The Denver Broncos enter Week 17 in playoff mode. With a road tilt vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, the Broncos are in a do-or-die situation.

Nine wins is nice. Delivering the first winning season since 2016 isn’t nothing. But it’s a far cry from a playoff berth.

Win just one more game and you’re in. The playoffs await. The Bengals are even more playoff-desperate, though.

How will this game shake out? Let’s go around the table to see how the Mile High Huddle staff envisions this one shaking out.

Scott Kennedy (@ScoutKennedy) 12-3: Any inclement weather probably hurts the Bengals’ passing game more than it hurts the Broncos offense. Cincinnati has done a better job this season of protecting Joe Burrow, but they’re still only about league average in sacks allowed (18th, 37 sacks allowed). With more to play for, Denver leans on its pass rush and running game to get the win and clinch a playoff spot. 

Pick: Broncos 24, Bengals 20

Bob Morris (@BobMorrisSports) 11-4: The Bengals have won three in a row but all against teams who are out of the playoffs. This isn’t to say they’re a pushover but the Bengals haven’t been beating top teams recently. The offense is very good but the defense is not good. The key for the Broncos is to execute on offense. Do that and the Broncos will secure a playoff berth. Here’s betting they do.

Pick: Broncos 27, Bengals 24

Nick Kendell (@NickKendellMHH) 10-5: The Broncos defense has fallen dramatically over the last month. Improbable turnovers and defensive touchdowns have kept the unit afloat while the overall defensive output has faded. Fortunately for the Broncos Riley Moss will be back this week. Will that be enough for the defense to springboard back into a top 5 unit or will their recent play of mediocrity continue against one of the best offenses in football in Cincinnati? Time for Sean Payton and Bo Nix to step upand clinch that playoff berth.

Pick: Broncos 34, Bengals 27

Thomas Hall (@ThomasHallNFL) 10-5: Denver is going to take Broncos Country down to the playoff wire. The Broncos will be in a must-win situation in the final week of the season to punch their ticket to the postseason. The defense hasn’t been playing like it did earlier in the season and the offense has become afraid to be aggressive which spells disaster against a Bengals team still in the hunt.

Pick: Bengals 27, Broncos 20

James Campbell (@JamesC_MHH) 10-5: The Broncos have had a brilliant season which has defied expectations but face an exceedingly difficult task against the Bengals. In this one, Burrow cements his MVP credentials by carving up the Broncos’ secondary, with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins providing a very difficult matchup for Denver’s secondary despite Moss’ return. The Broncos should have their wins against the Bengals’ defense, in the air and on the ground so if there is any chance of a win for the good guys, it will come from generating long, clock-consuming drives that keep Burrow on the sideline.

Pick: Bengals 38, Broncos 24

Zack Kelberman (@KelbermanNFL) 10-5: Conflicted, I am. This game truly could go either way considering the Bengals’ ultra-potent offense and Denver’s regressing defense (which will get a boost with the return of Moss). Bad weather or not, this needs to be a situation where the Broncos’ offense does the heavy lifting — at least enough to combat Burrow, Chase, and company. Surely the Broncos can, and the team won’t blow another chance to lock up a playoff berth, right? I still ‘Bolieve.’

Pick: Broncos 20, Bengals 17

Dylan Von Arx (@DylanVonArxMHH) 10-5: The Broncos absolutely need a win on Saturday but it will be no easy task as Burrow is red-hot the past few games. The Denver defense will have its hands full guarding against Higgins and Chase but the Bengals defense is criminally bad. If the Broncos defense can get a few key turnovers, they’ll be back in the playoffs for the first time in forever.

Pick: Broncos 24, Cincinnati 20

Lance Sanderson (@LanceS_MHH) 10-5: We’re about to find out exactly how important Moss is to this defense. Burrow and Chase are shredding defenses this season, and Higgins is no slouch. Denver’s defense is in for a big fight, and despite the reminder on his call sheet, Payton hates running the football. This is a recipe for disaster, especially on the road with inclement weather.

Pick: Bengals 31, Broncos 21

Keith Cummings (@KeithC_NFL) 9-6: The biggest game since Super Bowl 50 dawns on the Broncos as they give off some desperate vibes. Maybe it’s the kick to the ribs the Broncos require, throwing away opportunities cannot happen again. It doesn’t. When they need it the most, Patrick Surtain II makes a fourth-quarter house call to seal the Broncos playoff spot.

Pick: Broncos 31, Bengals 24

Ron White (@RonWhiteNFL) 9-6: Although the Bengals defense is below average, the offense can go blow for blow with any of the top units in the league. This game comes down to the Broncos defense: Pressuring Burrow, limiting Chase and Higgins, and creating turnovers. Expect them to respond from last week’s collapse and get a hard fought win.

Pick: Broncos 28, Bengals 24

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Chad Jensen (@ChadNJensen) 9-6: I definitely ‘Bolieve.’ But the Broncos’ lack of second-half intensity and execution in a playoff-clinching opportunity disappointed me greatly. Payton’s lack of self-awareness as a play caller was disappointing, and I’m not convinced that Moss’s return will be the antitode to assuaging the Broncos’ precipitous defensive backslide. Burrow is out for blood, up against the wall with a slim chance of staying alive, so he’ll be out for blood. The Broncos definitely don’t want to leave their playoff destiny up to a showdown vs. the Kansas City JV team, but that’s what it comes down to.

Pick: Bengals 27, Broncos 24

Mike Evans (@MHHEvans) 8-7: The Broncos’ playoff hopes ride on their ability to dominate the turnover battle in a pivotal matchup with the Bengals. Denver’s third-ranked defense is primed to make the difference. Look for a late-game interception from Surtain or Brandon Jones to swing the momentum. Add in the Bengals’ 19th-ranked defense, and it’s easy to see the Broncos exploiting if they can generate a competent run game.

Pick: Broncos 27, Bengals 24

Luke Patterson (@LukePattersonLP) 8-7: Saturday’s game in Cincinatti will be the defining contest of Denver’s 2024 regular season. Should Nix and Payton will their team to victory, they’ll have surpassed all expectations for this season with a playoff berth. But if I’m being honest, I think that Denver is still one season away from being as dangerous as this Burrow/Trey Hendrickson-led Bengals squad, playing at home in sloppy weather. Hope I’m wrong.

Pick: Bengals 31, Broncos 24

Carl Dumler (@CarlDumlerMHH) 8-7: Vance Joseph took responsibility for the defensive struggles over this past month and is getting back one of the most important pieces of the defense with the return of Moss. The Bengals have been an offensive force but this is a game the Broncos get a great game out of the defense. Payton finally follows his play sheet, calling for the offense to commit to the run and the Broncos win a close one to clinch their place in the playoffs finally.

Pick: Broncos 27, Bengals 21

Erick Trickel (@ErickTrickel) 8-7: The Broncos make fans’ christmas wishes come true by beating the Bengals on the road the clinch a playoff spot. The offense bounces back after a rough few weeks, as does the defense. Surtain locks up Chase and the Broncos’ pass rush rattles Burrow and gets pressure as they go back to being an aggressive man-coverage team with Moss back in the lineup. The Broncos are playoff bound!

Pick: Broncos 31, Bengals 16

Kenneth Booker (@kenneth_MHH) 6-9: If Denver’s scoring defense returns to form, it has a solid chance of securing a victory. The Broncos need to apply relentless pressure on Burrow and, with Moss returning, they have a pair of cornerbacks capable of matching up against the Bengals’ talented wide receivers. Look for the Broncos to have a statement game against the Bengals as they lock up their first postseason appearance since 2015.

Pick: Broncos 34, Bengals  20

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A passenger without a ticket, a stowaway, was found on board a Delta Air Lines flight as it was about to fly from Seattle to Honolulu on Christmas Eve.

Delta Flight 487, an Airbus A321neo aircraft scheduled to depart Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for Honolulu on Dec. 24, was stopped while the plane was taxiing on a runway when the unticketed passenger, who was not identified, was discovered, according to the airline.

The aircraft returned to the gate, where the passenger was ultimately arrested.

“As there are no matters more important than safety and security, Delta people followed procedures to have an unticketed passenger removed from the flight and then apprehended,” the airline said in a statement. “We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels and thank them for their patience and cooperation.”

Travel news: How did a body end up in the wheel well of United Airlines plane? Here’s what we know so far

Passenger boarded flight without a ticket

The Port of Seattle Police Department told USA TODAY that the passenger entered the airport the day before boarding the flight, on the evening of Dec. 23.

According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the unidentified passenger passed through standard screening procedures and did not possess any prohibited items, but “bypassed the identity verification and boarding status stations,” and was able to board the aircraft without a boarding pass.

The TSA said that the incident was still under investigation.

After passing through TSA security, officials with the Port of Seattle said that the passenger had “also gained access to the loading bridge without a scanned ticket at the gate.”

Delta also said in a statement that “the unticketed passenger boarded the flight at the gate without presenting a boarding pass.”

Port of Seattle police said that once the aircraft returned to the gate, the unticketed passenger managed to exit the plane, but was later found in an airport terminal restroom.

The unticketed passenger was arrested for criminal trespass and booked into the South Correctional Entity jail in Des Moines, Washington, according to police.

Delta said that the flight was ultimately delayed for 2 hours and 15 minutes while TSA personnel conducted additional security checks. Port of Seattle police also swept the aircraft and terminal with K9 dogs.

Another stowaway caught on a Delta flight last month

The incident comes a month after a woman was found on board a Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Paris without a ticket.

Cour documents from the arraignment of Svetlana Dali show that she managed to get through TSA security screening at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Nov. 26 by “entering through a special lane for airline employees masked by a large Air Europa flight crew.”

Dali was then able to board a Delta flight without presenting a boarding pass before she was eventually discovered after the plane had taken off.

On Dec. 16, Dali was arrested in Buffalo, New York on a bus bound for Canada, having cut off her ankle monitor.

Max Hauptman is a Trending Reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at MHauptman@gannett.com.