Playoff Clinching Scenarios For April 1, 2012

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 this feat after totaling seven sacks in their 30-24 overtime loss to the Bengals last week in Cincinnati.

Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin will not play Thursday night against the Buffalo Sabres and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Nichushkin missed the final 24-plus minutes two nights ago in a 5-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets because of the injury. Avs coach Jared Bednar said Nichuschkin won’t play against the Sabres and will be reevaluated but did note he could miss “seven to 10 days.” The Avs had their top-10 offensive players, save for captain Gabe Landeskog, at the start of the Winnipeg game.

The NWSL’s 16th team is headed to Denver for a record $110 million expansion fee, Sportico.com reported on Thursday. It’s more than double the previous NWSL record for new teams and the largest expansion fee ever in U. S. women’s sports. Groups from Cleveland and Cincinnati were also finalists for the new franchise. Sportico, citing anonymous sources because the details are private, reported that the Denver group had submitted its first payment to the league on Tuesday.

Scott Oberg, who made his mark with one of the gutsiest relief performances in Rockies history, has been hired as a special assistant in player development. Although the Rockies have not officially announced the hire, the club confirmed Thursday that Oberg will be a minor-league pitching coordinator. Oberg, 34, declined to comment about his new role until the Rockies make a formal announcement. For the last two seasons, the right-hander was a part-time pitching consultant.

Zach Allen is playing the best football of his career. He authored a dominant, 3.5-sack outing Saturday night at Cincinnati to raise his season total to 8.5. He’s been a constant on the field for the Broncos this fall, missing one game due to a heel injury but playing 90% of Denver’s defensive snaps in the other 15. RELATED: Broncos land three Pro Bowl starters When the fan voting portion of the Pro Bowl selection process wrapped on Dec.

When the Broncos defense has needed a big play this season, more often than not somebody has made one. RELATED: Broncos DL Zach Allen snubbed in Pro Bowl selection Nobody’s made more than cornerback Pat Surtain II and outside linebacker Nik Bonitto. Thursday morning, that pair was recognized when they were named AFC Pro Bowl starters.