Comment on Pitt Preview: Panthers looking to take the next step

SAN JOSE — The high-flying, supercharged Colorado Avalanche did not show up Sunday at SAP Center, but Justus Annunen made sure that version of the club wasn’t needed. Annunen made 25 saves, including a few key ones while the Avs were clearly on the back foot, and Colorado defeated a plucky San Jose Sharks outfit, 4-1.

Most might overlook the play, but it exemplified Tremon Smith’s value to the Broncos’ special teams. Lined up as a gunner for the punt return unit in Week 5’s matchup against the Raiders, the 28-year-old cornerback backpedaled down the field while staying in front of cornerback Darnay Holmes. When Marvin Mims Jr.

The Nuggets are getting close to having their top-nine rotation players healthy and available for the season-opener. Peyton Watson was a full participant in practice Sunday for the first time “in close to five weeks now,” coach Michael Malone said. The 22-year-old forward sustained a soft-tissue hamstring injury a few days before training camp, forcing him to miss all five of Denver’s preseason games. The Nuggets are still planning on Watson being available for opening night, Thursday at Ball Arena against the Oklahoma City Thunder. “We’ll see how that injury and how that muscle reacts to what he did today,” Malone said Sunday.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Nikola Jokic was running late. He famously detests calling attention to himself, but there was no time to wait for a convenient moment. By the time he and two teammates made it through Dubai traffic, it was already the second quarter. So the 6-foot-11 center sauntered out to the sideline during live play, shaking a few hands and taking a court-side seat to the left of Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke as the crowd stirred. A few seconds later, while two children eagerly approached Jokic, his former team fell behind 28-18, its largest deficit. Goran Cakic and Misko Raznatovic had feared this.

The Broncos have shown a willingness to take care of their own. Ahead of the 2024 season, the organization signed cornerback Pat Surtain II and right guard Quinn Meinerz to large contract extensions, making them two of the highest-paid players at their respective positions. So, who should be the next Denver player to land a long-term deal? Outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper is certainly making a case.

TUCSON, Ariz. — Shilo Sanders would have preferred playing a great game against Kansas State on Oct. 12 at Folsom Field, but he didn’t. Colorado’s senior safety had a miserable game that night, but the real trial came after. He spent a week hearing about it from every corner of social media.