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Don’t take the wag out of the puppy’s tail. Nobody wants Sean Payton to become too conservative with Bo Nix. He needs enough leash to make plays. However, there remains a middle ground where the coach trusts Nix, while the quarterback regains his rhythm. By any measure, Nix has exceeded expectations this season with 20 passing touchdowns, making him only the second Broncos quarterback to reach this mark since 2014. The Broncos have their franchise quarterback.

The Broncos are a win away from reaching the playoffs for the first time since the Peyton Manning era. After a 31-13 win over the Colts on Sunday, Denver moved into the No. 6 spot in the AFC. Here’s a look at the current playoff picture entering NFL Week 14, as well as scenarios for Denver to clinch a postseason berth: NFC playoff picture Who’s in if the playoffs started today: Detroit Lions (12-2) — Clinched Philadelphia Eagles (12-2) — Clinched Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6) — 83% probability to reach playoffs, per NFL.com. Los Angeles Rams (8-6) — 54% Minnesota Vikings (12-2) — Clinched Green Bay Packers (10-4) — >99% Washington Commanders (9-5) — 78% In the hunt: Seattle Seahawks (8-6) — 36% Atlanta Falcons (7-7) — 35% Arizona Cardinals (7-7) — 13% Not mathematically eliminated: San Francisco 49ers (6-8) — <1% Dallas Cowboys (6-8) — <1% New Orleans Saints (6-8) — <1% Better luck next year: Chicago Bears (4-10), Carolina Panthers (3-11), New York Giants (2-12). AFC playoff picture Who’s in if the playoffs started today: Kansas City Chiefs (13-1) — Clinched Buffalo Bills (11-3) — Clinched Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4) — Clinched Houston Texans (9-5) — Clinched Baltimore Ravens (9-5) — >99% Denver Broncos (9-5) — 91% Los Angeles Chargers (8-6) — 86% In the hunt: Indianapolis Colts (6-8) — 11% Miami Dolphins (6-8) — 12% Cincinnati Bengals (6-8) — 8% Better luck next year: New York Jets (4-10), Cleveland Browns (3-11), Jacksonville Jaguars (3-11), Tennessee Titans (3-11), New England Patriots (3-11) and Las Vegas Raiders (2-12). How the Broncos can clinch a playoff spot Win or tie one of their three remaining games: This would guarantee Denver a better record than either the Bengals, Colts or Dolphins. The Bengals AND the Dolphins each have at least a tie or a loss in their remaining games: Denver would have the better record.

Colorado State and Utah State have filed a lawsuit saying the Mountain West is engaging in “extraordinary and unauthorized actions” to penalize the five schools leaving the conference for the Pac-12. Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Utah State announced in September they planned to join the Pac-12 in 2026.

No team takes the field and tries to get off to a slow start. In Thursday night games, though, a fast start isn’t just preferred. It’s critical. Broncos coach Sean Payton noted before his team’s first Thursday night game — Week 7 at New Orleans — that teams leading at halftime on Thursday nights win a disproportionate number of games. This week, in a potential clinching matchup against a division rival with whom Denver is jockeying for postseason position, that message is getting hammered home. The Los Angeles Chargers have been a fast-starting team this year in general.

A woman was shot and injured by police in northeast Colorado Springs on Tuesday afternoon after she allegedly pointed a gun at officers during a domestic disturbance, officials said. A resident in the 5600 block of Buckskin Pass Drive called 911 at around 2:58 p.m. and told dispatchers his ex-girlfriend was ringing the doorbell and “excessively knocking,” the Colorado Springs Police Department said in a post on X.  Officers knew the woman often carried a gun and attempted to contact her as she walked away from the area.

Denver is on the cusp of getting its first professional women’s sports team since the late 1990s. The National Women’s Soccer League is in the closing stages of adding Denver as the league’s 16th franchise, a source close to the negotiations confirmed to The Denver Post on Tuesday. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because negotiations are not yet complete. The winning bid group, publicly known as “For Denver FC,” beat out fellow finalists cities Cincinnati and Cleveland to secure the expansion franchise.