Box: Highland 47, Centralia, Illinois 41

As the longest-tenured current Broncos player, Garett Bolles is keenly aware of the rocky road the franchise took from its Super Bowl 50 victory to this year’s playoff appearance. And even in the wake of a humbling 31-7 wild card defeat to Buffalo, Bolles believes the Broncos’ arrow is pointing up, with a primary reason for that optimism being the experience and cohesion of the offensive line. “(Sunday) was a game none of us wanted to be a part of,” Bolles said.

By DAVID BRANDT GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Los Angeles Rams made themselves at home on Monday night for their NFL wild-card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings — even if their adopted stadium featured an unusual amount of red and was about 700 miles east of their regular venue. The NFC West champion Rams were the home team for the matchup with the Minnesota Vikings at State Farm Stadium, home of the division rival Arizona Cardinals.

Coach Sean Payton raged at Vance Joseph on the sideline in Buffalo. But even after the Bills stampeded the Broncos in the second half of a 31-7 loss at Highmark Stadium on Sunday, the 35,000-foot view still tells us the defense is not Denver’s problem. If the Broncos are going to take the next step in the AFC, they will go only as far as Bo Nix takes them. That means they should be a Super Bowl contender next season.

So many players were on the ice at Colorado Avalanche practice Monday that callup Jason Polin didn’t have a stall in the team’s locker room. In total, eight players who hadn’t been available two days ago when the Avs played in Winnipeg were on the ice at Family Sports Center. Goaltender Scott Wedgewood, activated from injured reserve Sunday, went through practice and will be available to either start or back up Tuesday against the New York Rangers. Wedgewood sustained what looked like a serious ankle/foot injury Jan.

The Broncos have a big chunk of their defensive core already under contract for 2025. The biggest free agent decision to make: Defensive tackle D. J. Jones. Jones turns 30 next week and just played the final season of a three-year, $30 million deal he signed before the 2022 season. He turned in a season typical of an interior defensive lineman in 2024: Impressive, but under the radar. Now he said he’s unsure of what the next step in his career looks like. “It’s up to God, man,” Jones told The Denver Post on Friday.

The Broncos’ season is over, but hiring season is just ramping up. Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is set to interview with the Las Vegas Raiders for their open head coaching job, a source confirmed to The Post on Monday morning. Joseph, 52, is also slated to interview for the New York Jets later this week. Both the Raiders and the Jets are also in the midst of general manager searches, too.