Even Snakes roll snake eyes. As a Broncos quarterback, Jake Plummer went 3-3 in one-score games during the 2004 regular season. In 2005, Jake The Snake improved to 5-2 in those tilts. Plummer followed that up with a 3-5 record in one-score games during 2006.

Down. Up. Down. Close wins in the NFL, year-to-year, are about as consistently reliable as New Jersey Transit.

“You can’t coach clutch,” Plummer texted me Tuesday. “It’s either in your blood, or it isn’t.”

The Bo-lief is strong enough in Broncos Country right now to bench press a F-450 Super Duty. Bo Nix is 24-10 as a Broncos QB1 in regular-season tussles, 25-11 overall. He’s 13-8 in games decided by eight points or fewer as an NFL starter, and went 12-2 last fall.

The Broncos put up a mark of 11-2 in one-score games in 2025, tying an NFL record for one-score victories (11) in a season. Nix replaced Patrick Mahomes as the NFL’s Comeback King. Before the madness of Sean Payton’s fourth-down call in the AFC Championship, Denver had a method.

“The ones that have it, you can see it in their eyes,” Plummer continued. “It permeates the whole situation and something akin to faith!”

Faith is contagious.

Fortune is fickle.

Why did Denver trade for Jaylen Waddle?

Why are fans clamoring for another hammer at tailback to pair with J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey?

Why do they want more speed at inside linebacker, someone who can run with tight ends up the seam?

Because history doesn’t say 11 one-score victories is hard to repeat.

History says it’s nearly impossible.

Over the last five decades, only five NFL teams have won 10 or more one-score games in a season — the Broncos became the newest member of that club last December.

When it comes to prospects, much of the attention at Seattle Mariners camp went shortstop Colt Emerson and pitchers Kade Anderson and Rylan Sloan.

Drayer: The state of the Mariners as camp breaks for opening day

Those are the top three prospects in the organization according to must publications, and each could end up impacting the big league club at some point this season, especially Emerson and Anderson.

Outfielder Lazaro Montes, however, had a quieter spring. The 21-year-old went just 4 for 25 (.160 average) with two doubles, an RBI, a walk and 10 strikeouts over 11 spring training games. But he did end things on a high note during Seattle’s Spring Breakout game against Milwaukee last Friday, going 3 for 3 with two RBIs and a stolen bases (those stats didn’t count towards his spring totals).

Montes is the Mariners’ fourth-ranked prospect and No. 43 league-wide, according to MLB Pipeline. Jim Callis, a senior writer for MLB.com, recently shared his assessment of the slugging Cuban outfielder with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob.

“There aren’t many minor leaguers who have more power than him,” Callis said. “He hits the ball hard, he hits it far.”

During his age-20 season in 2025, Montes was tied for third in the minor leagues with 32 home runs across all levels. He hit 18 during a 67-game stint with High-A Everett and 14 in 64 games after making the jump to Double-A Arkansas and playing in the pitcher friendly environment of the Texas League. However, Montes had a 29% strikeout rate across both levels, including 30.5% in Double-A.

“He’s a pretty precocious power hitting prospect,” Callis said. “There’s some swing and miss there. (He’s) always gonna be a power-over-hit guy. He’s not a big runner, so he’s more of a left field-DH type. He does have a strong arm. But his power is tremendous.”

Montes’ high-power, low-contact profile and limited abilities in the field make him a potential boom-or-bust prospect whose value will be completely dependent on his bat in the eyes of most experts. That makes Montes different from the other touted prospects the M’s have had in recent years, but it’s also something Callis likes for the organization.

“That’s another reason I like the Mariners’ system is you gotta a little bit of everything,” he said. “We talked about Anderson and Sloan. We talked about Colt Emerson, he’s one of the best pure hitters in the minors. And Laz Montes is one of the best power hitters in the minors. His raw power is near the top of the scale.”

Hear the full conversation here or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

More on the Seattle Mariners

• M’s dust off a classic in latest commercial featuring Cal Raleigh
• Highlights: Seattle Mariners’ big names end spring training on high notes
• Where things stand with Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller
• Arozarena says he apologized, Raleigh says WBC drama ‘in the past’
• Seattle Mariners make five more roster moves as opening day nears

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