Avalanche Stars Nathan Mackinnon, Mikko Rantanen Are Producing, But Shooting Less So Far This Season

Vance Joseph wasn’t coaching on his terms and Denver’s run defense paid a price. In his first season back in Denver, the Broncos defensive coordinator thought it was best to do things that were similar to what players did under the previous regime. Joseph’s plan, however, backfired. The Broncos gave up the third-most rushing yards in the league (137.1), the most yards per attempt (5.1) and 56 rushes for 10-plus yards, according to Next Gen Stats. Their performance against the Dolphins — 726 total yards allowed, including 350 on the ground — left a stain that was hard to wipe away. In the offseason, Joseph knew a philosophical change was needed.

There can be no more Hall passes. No more excuses. No more politics. The coach’s wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame cannot be taken seriously until Mike Shanahan is in it. The former Broncos legend advanced to the group of nine semifinalists on Thursday, with the blue-ribbon committee meeting on Nov.

Nathan MacKinnon set a franchise record last season with 140 points and is nearly producing at the same rate this year, despite the Avalanche having an apocalyptic rash of injuries and availability issues. The Avs are still a fantastic offensive team when he’s on the ice, generating great numbers of chances both at even strength and on the power play.

Baron Browning stays off social media for the most part. That’s good for sanity’s sake any time of the year, but particularly when the NFL trade deadline is on the horizon — to say nothing of the fact that it happens to fall on Election Day. Browning, the fourth-year Broncos outside linebacker, has been mentioned as a potential trade target by NFL Network and ESPN over the past week.

Arapahoe Basin will barely miss its customary October opening, but it will welcome skiers and riders on Saturday, Nov. 2, as will Keystone. Since 2002, A-Basin has failed to open in October only once. That was in 2020 when it opened on Nov. 9. Wolf Creek, which is located 250 miles from Denver in southern Colorado, was first to open this year on Oct.

Two-time Super Bowl-winning coaches Tom Coughlin, Mike Shanahan and George Seifert are among the nine semifinalists in the coaching category for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. One other Super Bowl winner, Mike Holmgren, also made the cut Thursday after voting by the Hall’s nine-member Blue Ribbon committee. The committee will meet Nov.