January.
“Now, we got to depend on other teams to lose and all this (junk),” he said.
The Denver Broncos’ run in the NFL Playoffs did not go as planned, but the season was still a success for rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who lived up to expectations as a first-round pick.
While the Broncos season ended on the wrong end of a blowout loss, the future is bright at Mile High.
One of the people who was front and center throughout Nix’s rookie campaign was his wife Izzy Nix, who cheered him on throughout the year and was his biggest support system.
MORE: Bo Nix’s wife Izzy celebrates rookie NFL season with artsy photo of Broncos QB
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Now that the season is over, Izzy is looking back and reflecting on some of the best moments from Bo’s first year in the league.
She shared the video recap of her rookie WAG season on TikTok.
Izzy Nix/TikTok
MORE: Bo Nix’s wife Izzy, Broncos WAGs & QBs enjoy matching pj party with hilarious socks
Izzy Nix/TikTok
MORE: Bo Nix’s wife Izzy swoons over Drake Maye, Ann Michael Hudson engagement pics
Izzy Nix/TikTok
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Izzy Nix/TikTok
What a year it was.
MORE: Bo Nix’s wife Izzy’s epic photo with Zach Wilson’s fiancée, Broncos WAGs after loss
Nix finished his rookie campaign with 3,775 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while adding 430 yards and four scores on the ground.
Izzy Nix/Instagram
Izzy and Bo met at Auburn University in the summer of 2020 when he was the team’s star quarterback and she was a cheerleader. The two have been inseparable since and were eventually married in the summer of 2022.
Now that the season is over, Bo and Izzy will get to enjoy some couples getaways to make up for the time they spent apart during the successful year.
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— Enjoy free dish of rich and fabulous players with The Athlete Lifestyle on SI —
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Denver Nuggets (24-16, fourth in the Western Conference) vs. Miami Heat (20-19, ninth in the Eastern Conference)
Miami; Friday, 8 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Denver hits the road against Miami aiming to extend its four-game road winning streak.
The Heat are 10-7 in home games. Miami is ninth in the Eastern Conference with 15.1 fast break points per game led by Tyler Herro averaging 3.7.
The Nuggets are 12-8 in road games. Denver is 6-4 in one-possession games.
The Heat are shooting 45.5% from the field this season, 0.9 percentage points lower than the 46.4% the Nuggets allow to opponents. The Nuggets are shooting 50.0% from the field, 4.0% higher than the 46.0% the Heat’s opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Herro is averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and five assists for the Heat.
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Russell Westbrook is scoring 13.2 points per game and averaging 5.1 rebounds for the Nuggets.
LAST 10 GAMES: Heat: 5-5, averaging 109.2 points, 44.0 rebounds, 27.5 assists, 8.0 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.9 points per game.
Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 119.7 points, 47.3 rebounds, 30.5 assists, 8.3 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 49.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.9 points.
INJURIES: Heat: Dru Smith: out for season (achilles), Josh Richardson: day to day (heel).
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: day to day (calf), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Nikola Jokic: day to day (elbow), Vlatko Cancar: out (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
It’s official, Denver is getting it’s next major park. CBS News Colorado reported this would come to fruition ahead of the now official announcement on Wednesday.
Over the past 7 years, the defunct Park Hill Golf Course has inspired turf wars between open space advocates and developers.
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Now, the 155-acre property is back in the hands of the city after Mayor Mike Johnston entered a land swap. The developer gets property to build out in Adams County, and the city gets to create a brand new regional park.
In a land swap deal with developers, the former Park Hill Golf course will become a city park, and residents who have been battling to make this a reality say it is a dream come true.
“I kind of can’t believe it,” said Amy Harris, a longtime advocate for the park and a member of Save Open Space Denver.
The park, which was once a golf course where even some of the best golfers like Tiger Woods had set foot in, will now be a space where residents can enjoy the open space.
For Denver resident Mike Fernandez, it will be a place where he will be able to continue to bird watch.
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“There were a few that I don’t see anywhere else, like songbirds,” Fernandez said. “I was really trying to keep track of that to see the impact if there were development here they would be gone.”
Fernandez says he has tracked 18 different bird species near and around the golf course.
The property is returning to the people after years of advocacy by leaders such as former Mayor Wellington Webb, organizations such as Save Open Space Denver and a number of community members.
“I mean, it’s the best-case scenario,” Harris said. “It’s what we’ve been asking for since the beginning.”
The city looks to work with the community to jot down their long-term vision for the space and design plans for the near future.
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“I think the battle was really bringing folks to the table about the commitment to green spaces and understanding the impacts and the long-term to our climate to long term sustainability,” said Councilwoman Shontel Lewis of District 8.
It was all possible through an acre-for acre land exchange agreement, where Denver will trade undeveloped, industrial property near the airport for the Park Hill property — which is currently owned by Westside Investment Partners.
“There was an internal transfer of about $12.7 million within the city from parks and rec. to the airport that comes from the Park’s Legacy Fund for the acquisition,” Mayor Johnston explained. “The trade is made between Denver and the current owner for this site without any cash payment.”
In 2023, voters rejected a plan to develop the property with housing.
Johnston reassures Denverites the city will continue to work toward developing affordable housing nearby, while maintaining community jewels like this soon-to-be park.
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“We know there’s a housing shortage in Denver,” Johnston said. “We look to add more housing stock; we want to make sure that housing stock is affordable to people living in Denver right now.”
This historic deal in Denver now becomes the largest single city acquisition of private land for a public park.
“What we need to do today is celebrate that we maintain the Park Hill Golf Course in Denver for Denver,” Webb said.
Johnston now looks to work with Adams County commissioners and Denver City Council to approve the land exchange and begin the process. City officials say the new park is expected to be open to the public by this summer.
“I cant wait for the time where we can all gather together in the park when it’s really park and get to celebrate together,” Harris said.