Denver, CO
Thick wildfire smoke arrives by Thursday in Denver
We are in the thick of fire season across the Western United States. No fires are currently burning across Colorado, but hundreds of fires are actively burning as seen on the Watch Duty map.
Critical fire weather will make a return tomorrow, so please avoid any potential activities that may cause a spark.
Smoke filtered in from Idaho on Monday and Tuesday, it remained light enough there was no impact to air quality but did reduce visibility a bit across the Front Range. A new wave of smoke is headed our way, this time moderate to thick smoke is expected.
This new round of smoke originates from southern California where three large fires are burning:
Bridge Fire – 47,094 acres as of 11:39 MDT
Line Fire – 34,659 acres as of 10:13 MDT
Airport Fire – 22,376 acres as of 11:14 MDT
The first wave will arrive Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. Moderate smoke is expected across the high country and areas north of I-70. Impacts will be minimal from this first wave.
Thick smoke will arrive Thursday afternoon and evening. This wave of smoke will be noticeable, poor air quality is expected with smoke very visible to the naked eye. You may even be able to almost taste/smell the smoke across portions of the state.
Denver, CO
Does Bo Nix spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E for Josh Allen? Experts make Bills vs Broncos predictions
The Buffalo Bills host the Denver Broncos at 1 p.m. Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
The Bills are 9-point favorites according to BetMGM.
The money line for the Bills is -450 (bet $450 to win $100) and +350 (bet $100 to win $350). The over-under is 47 points.
Democrat & Chronicle: Bills 24, Broncos 20
Sal Maiorana writes: “This is not going to be a walk-over for the Bills. Although their offense became the first in NFL history to score at least 30 touchdowns both passing and rushing, and it scored a team-record 62 TDs and 525 points, the Broncos figure to give Allen and company a big-time test.
“They finished third in points allowed (18.3), second in yards allowed per play (4.9), No. 1 in most sacks (63), third in successful QB pressure rate (37.4%), and third in red zone TD percentage (46.9%).
“The Bills had a league-low eight turnovers and given the fact that it will be tough to move the ball and score, at least at the rate they’ve grown accustomed to this year, they’ll need another clean game because a mistake or two might be all Denver needs.”
Jeremy Cluff writes: “The Broncos have surpassed our expectations this season, but it would really surprise us if they won at Buffalo, where the Bills are 8-0 this season. Denver is just 4-5 on the road. Highmark Stadium will provide a rude playoff debut to Bo Nix.”
Tyler Dragon writes: “The Bills won the AFC East for the fifth straight season. Led by MVP candidate Josh Allen, the Bills are the first team in NFL history with at least 30 touchdown passes (30) and 30 rushing touchdowns (32) in a season. The Broncos clinched their first playoff berth since 2015.
“The Broncos are ahead of schedule in their rebuild. It’s an accomplishment for Denver to be in the postseason. On the other side, the Bills are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. It’s going to be a tough game for a young, upstart Broncos club in Buffalo. Denver’s stingy defense will make some plays, but the Bills have the more talented roster.
“Buffalo hasn’t lost a game at home this season.”
ESPN Analytics give the Bills a 68.1% shot of winning.
Dimers’ model gives the Bills a 78% win probability.
— Bill Wolcott is a producer who helps cover the Buffalo Bills, high school and Rochester sports in general. The lifelong New Yorker has been a journalist for 30 years.
Denver, CO
Find out why Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton got a $500,000 bonus on Sunday
The final weekend of the NFL regular season brought the usual intrigue over which teams would clinch the final playoff spots and who would get the No. 1 overall draft pick. But there was also the smattering of money-packed milestones for some players who were within reach of lucrative contract incentives in Week 18.
Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton was among those players. He needed 82 yards receiving against the Chiefs Sunday for a $500,000 bonus. He got 98 yards on five catches in the Broncos’ 38-0 victory over Kansas City’s backups.
“Today, with you know, trying to keep track of some of those bonuses, those are good problems,” coach Sean Payton said after leading the Broncos into the postseason in his second season in Denver. “It’s hard to keep track of yards, catches are easy. Sutton needed 82 yards.”
Sutton had a fantastic regular season for the Broncos. He overcame a slow start and exceeded 1,000 yards — 1,081 (on 81 receptions) — for just the second time in his career. He called it “really dope” that the Broncos will be playing in a wild-card game and that the team gets to “continue this legacy of this season.”
Broncos linebacker Cody Barton also had an opportunity to make a little extra money before the end of the regular season, but it didn’t come to pass. He could have made $250,000 with an interception.
Arguably the biggest reason that the Denver Broncos are going to be playing in the 2024 NFL playoffs has been the quarterback play of rookie Bo Nix. The rookie out of Oregon by way of Auburn threw for 29 touchdowns and ran for four additional scores. He has been led this season by Broncos’ quarterbacks coach and former Giants signal-caller Davis Webb.
As the story goes, the Buffalo Bills had asked Webb to be their quarterbacks coach during his tenure as a quarterback in the AFC East, but he had decided to keep playing. Sean Payton was able to snag him as his QB whisperer, and his work in Denver has been impressive. In two years, the quarterback play of the Broncos has steadily improved and now reached the point where their 30+ touchdown rookie is arguably the biggest reason they are in the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Davis Webb certain to draw interest outside of Broncos organization soon
Webb flew relatively under the radar in 2023, even as the quarterback play of Russell Wilson returned to a strong form. Since then, his name has begun to gain more attention on the national stage. As coaching changes begin to take place across the league, Webb figures to be a name that comes up consistently. As coordinator openings are now rumored and openings are popping up, Webb has already been tied to a fairly high-profile job.
Newsday’s Tom Rock shared on X that Webb could be a name to watch as the Giants continue evaluating their coaching staff after a disappointing 2024. Webb, a former Giants quarterback himself, could become a strong offensive coordinator candidate for multiple vacancies. If Vance Joseph, who has been tied to the Jets opening, is to take a head coaching job elsewhere after this year, Webb could be a strong candidate to follow him as an offensive coordinator.
It has been a decent amount of time since top Denver lieutenants were named in coaching searches around the league, but between Joseph, Webb, and the potential for others such as Pete Carmichael, Zach Strief, and David Shaw to get tabbed for jobs, the Broncos could be looking to rebuild aspects of their coaching staff in the next few months. However, there is no reason not to have faith in Sean Payton to once again build one of the NFL’s premier coaching staffs, just as he did heading into the 2024 season.
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