Photos: Phoenix Mercury Vs. Chicago Sky

CHICAGO — This was already going to be a difficult road trip for the Colorado Avalanche, with the two teams ahead of them in the Central Division standings looming. Losing to the club at the bottom of the division certainly didn’t help. Colorado created plenty, but Petr Mrazek made 36 saves to help the Chicago Blackhawks upset the Avs, 3-1, Wednesday night at United Center.

As wildfires raged in the Los Angeles area on Wednesday, the Clippers were in Denver, attempting to focus on a basketball game that coach Ty Lue emphasized was secondary to the safety of friends and family back home. “It’s hard to put things like this behind you when so many people are affected, but it’s something we’ve gotta try to do tonight,” Lue said before opening tip against the Nuggets at Ball Arena.

The Broncos’ route to their first playoff berth since 2015 took them through highs and lows from coast to coast. They lost in Seattle and won in Tampa. They spent a week in West Virginia and played Thursday night on the road twice. They ripped through Sean Payton’s old division, sweeping four games against the NFC South. They won three or more straight twice, lost back-to-back twice and ultimately clinched a spot in the AFC Wild Card round on the final day of the regular season. Along the way, Bo Nix and company turned a low-expectation season into a 10-win success story.

Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler was named Colorado Sportswriter of the Year for 2024 by the National Sports Media Association on Tuesday. It marked the first time Keeler has won the award and 15th time a Denver Post writer was honored by NSMA in the last 17 years. Voted on by peers, the award was given to Keeler for his columns covering Deion Sanders’ CU Buffs football program, Travis Hunter’s historic run to the Heisman Trophy, the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup playoff run and much more. “Whether it’s Coach Prime’s Buffs or the state track and field championships, Sean works tirelessly to find unique stories and perspectives regardless of the assignment,” The Post’s sports editor Matt Schubert said.

Josh Allen isn’t just difficult to sack. He’s taken fewer than any quarterback in football this year. The Buffalo star has been sacked just 14 times on the season, putting the Bills eight clear of Green Bay, the second-best team in that department. The Broncos aren’t just good at sacking opposing quarterbacks. They’ve generated more than any team in football this year. Denver’s balanced attack led by Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper has a franchise-record 63 sacks on the season, nine more than any other team in football. That makes Allen and the Bills’ offensive front against Denver’s front seven one of the central points of tension Sunday when the teams square off in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. If Buffalo can keep Denver’s disruptive defense at bay, the Broncos are in for a long afternoon.

It’s all love between Von Miller and the Broncos. In preparation to face his former team in the Wild Card round on Sunday, Buffalo’s veteran edge rusher doesn’t want to act like he has hatred toward Denver. The franchise still holds a special place in his heart. “I’ve had two days to really think about it, and it’s all love,” Miller told reporters in Buffalo on Wednesday.