Denver, CO

Your Guide To Secret Parks in and Around Denver – 303 Magazine

Published

1 year ago

July 17, 2024

Your Guide To Secret Parks in and Around Denver – 303 Magazine

Welcome to a world beyond Cheesman, City Park, and Wash Park! While these iconic spots are fantastic, Denver boasts over 200 other hidden gems waiting to be explored. If you find your usual spots a bit too crowded, why not venture into the lesser-known green spaces scattered throughout the Mile High City? 303 Magazine has scoured the city to bring you a curated list of secret parks in Denver and its surrounding areas that are just waiting to be discovered. Your very own hidden oasis could be right in your backyard – so why not embark on a journey of exploration and uncover the beauty that Denver’s lesser-known parks have to offer?

Observatory Park

Observatory Park. Photo by Kyle Cooper.

Where: 2100 S. Fillmore St., Denver

The Lowdown: Denver University students have probably heard of this one, but if you live or work near this gorgeous campus, you must check out Observatory Park. This little oasis hidden in a nice woodsy neighborhood offers some great reading spots underneath the trees. The park is named for the Chamberlin Observatory, DU’s very own astronomy tower that’s located in it. You can watch the stars or a full moon here and you don’t have to be an astronomy student. Check the Observatory’s schedule here to see available times.

Belleview Park

Where: 5001 S. Inca Dr., Englewood

The Lowdown: If you don’t spend a lot of time in Englewood, maybe you should because Belleview Park has everything. More like a small amusement park than simple city green space, Belleview’s got a miniature train you can ride at $2 per person (children two and under are free), a farm where you can pet animals and a water park called Pirates Cove. If that sounds all sounds like it’s for kids, then you might just prefer the bike paths and the creek. And if it doesn’t, well you better catch that train. For more info on attractions, please click here.

Olympic Park

Where: 15501 E. Yale Ave., Aurora

The Lowdown: If you love sports, this park in Aurora has all the amenities. Featuring volleyball courts, baseball diamonds and soccer fields, Olympic Park is for athletes to train or anyone looking for a pick-up game. Inside the park, you can also find another park called Wheel Park, a facility that includes a skateboarding bowl, roller-hockey rink and BMX bike track. This park is like its own recreation center.

Zuni and 51^st Park

Where: 5050 Zuni St., Denver

The Lowdown: North of the Sunnyside neighborhood nearby Regis University, you’ll find Zuni and 51st park — the park we know you definitely haven’t been to. Google Maps doesn’t even have a description or real address for it. If you want to appreciate Denver from a distance, the hill in this quiet neighborhood park has the perfect bench to sit on and look at the skyline. Better hurry before someone else steals the spot.

George M. Wallace Park

Where: 4700 DTC Blvd., Denver

The Lowdown: In terms of landscaping, the George M. Wallace Park near the Denver Tech Center might be the most lovely on our list. Named in memoriam of the Tech Center’s founder, Wallace Park is picturesque rolling hills, trees and sidewalks that stretch alongside the tall business buildings. The park also has constructed obstacles and hurdles that runners can use to make sure they’re toning those muscles. You must make the drive south for this one.

Alamo Placita Park

Where: 300 N. Emerson St., Denver

The Lowdown: It used to be called “Little Place of the Cottonwoods” for the trees that grew naturally here, but now the small garden sanctuary — now named for the Alamo Placita neighborhood — is home to even more plants and flowers. If you drive on Speer, you most often miss it, but this little piece of heaven is the ideal place to catch your breath and drown out the traffic when you need a break.

Ruby Hill Park

Where: 1505 W. Jewell Ave., Denver

The Lowdown: This hilly park south of downtown is so fun locals use it for skiing and snowboarding. During the winter, the park features obstacles to practice all your shredding tricks and in the warmer months, visitors can play on the playgrounds or use the baseball diamonds and mountain bike park. There are even sweet views of the skyline.

Babi Yar Memorial Park

Where: 10451 E. Yale Ave., Denver

The Lowdown: This 27-acre park in the shape of the Star of David is actually a living Holocaust memorial. With an amphitheater, grove, ravine and two inscribed black granite monoliths that pave the entrance, this park was designed to commemorate those who lost their lives at the 1941 through 1943 Nazi massacre of Jewish peojhple and others in Kiev, Ukraine. As a place for reflection and remembrance, the Babi Yar Memorial Park is a great spot to find peace and quiet.

Great Lawn Park

Where: 101 Yosemite St., Denver

The Lowdown: In the Lowry neighborhood bordering Aurora, the Great Lawn Park is only a short drive east of the city and definitely worth checking out. Public green space is everywhere you look and you will even see mountains without any trees to block your view. With baseball diamonds, a creek, playgrounds, and a cool sundial monument, Great Lawn Park might be your new favorite spot.

Huston Lake Park

Where: 850 S. Bryant St., Denver

The Lowdown: With lots of shady places to relax and a lake to fish in, Huston Lake is the tranquil oasis you won’t find in the downtown hustle and bustle. Featuring a paved trail and beautiful views of the Front Range, this secret park is definitely worth escaping to.

Grant Frontier Park

Where: 2300 S. Platte River Dr., Denver

The Lowdown: Bicyclists rejoice. There is a park just for you along the South Platte River Trail. This hidden park just south of Evans Avenue and South Huron Street offers the calming sounds of the rushing South Platte River, a scenic walking bridge, playgrounds and beautiful paths for walking or riding. Grant Frontier Park is a favorite on our list.

Ketring Park

Where: 6000 S. Gallup St., Littleton

The Lowdown: If you enjoy running around the lake in Wash Park but are tired of crowds, Ketring Park has you covered. Featuring a small lake with a 0.92-mile loop path, this scenic park hidden within quiet neighborhoods of Littleton is ready for your workout or relaxation. Ketring might be the most tranquil on our list.

Belmar Park

Where: 801 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood

The Lowdown: If you love trees, Belmar Park has places to hide. With hiking and biking paths, stone sculptures and playgrounds, Belmar Park offers the same picturesque scenery as Cheesman or City Park, but is more nature-centric. A trip to this crown jewel in Lakewood promises views of wildlife and some much-deserved peace and quiet.

Inspiration Point Park

Where: 4901 Sheridan Blvd., Denver

The Lowdown: This secret park definitely earns its name. Not all parks in the city offer views of the Rockies, but Inspiration Point Park near Arvada does. The park features a gorgeous bluff lookout that oversees the Clear Creek Valley and makes for a nice walk and refuge from your daily stress. This one should be at the top of your list (it’s on ours for one of best places to see the sunset).

READ: Best Places to See the Sun Rise and Set in and Around Denver

Centennial Center Park

Where: 13050 E. Peakview Ave., Centennial

The Lowdown: This park is fun for the whole family. As playground heaven for the little ones and the young at heart, Centennial Center Park always has something exciting going on. With its very own water playground, nature area and amphitheater that hosts concerts and shows, this secret park is the ideal weekend afternoon retreat.

Central Park

Where: 8801 MLK Jr. Blvd., Denver

The Lowdown: With a Dr. Seuss-inspired playground, this family-fun park in Stapleton is the secret park parents should know about. Bouncy purple mounds, whimsical trees and tubes to climb through are fun for all ages. As the third largest park in Denver, Central Park is an astounding 80 acres — and has everything — picnic/grill areas, a pond, sport fields and drop-dead gorgeous scenery of the Front Range.

James A. Bible Park

Where: 6802 E. Yale Ave., Denver

The Lowdown: This large green space near Cherry Creek State Park often goes unnoticed, but is a great place to play or relax. Jogging trails, baseball diamonds, tennis courts and a playground with a sandbox are some of the many highlights of James A. Bible Park, but the best part is really the space all to yourself.

Redstone Park

Where: 3280 Redstone Park Circle, Littleton

The Lowdown: Catch a fish or play a pick-up game at Redstone Park, Highland Ranch’s favorite park. With baseball diamonds, a skate park, an amphitheater, a playground with a wooden castle and moat, a fishing pond and much more, Redstone has everything and then some. Our favorite spot in the gazebo, the highest point in the park where you can score mountain views.

Ralston-Central Park

Where: 5850 Garrison St., Arvada

The Lowdown: If you don’t want to drive to Centennial Center Park and live in the north, check out Ralston-Central Park — the year-old park that has playgrounds galore. With a splash pad (water playground) and picnic pavilion, this secret park is fun for the whole family and makes for an exciting day when you want to enjoy the sunnier weather.

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Denver, CO

Denver’s flavored vape ban sends customers across city lines

Published

5 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Denver’s flavored vape ban sends customers across city lines

The new year in Colorado brought new restrictions for people who vape in Denver. As of January 1, a voter-approved ban on flavored nicotine products is now in effect in Denver, prohibiting the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and vaping products within city limits.

Just outside the Denver border, vape shops say they’re already feeling the ripple effects.

CBS

At Tokerz Head Shop in Aurora, located about a block and a half from the Denver city line, owner Gordon McMillon says customers are beginning to trickle in from Denver.

“I was in shock it passed, to be honest,” McMillon said. “Just because of how many people vape in Denver. But we’re hoping to take care of everybody that doesn’t get their needs met over there anymore.”

One of those customers is Justin Morrison, who lives in the Denver area and vapes daily. He stopped by the Aurora shop a day after the ban went into place.

Morrison says the ban won’t stop him from vaping. It will just change where he buys his products.

“I’m going to have to come all the way to Aurora to get them,” he said. “It’s pretty inconvenient. I smoke flavored vapes every day.”

The goal of the ban, according to public health advocates, is to reduce youth vaping.

Morrison said flavored vapes helped him quit smoking cigarettes, an argument frequently raised by adult users and vape retailers who oppose flavor bans.

“It helped tremendously,” he said. “I stopped liking the flavor of cigarettes. The taste was nasty, the smell was nasty. I switched all the way over to vapes, and it helped me stop smoking cigarettes completely.”

McMillon worries bans like Denver’s could push some former smokers back to cigarettes.

“If they can’t get their vapes, some will go back to cigarettes, for sure,” he said. “I’ve asked people myself, and it’s about 50-50.”

While McMillon acknowledges it will bring more business to shops outside Denver, he says the ban wasn’t something he wanted.

“Even if it helps me over here in Aurora, I’m against it,” he said. “I feel like adults should have the rights if they want to vape or not.”

More than 500 retailers in Denver removed their flavored products. For many, they accounted for the majority of their sales. Denver’s Department of Public Health and Environment says it will begin issuing fines and suspensions to retailers found selling flavored tobacco products.

Both McMillan and Morrison say they’re concerned the ban could spread to other cities. For now, Aurora vape shops remain legal alternatives for Denver customers.

Despite the added drive, Morrison says quitting isn’t on the table.

“It’s an addiction. You’re going to find a way to get it. That’s why I don’t see the point of banning it here,” Morrison said.

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Planning to begin in Denver for American Indian Cultural Embassy

Published

17 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Planning to begin in Denver for American Indian Cultural Embassy

Denver will be the site of the United States’ first-ever American Indian Cultural Embassy.

Funding for the project was approved by Denver voters in the Vibrant Denver Bond measure.

The vision is for the embassy to welcome Native people back home to Colorado.

On the snowy day of CBS News Colorado’s visit, Rick Williams observed the buffalo herd at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

“These animals are sacred to us,” said Williams, who is Oglala Lakota and Cheyenne. “This was our economy. They provided everything we needed to live a wonderful lifestyle.”

Rick Williams, president of People of the Sacred Land and a leader in the effort to build an American Indian Cultural Embassy, looks at buffalo at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

CBS

Williams is president of People of the Sacred Land and a leader in the effort to build an American Indian Cultural Embassy.

“‘Homeland’ is a special term for everybody, right?” Williams asked. “But for people who were alienated, for American Indians who were alienated from Colorado, they don’t have a home, they don’t have a home community that you can go to, this is it. And I think that’s sad.”

The First Creek Open Space — near 56th and Peña, near the southeast corner of the Arsenal — is owned by the City and County of Denver and is being considered for development of the embassy.

“To have a space that’s an embassy that would be government-to-government relations on neutral space,” said Denver City Councilmember Stacie Gilmore, who represents northeast Denver District 11. “But then also supporting the community’s economic development and their cultural preservation.”

Denver City Councilmember Stacie Gilmore speaks from the First Creek Open Space in northeast Denver about the possibility of building the United States’ first-ever American Indian Cultural Embassy at the site.

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Gilmore said $20 million from the Vibrant Denver Bond will support the design and construction of the center to support Indigenous trade, arts, and education.

“That sense of connection and that sense of place and having a site is so important if you’re going to welcome people back home,” added Gilmore.

“What a great treasure for people in Colorado,” Williams said as he read the interpretive sign at the wildlife refuge.

Rick Williams, president of People of the Sacred Land and a leader in the effort to build an American Indian Cultural Embassy, reads a sign at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.

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He said the proposed location makes perfect sense: “Near the metropolitan area, but not necessarily in the metropolitan area, we would love to be near buffalo. We would love to be in an area where there’s opportunities for access to the airport.”

The Denver March Powwow could one day be held at the embassy.

Williams dreams of expanding the buffalo herd nearby and having the embassy teach future generations Indigenous skills and culture.

The concept for the embassy is one of the recommendations emerging from the Truth, Restoration, and Education Commission, a group of American Indian leaders in Colorado who began to organize four years ago to study the history of Native Americans in our state.

And the work is just beginning.

“We have to think about, ‘how do we maintain sustainability and perpetuity of a facility like this?’” Williams said. “So there’s lots of issues that are going to be worked on over the next year or so.”

Williams added, “One day our dreams are going to come true, and those tribes are going to come, and we’re going to have a big celebration out here. We’re going to have a drum, and we’re going to sing honor songs, and we’re going to have just the best time ever welcoming these people back to their homeland.”

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s staff sent the following statement:

“We are excited about the passing of the Vibrant Denver Bond and the opportunity it creates to invest in our city’s first American Indian Cultural Embassy. We are committed to working hand-in-hand with the Indigenous community to plan and develop the future embassy, and city staff have already been invited to listen and engage with some of our local American Indian groups, like the People of the Sacred Land. We are not yet at the stage of formal plans, but we are excited to see the momentum of this project continue.”

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Parker Gabriel’s 7 Thoughts after Broncos capture No. 1 seed, including Bo Nix barking at Sean Payton, then looking inward

Published

1 day ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Parker Gabriel’s 7 Thoughts after Broncos capture No. 1 seed, including Bo Nix barking at Sean Payton, then looking inward

The Broncos are in prime position.

They didn’t wow many people Sunday, but they controlled a 19-3 win against the Los Angeles Chargers from start to finish and in the process secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed, a first-round playoff bye and homefield advantage as long as they’re in the tournament.

They are two home wins away from playing in Super Bowl 60.

Head coach Sean Payton after the game did as much shrugging off of an offensive o-fer in scoring position as he’ll ever do.

Players were business-like, but they can feel the inbound rest already.

As they arrived home Sunday night, there are 14 teams still playing in the NFL.

By the time they next take the field, that number will be eight.

Now the fun really begins.

Here are 7 Thoughts following Denver’s dominant defensive performance and a remarkable 14-3 regular season.

1. Bo Nix asked Sean Payton for more urgency early in Sunday’s game. Afterward, he said he should have provided it himself.

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix looked to the sideline.

Early in the second quarter, Denver’s trudging offense finally found a bit of a spark.

Tyler Badie had just taken a third-and-13 swing pass for 16 yards and a first down.

Now the offense could kick into gear.

Except the second-year quarterback clearly didn’t feel the momentum.

Nix got sacked and lost 5 yards on first-and-10.

Then he shot a look to the home sideline and his head coach, Sean Payton. The CBS cameras picked up his words clearly.

“Sean, wake up,” he barked. “Let’s go.”

Bo Nix earlier in the second saying, apparently, “Wake up, let’s go” toward the #Broncos sideline. pic.twitter.com/JkR1mSulgY
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) January 4, 2026

Nix clapped his hands the way he does when he wants the play calls relayed to him faster.

Payton after the game acknowledged the overall sluggishness and his own.

“I certainly wasn’t as sharp as I wanted to be,” the veteran head coach allowed.

Nix, though, had a different take on the encounter and on the offense’s inability to get rolling in its regular season finale.

“I should have done a better job today having more urgency in the huddle, getting us going,” Nix said. “I felt like I failed us on that. Overall, I thought we didn’t play with the tempo and the passion that we normally play with.

“Now, there’s a lot that goes into that. It’s Week 18, it’s the last game of the year. You’re up 10-0, it’s weird early. Strange football game. You prepare for one thing all week and get something different. You don’t know who’s going to show up (for the Chargers).”

Nix turned in statistically one of the worst passing performances of his career. His 141 yards are the fewest he’s had in a game this season and the fourth-fewest of his career. He took four sacks for the first time this season and just the second time in his career.

His offense found itself at the Chargers’ 20-yard line or deeper four times and did not find the end zone.

Nix, though, called the red zone struggles in particular “nothing to panic about,” and expressed confidence overall that the Broncos’ offense will be ready to go in two weeks.

What he lamented more was the way he handled himself.

“The next time we get in that spot, I’ve got to have better urgency and be a little bit of a spark myself,” he said. “The rest of the guys will do the same.”

That’s all part of the growth of a young quarterback.

You can want the coach to be a little bit sharper. You can wish the game-planning for an opponent in flux on the last week of the season came together a little bit cleaner.

You can find all kinds of reasons for fluster or frustration.

At the end of the day, though, everybody else is going to look to you to be the source of the spark.

At the end of the day, how quarterbacks play in these games and in particular over the next month are the kind of stretches that define legacies and change lives.

2. After the game, Sean Payton got to riffing about the Super Bowl. Given the Broncos’ roster, he’ll likely spend a lot of time the next couple of weeks talking about it with his team.

There are several players on the Broncos’ roster who have played in a Super Bowl.

Mike McGlinchey joked recently that injured fullback Mike Burton stole a ring from him when McGlinchey was with the San Francisco 49ers and Burton with Kansas City back in February of 2020. OK, maybe that was more Patrick Mahomes’ doing, when the Chiefs scored three touchdowns to erase a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit. ILB Dre Greenlaw played in that game. He played in 2024, too, though he ruptured his Achilles in that game.

The Broncos, though, do not have much in the way of experience actually winning a Super Bowl.

In fact, Burton is the only player on the active roster, practice squad or injured reserve — the only player in the Broncos building, period, with a ring.

That makes Payton this team’s Super Bowl sherpa.

It’s been 17 years now since he and the 2009 Saints lifted the trophy, but once the Broncos head man got talking about the experience on Sunday night, he barely slowed down.

That’s what the No. 1 seed means. It means, as Payton said, being able to see light at the end of the tunnel. Denver has two games, the type of which this franchise hasn’t played in a decade, it must win just to get there.

But they have a real chance and the best position of anybody in the field.

The coach knows it.

And he wants, as he says, for a bunch of first-timers to experience what it’s like.

“I mean this, the thing that was hardest about that (NFC Championship Game) loss, the no-call, was that you’re so excited for those that have never been and experienced it,” Payton said, recalling the 2019 NFC title game when an egregious missed pass-interference penalty helped cost the Saints a Super Bowl appearance.

“You try to tell them, ‘whatever you think it is, it’s a million times different,’” Payton said. “Like, the first five minutes playing in that game, your feet are floating. You’re really not present. It’s hard. I got lectured about it.”

Payton, referring likely mentor to Bill Parcells, said he was told to have something basic to start the game with.

“The very first play we ran slant, belly,” Payton said. “Two weeks later he said to me, ‘You had two weeks to prepare for that and you ran a freakin’ slant?

“It’s like any time you want someone to see a movie or go to a restaurant or experience something. That’s the thing that was so difficult getting that close. … There are so many great players in our league that have never even been to one.”

He wasn’t done.

“And I’ve been a part of a team that lost one and that’s traumatic, now. We played the Ravens and didn’t score a touchdown. We had a kick return for a touchdown. And we go back to the party and there’s my mom saying, ‘you were magnificent tonight.’ And you’re like, ‘No. I wasn’t.’ And you get shooed off the field.”

Payton has said since July he thinks this 2025 Broncos team can compete for a Super Bowl title. He’s believed it perhaps longer than anybody else on the planet.

Players bought in quickly. Reporters, analysts, fans all came along at varying speeds and maybe a few still don’t think it’s possible.

But Denver is two wins at Empower Field away from getting its shot.

“We’re in this thing,” Payton said. “We’ve got great respect. The field will be tough.”

3. Broncos players are off until Friday but at least one coach (and maybe more) will likely have a busy week interviewing for other jobs.

Part of Denver’s win and perch with the No. 1 seed is that it will impact the potential interview schedule for anybody who might get a look for head coaching vacancies around the NFL.
That, of course, likely includes Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. He interviewed for jobs last year and once again oversaw a terrific defense this year.

There’s also a chance quarterbacks coach Davis Webb gets interviews as teams survey a potential pool that is heavy on defensive coaches and features fewer true offensive assistants.

Because the Broncos have a bye week, teams with head coaching vacancies can request interviews with Denver assistants as soon as mid-week. Those interviews would happen virtually and must be completed by the time Wild Card weekend ends.

Then subsequent interviews can take place either once the Broncos are eliminated from the playoffs or, if Denver makes the Super Bowl, on the bye week between the conference title game and Super Bowl week in the Bay Area.

Broncos defensive players have had nothing but effusive praise for Joseph.

“He deserves every opportunity in the world,” inside linebacker Alex Singleton told The Post on Sunday night. “I think he’s one of the best coaches in the world. The best coach in the world. He deserves every opportunity.”

Singleton joked that he’s a free agent after the season, so if Joseph gets a job it may not be the end of the road for the two as a pair.

“We win three and he can come get his boy,” Singleton said with a smile.

Webb told The Post during the week he hasn’t given much thought to what might be ahead, though he’s among the most well-thought-of young coaches in the league. He acknowledged, though, that he wants to be in the business for a long time.

“Well, I retired to hopefully do that kind of stuff or else I would have kept playing for another five years,” he said. “But in the same breath, I’ve got plenty to worry about (Week 18) and then hopefully a long playoff run. So, not really too (concerned). I mean, it will all work out.

“But I really enjoy my job here. I enjoy this quarterback room. This is fun and I love living here.”

As of Sunday night, the openings include the New York Giants, Tennessee and Atlanta. There are almost certainly more to open on what’s referred to as “Black Monday” in the NFL.

4. After a wild finish to the AFC North title game, the Broncos have four teams they can face at Empower Field on Divisional weekend. Here’s a quick look at each.

No. 4 Pittsburgh (10-7)

The Steelers got a late touchdown drive from 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers on Sunday night, then led by only two because of a missed extra point. Lamar Jackson led Baltimore to field goal range and then Tyler Loop missed a game-deciding field goal of his own.

Crazy ending.

The Steelers have been a bit up and down all year, but they’re a veteran group with a Hall of Fame quarterback and a coach who just keeps finding ways to win in Mike Tomlin.

Recently: Pittsburgh’s won four of its past five, with the lone loss coming in Week 17 to Cleveland.

Strength: Experience on a defense that nearly collapsed late vs. Baltimore but features edge rushers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, defensive lineman Cam Heywerd and defensive back Jalen Ramsey. That group has given up points and yards this season but entered Sunday having taken the ball away 27 times, too.

No. 5 Houston (12-5)

The Texans roll into the playoffs on an incredible run but having come up short in the AFC South because Jacksonville’s also been on a mega heater. They snuck out a win Sunday against Indianapolis that ultimately wouldn’t have mattered because the Jags won the division, but all the same this is a group that has offensive firepower and a ferocious defense.

Recently: Well, the Texans have won nine in a row. In fact, they haven’t lost since dropping an 18-15 home game to Denver on Nov. 1. The Texans played most of that game without quarterback C.J. Stroud, who was knocked out early due to a concussion.

Strength: A terrific defense orchestrated by head coach DeMeco Ryans. Houston has one of the league’s best pass-rushes, led by outside linebackers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson. It has a terrific secondary topped by All-Pro corner Derek Stingley Jr. and safeties Calen Bullock and K’Von Wallace. They entered Week 18 No. 1 in the NFL in scoring, total defense, first downs allowed and a host of other metrics.

No. 6 Buffalo (12-5)

The Bills rested a bunch of guys in Week 18 and still steamrolled the New York Jets. Really. Mitchell Trubisky threw four touchdowns in a regular season game.

Recently: Buffalo’s won five of its past six, the lone loss coming in a one-point loss against Philadelphia. Buffalo fell behind the Patriots early in the season and could never catch up in the AFC East, but Sean McDermott’s team is playing good football and can run the ball with the best in the NFL.

Strength: Easy. They have the big, bad wolf. That’s quarterback Josh Allen. With the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow watching the playoffs from home this year, Allen is the best and most decorated player in the AFC postseason field.

He’s an MVP. He’s a proven game-changer. He’s not been to a Super Bowl and, despite the low seed, might not have a better chance. The Bills will have to do it on the road beginning in Jacksonville, but it’s hard to count Allen out.

No. 7 L.A. Chargers

Not much needs to be said here. The teams just played, albeit without quarterback Justin Herbert and company. They’d pushed hard to get to the doorstep of playing for an AFC West title, but fell short in Week 17 against Houston and settled for playing for health in Week 18 rather than to improve seed.

Recently: Justin Herbert put a beleaguered offensive line on his back and led the Chargers to seven wins in eight games before the club dropped its final two games.

Strength: Herbert and head coach Jim Harbaugh. Those guys can give the Chargers confidence against anybody in the field — including the Patriots next weekend — and when Herbert plays, Harbaugh has not yet lost to the Broncos.

5. One thought after a rough offensive outing: Perhaps it will be a Jaleel McLaughlin Playoffs for the Broncos.

For the first time since J.K. Dobbins’ injury, a running back besides rookie RJ Harvey started for Denver. That was only a nominal development, since Harvey came in for Jaleel McLaughlin after one snap.

What happened after that, however, felt substantial.

McLaughlin churned out 41 yards on six carries and added a 17-yard reception. That’s 58 total yards of offense on seven touches.
Harvey, meanwhile, plugged ahead for 28 yards on 15 carries, his least productive outing since taking over the starting role when Dobbins was hurt in early November. He caught one pass on four targets for 5 yards and dropped one, too.

Denver, for better and for worse, knows essentially what it has in McLaughlin. He’s got burst but he’s slight. He’ll create chunk plays but isn’t a home run hitter. He profiles like a good pass-catcher but really hasn’t been an efficient one in his career.

What he’s done consistently the past two months, though, is give the Broncos a spark whenever he’s in the game.

McLaughlin is up to 5.1 yards per carry on the season.

He’s still seeing reps in line with being the No. 2 back, but come the playoffs, it’ll be interesting to see if Payton and company give him a bigger work load or perhaps are at least willing to ride the hot hand if he continues to out-produce Harvey.

6. It’s mostly a conversation for another day, but the Broncos’ decision-making at inside linebacker this offseason is going to be very interesting

Singleton, as he mentioned Sunday night, is a free agent after the season. So, too, is Justin Strnad. Veteran Dre Greenlaw is in the first of a three-year deal with Denver but the way the contract is structured, it wouldn’t be too painful for the Broncos to get out of it if they decide the continued injury risk is not worth the squeeze going forward.

Cutting Greenlaw would save more than $6.8 million on on Denver’s cap in 2026 and incur about $3.3 million in dead cap space, according to Over the Cap.

They’ve got young, developing players at the position, too. The most interesting name there is rookie Jordan Turner, who has been good on special teams and pops every time he gets any kind of clean-up action late in games.

The most notable development through the regular season, though, is Strnad’s emergence. He has played high-quality football and has turned himself into a real, starting-caliber NFL player.

Strnad rolls into the playoffs with 4.5 sacks to his name. He had a team-best seven tackles (tied with Singleton) on Sunday and 57 total tackles.

Strnad played starter snaps on the weakside the first six weeks of the season with Greenlaw out due to a quad injury, then did a stint on the bench. He then wore the green dot and played Mike for a week when Alex Singleton was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November. Then he went back to the bench. Now he’s playing heavy snaps on the weak side again with Greenlaw out due to a hamstring injury.

A year ago, Cody Barton got $7 million per year in free agency after a year in Denver.

Strnad’s playing better football now than Barton did at any point last year. He’s in line for a nice payday. Singleton’s been the primary play caller for Joseph for three seasons. Greenlaw, when healthy, is a force in the run game and has a history of being good in coverage. But he’s not been healthy often.

Does Denver move forward with only one of the three? Maybe two? It’s difficult to see all three back and it’s become more and more difficult to imagine the Broncos let Strnad wear a different uniform next year.

7a. The turnovers showed up Sunday for Denver’s defense. Now, can they keep it rolling in the postseason?

The Broncos’ defense hasn’t had the kind of high-flying season it did a year ago when it comes to putting points on the board, but they did their job Sunday in the team’s clinching win. The only touchdown of Denver’s day came in the first quarter when nickel Ja’Quan McMillian intercepted Los Angeles quarterback Trey Lance off a tipped ball and ran it back for a touchdown. It was just the defense’s 13th takeaway of the season and the first time Vance Joseph’s group has scored this year. That’s in substantial contrast to a year ago when the Broncos defense scored five touchdown and added a pair of safeties for 39 total points.

This one was well-timed, though, considering it came on a day in which the Denver offense did almost nothing. Denver’s mounted a 15-play drive to open the game that ended in an field goal and after that their next seven drives resulted in just four first downs and another field goal. Wil Lutz’s third conversion of the night came thanks to the defense again when a strip sack from outside linebacker Nik Bonitto set up the Broncos at L.A.’s 20-yard line. The offense went backward two yards.

Remarkably, when rookie DL Sai’Vion Jones jumped on the fumble Bonitto forced, it was the defense’s first fumble recovery since Week 1.

7b. Nik Bonitto finished the regular season with a flurry and Denver’s sack record will be difficult to ever top.

With 1.5 sacks in the Broncos’ regular-season finale, finished the season with a career-high 14.

The star edge rusher had gone quiet down the stretch, playing three straight games without a sack. Though he hadn’t actually sacked a quarterback in a while, Bonitto did record an 18% pressure rate in that stretch, which was not terribly far off his 19.4% mark entering Week 18.

Against the Chargers, Bonitto could have had even more. He had quarterback Trey Lance right in his sights and hit him squarely, only to have the quarterback bounce off him and take off toward the sideline.

Still, the flurry sends Bonitto into the bye week on a high note.

The Broncos as a whole, meanwhile, finished the regular season with a franchise record 68 sacks. They broke their own mark from last year in Week 17 and built on it with four sacks Sunday to close out the regular season. Zach Allen chipped in with half a sack and the other two came from a pair of role players who have had really solid seasons: Strnad (4.5 sacks) and DL Eyioma Uwazurike (3.5).

7c. A pair of Payton-related statistical quick-hitters to wrap this thing.

* Payton won 14 regular-season games for the first time in his career.

* He’s just the fifth coach to lead two different teams to a No. 1 seed in the postseason. The others: Andy Reid, Mike Holmgren, Marty Schottenheimer and Tom Caughlin.