The Frame: Hunting For "the Hobbit" (pics)

In the latest edition of the Nuggets Ink podcast, beat writer Bennett Durando and sports editor Matt Schubert reconvene as the calendar flips to 2025 with a Denver rout of Atlanta. Among the topics discussed: Jamal Murray’s annual slow start to the season appears to finally be in the rearview mirror.

Rick George saved CU football by hiring Deion Sanders. Now comes the hard part: keeping him. Sanders made CU relevant over the past two seasons, turning a one-win team into one of the most-watched programs in college football. The Buffs finished 9-4 this season and were tied atop the Big 12 standings until BYU skunked them in the Alamo Bowl.

By BRETT MARTEL NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish found the right balance of family and football to produce a memorable performance under unprecedented, emotionally trying circumstances. Riley Leonard passed for a touchdown, Jayden Harrison returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score, and Notre Dame’s defense made it hold up in a 23-10 victory over No.

Perhaps more than any player in the NBA today, Michael Porter Jr. is the actualization of positional size, a basketball principle that drives front offices such as Denver’s. He’s a “small forward” only in title, towering over most wings with a 6-foot-10 stature that doubles the potency of his 3-pointer. There is no such thing as a contested shot for Porter, who’s 42% from the perimeter this season. Atlanta’s Trae Young represents the polar opposite of positional size.

A teenager was injured after falling 30 feet into a decommissioned missile silo north of Watkins on New Year’s Day, according to South Metro Fire Rescue officials. First responders were called around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday to a property in the 4500 block of South Imboden Road after a group of three people – two teenagers and an adult – were messing around with the lid of the missile silo and one of the teenagers fell in, said South Metro spokesperson Brian Willie. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | One injured in house fire near Cherry Creek State Park Crime and Public Safety | Two workers rescued from trench at Centennial construction site Crime and Public Safety | Northbound South University Boulevard reopens after crash Crime and Public Safety | Man arrested after running person over in Littleton, fleeing the scene The boy’s fall was broken by about 4 feet of water at the bottom of the silo, and he was able to stand with his head above water while a team of two rescuers used a rope system to reach him, stabilize him and get him out.

Denver’s defense achieved a significant milestone, and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph wanted to make sure his players understood it. The Broncos have set the franchise record for most sacks in a single season with 58. They accomplished the feat after totaling seven sacks in their 30-24 overtime loss to the Bengals last week in Cincinnati.