New Mexico hosts Thompson and Boise State
Boise State Broncos (15-10, 5-7 MWC) at New Mexico Lobos (13-12, 6-6 MWC)
Albuquerque, New Mexico; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Boise State plays New Mexico after Tatum Thompson scored 21 points in Boise State's 67-61 loss to the Colorado State Rams.
The Lobos are 9-8 on their home court. New Mexico is 7-6 in games decided by at least 10 points.
The Broncos are 5-7 in conference play. Boise State ranks sixth in the MWC with 9.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Abby Muse averaging 2.2.
New Mexico averages 71.4 points, 7.3 more per game than the 64.1 Boise State gives up. Boise State averages 70.1 points per game, 1.1 more than the 69.0 New Mexico allows to opponents.
The Lobos and Broncos face off Thursday for the first time in MWC play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Viane Cumber averages 2.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Lobos, scoring 15.8 points while shooting 37.6% from beyond the arc. Destinee Hooks is shooting 42.1% and averaging 15.9 points over the last 10 games.
Natalie Pasco is scoring 12.6 points per game with 1.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists for the Broncos. Thompson is averaging 15.1 points and 9.4 rebounds while shooting 49.6% over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lobos: 4-6, averaging 71.1 points, 31.7 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 7.2 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 41.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.1 points per game.
Broncos: 4-6, averaging 68.1 points, 33.3 rebounds, 13.2 assists, 5.7 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 41.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.7 points.
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USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Broncos roster: Pat Bryant (No. 13) adds strong hands to offense
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New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Broncos offseason takeaways: Bo Nix's bigger voice, running back battle to come
On Thursday, the Denver Broncos wrapped up an offseason program that featured two weeks of OTA practices and a three-day mandatory minicamp. Food trucks and a shaved ice vendor rolled into the practice facility as a brief practice wrapped up, signaling the start of a roughly six-week summer break before players return for training camp in late July. Advertisement Head coach Sean Payton was adamant during the offseason, particularly during this week's minicamp, that it was far too early to conclude what the roster will look like when Denver opens its season at home on Sept. 7 against the Tennessee Titans. The Broncos intentionally spent five weeks in Phase I of their program, limiting their activities to conditioning and weightlifting. That left them, by design, with a shortened installation period since there were only two weeks of OTAs this season instead of three. 'We'll have plenty of time for football,' Payton said Thursday. 'There's a reason we spend five weeks and we don't even go near (a football). I don't want them pulling into the parking lot in April thinking they're coming to football practice. I want them coming here knowing that they're going to get a good workout in, good lift in. So, that would be the most important thing.' Still, the five offseason practices open to the media across the past three weeks, and the interviews with players and coaches that followed, generated insight into where the Broncos stand as they take the next step toward a 2025 season that will arrive with significant expectations. Here are the biggest takeaways: During his first NFL offseason, quarterback Bo Nix was trying to find his way in a three-man quarterback competition. He kept his head down, burying it in a comprehensive playbook. Before he could project his voice as a leader, Nix said as his rookie year began, he first had to prove he could digest all the responsibilities being thrown his way. That meant fewer scenes like the ones featuring a more animated Nix that reoccurred frequently during practices over the past month. Wednesday, for example, Nix pulled down the ball and ran after being unable to find his target during a play in team drills, sprinting into the secondary. Safety Brandon Jones was among the defensive backs who barked at Nix, essentially telling the quarterback the play would have been snuffed out in a live situation. Nix bickered right back as he returned to the sideline. Similar exchanges popped up consistently as Nix jawed with players on Denver's defense. The fiery side of the quarterback popped up at times during his rookie season, such as when he got into an animated debate with Payton on the sideline or went viral for his big-eyed staredown of a Las Vegas Raiders linebacker. Seeing Nix access that competitive side during practice, Jones said, brings out the best in teammates on both sides of the ball. 'I love that. I never wanted to be somewhere where a quarterback is kind of shy or to himself,' said Jones, who joined the Broncos as a free agent last offseason, one month before Denver drafted Nix in the first round. 'I think if a quarterback can show that dog mentality, that goes a long ways for me, and it keeps us battling. It keeps the competition super healthy and very competitive.' Advertisement The trash-talking is also a reflection of Nix's increased comfort overall in not only his responsibilities as the team's leader but also his grasp of the concepts within Denver's offense. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Nix voiced an awareness of his increased comfort in the role during a sequence in Wednesday's practice. 'He had a completion on a play-action concept (in practice) that, last year, he probably wasn't real comfortable with the footwork,' Lombardi said. 'He came back and said, 'Man, it's so great that I don't have to think about the footwork.' You can just feel the comfort level. He's not thinking as much when you give him the play. He can get in and out of the huddle with a lot more comfort. He doesn't have to think as much. He can just kind of play free and natural, and you can certainly sense that out here.' Nix will organize a retreat featuring player-led workout sessions among the team's quarterbacks and pass catchers this offseason. He is eager to hit training camp ready to go toe-to-toe with a defense angling to be one of the NFL's best this season. If the offseason program was any indication, those battles will have a boisterous soundtrack. The padless practices of May and June have a way of showcasing the game's skill-position players and those tasked with defending them. It is difficult to gauge how well a tight end is executing his chip blocks or whether a running back is producing enough force to break through would-be tackles during helmet-and-shorts workouts. Even with that caveat firmly established, second-year wide receiver Troy Franklin stood out in a major way the past three weeks. The 22-year-old speedster was last seen hauling in a 43-yard touchdown to kick-start Denver's playoff game against the Buffalo Bills — the only touchdown the Broncos scored in a 31-7 loss — but Franklin had an up-and-down journey to that highlight. Franklin routinely created separation, much like he did while playing with Nix for two seasons at Oregon, but he struggled to finish plays. His explosive-play ability after the catch was hampered at times by indecisiveness in the open field. Those issues were evident even before pads came on last year. Advertisement That was all markedly different this offseason. Payton has talked routinely about wanting to put Franklin in positions where the offense can benefit from his ability to make gains after the catch, and the receiver was notably fluid in that regard during practices over the past month. The catch and dynamic next step often looked like one motion instead of a series of separate moves and decisions. It has all made Franklin look, well, faster. Back at it 😤#BroncosOTAs — Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 29, 2025 'There's that (saying), 'Repetition is the mother of learning,'' Payton said. 'You're seeing him play faster with a much greater awareness within each play. He's extremely explosive, and I think he's, I would say, 5 pounds heavier. A little thicker. He's had a good spring.' For all of Franklin's ability with the ball in his hands, he must make sure it ends up in his mitts more consistently this season. His 52.8 percent catch rate in 2024 ranked 16th out of 21 rookie wide receivers with at least 10 passing targets, according to TruMedia. Fellow 2024 NFL Draft class receiver Devaughn Vele, who ranked third in the same category (74.5 percent), did not participate in minicamp for an undisclosed reason, but one Payton described as 'all good.' Vele will be a full go for the start of training camp, the coach said, adding that wide receiver A.T. Perry is the only Broncos player unlikely to be fully cleared by the first day of camp. The injury note from Payton means two key players who missed the offseason program are expected to be ready for full-team work by the time camp begins: veteran inside linebackers Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton. Both were rehabbing injuries during OTAs and minicamp (a quad injury for Greenlaw; an ACL recovery for Singleton) but were a visible presence at practices, often working out on the side with trainers and then watching team drills from the sidelines. The Broncos have said consistently that the expected starting linebacker duo would be ready for camp, and that timeline hasn't changed. The absences of Greenlaw and Singleton provided ample opportunities for players deeper down the depth chart, including third-year player Drew Sanders, who is firmly entrenched at inside linebacker after spending parts of his first two seasons playing on the edge. Justin Strnad, a veteran who played almost exclusively on special teams until stepping in for the injured Singleton on defense early last season, was a consistent playmaker during practices over the past month. 'When you look at the amount of snaps Strnad's had, all of a sudden, now there's a confidence,' Payton said. ''I'm not just a guy running down on special teams. I started a whole season.' And Drew getting that work constantly inside is extremely helpful.' Payton was more curt in his post-practice responses than he was at this time last year, when he talked almost poetically about being energized by an injection of youthful talent on Denver's roster. Advertisement If there was one topic that brought especially terse responses from the veteran coach, it was the status of the team's pecking order at running back. In short, Payton said, there isn't one yet. 'Don't start counting,' Payton said this week, after the Broncos added veteran JK Dobbins to the crowded running back room. 'I've heard you guys counting. Don't count, because half of you guys will be wrong. Let's just see how they do. I'm looking forward to seeing how they play. They are going to get opportunities. Look, Audric (Estimé) is gonna get more opportunities. We've seen Jaleel (McLaughlin). But don't try to figure out the club right now. It's way too early. You can go ahead and try, but …' The bottom line is the Broncos didn't draft RJ Harvey with their second-round pick to not give him a healthy dose of snaps in Denver's backfield. 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Training camp will go a long way to answering those questions, which will be critical in Denver's quest to become a more well-rounded and playoff-ready offense. The Broncos led the NFL last season with 63 sacks, a franchise record. This year's group has a chance to be devastating to quarterbacks, even if they don't match or exceed that number. For starters, no player among Denver's edge rushers and defensive ends is older than 28. Nik Bonitto (13 1/2 sacks in 2024), Jonathon Cooper (10 1/2), Zach Allen (8 1/2) and John Franklin-Myers (seven) produced career-best sack totals last season and enter 2025 still in their primes and with another year of experience in Vance Joseph's defensive scheme. Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman added five sacks apiece as first-year players last season and figure to see an uptick in their playing time. And rookies Sai'vion Jones and Que Robinson, Denver's third- and fourth-round draft picks, looked during the offseason program like two players who are ready to contribute to a deep group of front-seven talent. Robinson and Tillman were especially disruptive during team sessions the past few weeks. Advertisement It all means little now, but the practice sessions this month were another reminder of just how much the Broncos have reconfigured and strengthened their defensive front over the past few offseasons. Last season, the Broncos reached agreements on new or reworked deals with three players during a stretch from just before the start of training camp to the end of the preseason: right guard Quinn Meinerz, wide receiver Courtland Sutton and cornerback Pat Surtain II. Two more extensions, for Cooper, the outside linebacker, and left tackle Garett Bolles, came near the end of the regular season. Those are the windows, as general manager George Paton noted at the NFL's league meetings earlier this offseason, in which the Broncos have typically done their contract business. So it was no surprise that four key players in line for potential contract extensions — Sutton, Allen, Bonitto and Franklin-Myers — ended the offseason program without new deals. While players and coaches break for the summer, those players' agents and members of the front office will carve out negotiating time as Denver continues to lock up its players. The big question is whether the Broncos can reach agreements with all four players before the start of the season, which would make for an even busier negotiating period than Denver had last year. The business window the Broncos have laid out will soon be open.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
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21 Wins, 21 Years Later: The intentional safety and the Bill Bowl
SetNumber: X69649 TK1 Twenty-one years ago, the New England Patriots completed the most dominant streak in the history of the NFL, finishing with 21 wins in a row across two seasons. Since it was such a dominant run, we have decided to take a look back at each one of the games. Advertisement This is the third in the series, so expect a ton more to come, and make sure to follow along on YouTube for the accompanying videos for each game as well. Today, let's take a look at Wins No. 5 and 6. Win No. 5: Patriots 30, Broncos 26 2003 Week 9 | Nov. 3, 2003, 9 p.m. ET | Invesco Field at Mile High Setting the scene: As the calendar flipped to November, the 6-2 Patriots headed west for a prime time tangle with the 5-3 Denver Broncos. Tom Brady and copmany had struggled against their AFC West foe, losing to them in each of the two previous seasons. Mile High also was the site of Brady's first career interception two years prior (he ended up throwing four picks that day) in a 31-20 loss. Advertisement After starting that season 4-0, Denver lost three of four heading into this contest following injuries to starting quarterback Jake Plummer and backup Steve Beuerlein. Third-string passer Danny Kanell, who spent 2001 out of football and 2002 in the Arena Football League, would get his second straight start that night. It would also be his last in the NFL. Despite the revolving door at quarterback, the Broncos had plenty of big names within their ranks. Head coach Mike Shanahan had won two Super Bowls, and his offenses would continue to give Bill Belichick fits for the next two decades. Offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak would also find success as a head coach. The offense, meanwhile, was built around star running back Clinton Portis, tight end Shannon Sharpe in his final season, and wide receivers Rod Smith and Ashley Lelie. Receiver Ed McCaffrey, father of now-49er Christian, also played on that team but was inactive for this game. On a cold night in Denver with linebacker Al Wilson wired for sound, the Broncos were favored by two points. Game breakdown: Early in this one, Brady's Denver struggles continued. On New England's first possession, he fumbled a snap, and the Broncos recovered. Clinton Portis would capitalize a few plays later with a 15-yard touchdown run. On the next drive, Brady then threw a ball into traffic that was intercepted by Kenoy Kennedy. Thanks to Jason Elam missing a 44-yard field goal, however, Denver's lead remained 7-0. Advertisement It took one play on the next drive for Brady to tie the score. He unloaded on a deep play-action pass to Deion Branch, going over the top of the Denver defense for a 66-yard TD. The teams would trade field goals early in the second quarter before Danny Kanell led a 72-yard, 14-play touchdown drive that took over half the quarter. Without Richard Seymour and with rookie Dan Klecko asked to start at nose tackle — the 40th different starter the Patriots had in 2003 — Shanahan was able to dial up the play-action passing game to slowly move the ball down the field. A trio of Patriots penalties would also help the Broncos get to the 1-yard line with half a minute left in the half, where Kanell would find Mike Anderson in the flat for a touchdown to go up 17-10. The Patriots would finish the half with nine penalties. Thanks to a Bethel Johnson kick return, the Patriots were able to get back within four before the break. He took a kickoff 63 yards to the Denver 36, and Brady found Kevin Faulk for an 8-yard gain to set up Adam Vinatieri for a 46-yard field goal that split the uprights with 1 second left on the clock. In the third quarter, Brady put the Pats on top for the first time with a play-action bootleg pass to Daniel Graham in the end zone. The lead did not last long, though. After a Lonie Paxton penalty forced the Patriots to re-punt following their next possession, future Patriot Deltha O'Neal took advantage of a short kick and took it 57 yards to the house to put Denver ahead 24-20 heading into the final period. Advertisement New England added a field goal on the next possession, and the Patriots remained down by a single point when the Broncos took over midway through the fourth quarter. This would set up the game's final sequence and one of the iconic Bill Belichick decisions. Up by one, Denver began to run out the clock. Behind Clinton Portis, the Broncos advanced inside the New England 40 as the clock ticked under four minutes remaining. Faced with a 3rd-and-4 from the New England 35 with 3:21 remaining, Rodney Harrison broke up a pass intended for Shannon Sharpe. With kicker Jason Elam injured, Denver opted to punt, and Micah Knorr managed to pin the Patriots on their 1-yard line with 3:06 remaining. While the situation seemed set up for another Tom Brady comeback, three straight incompletions took just 15 seconds off the clock and left the Patriots backed up in their own end zone; a Daniel Graham drop on second down was particularly costly. Belichick appeared to have two options: he could decide to go for it on fourth down, but picking up 10 yards would be difficult and not converting would put Denver a single yard away from sealing the game, or he could punt, even though there was a high risk the punt could be blocked with Ken Walter standing deep in his own end zone. Returner Deltha O'Neal had already scored a touchdown as well, and another would seal the game for Denver. Even a modest return could put the Broncos in range to add a field goal, extending the lead to four and forcing the Patriots to score a touchdown instead of a field goal on the ensuing drive. Instead, Belichick looked behind door No. 3. As announcer Al Michaels astutely pointed out, the Patriots could take an intentional safety. While giving the Broncos a pair of free points would increase the deficit to three, meaning a field goal on the next Patriots possession would merely tie the game instead of taking the lead, it would allow New England to kick from the 20 with no chance for a block. Advertisement Belichick instructed Lonie Paxton to snap it over the punter's head and out of the end zone, and Walter then booted the free kick behind a confused O'Neal forcing the Broncos to start the next possession from their own 15-yard line. The decision combined with Denver's misjudgement totally flipped field position, and after forcing a three-and-out, the Patriots regained possession at their own 42. That meant Brady had to drive the offense just 30 yards to set up a game-tying field goal attempt by Adam Vinatieri. Vinatieri would not be needed. Brady connected with Kevin Faulk twice for 24 yards to open the drive, then found him again for 16 yards on 3rd-and-10 on the next series. The third completion was a perfectly-placed throw by Brady to spin Faulk away from a defender to pick up yards after the catch and get down to the 18-yard line. Brady went no-huddle after the conversion, saw David Givens matched up with O'Neal on the outside, and went for the win. He connected. Brady put the ball on his back shoulder as Givens spun open in the front corner of the end zone, and New England was back on top with 36 seconds remaining. Advertisement Asante Samuel intercepted a Kanell Hail Mary on the next drive, and New England's win streak continued. Brady would win AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts — 20-of-35, 350 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT — and David Givens' 87-yard performance was the best in his young career to that point. Game highlights: Other game notes: We look back on Belichick as a coach of discipline, but this group was anything but against Denver: the Patriots had 14 penalties for 85 yards in this one. Denver scored three touchdowns, and all involved serious New England miscues. The first came off a fumbled snap, something that seemed to be an issue two weeks before in Miami as well; the second happened after New England penalties kept a Denver drive alive; the third was a punt returned for a touchdown after a penalty forced a re-kick. And, for all of the great situational football at the end of this one, it was only necessary because of a bad drop from Daniel Graham. Advertisement It's also stunning how big of a part of the offense Tom Brady already was at that point in his career. The offense finished with just 69 yards on the ground while Brady threw for 350. He had the long touchdown to Branch, a 48-yard completion to David Givens to set up a field goal, another one to Branch for 30 yards to open the second half, and passes of 21 and 20 yards to Givens and Christian Fauria on the fourth quarter field goal drive. Add in three chunk plays on the game-winning drive and no sacks despite constant pressure, and it's easy to see why he won AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Another thing that caught our eye was Bill Belichick breaking out his red hoodie. At this point in his career, it seemed to be a good omen. Elsewhere in sports: The most noteworthy occurrence in the world of sports that week was not in football. On the previous Wednesday, LeBron James made his NBA debut. With a game-high 25 points at Sacramento, he immediately came on to the scene. The night before the Patriots beat the Broncos, Brett Favre led the Packers to a win in Minnesota despite a broken thumb in his throwing hand. With a splint on his right thumb, he tossed three touchdowns and also threw a block for running back Ahman Green as the Packers got back to .500 and pulled within two games of the Vikings. Win No. 6: Patriots 12, Cowboys 0 2003 Week 11 | Nov. 16, 2003, 8:30 pm. ET | Gillette Stadium Advertisement Setting the scene: This was not Bill Parcells' first return to Foxboro, of course; he had left the Patriots to become head coach of the hated Jets in 1997. However, this was the first matchup between him and Bill Belichick since his former assistant resigned as Parcells' successor with the Jets and came to New England via trade. Parcells and Belichick were 2-2 head-to-head going into this game, with Belichick winning the lone playoff matchup between the two back in 1994. All four of those games had come with Belichick coaching the Browns and Parcells coaching the Patriots. This felt like a real test of the up-and-coming head coach for Patriots fans. The student was facing off against the master, and, with his coaching performance the week before, Patriots fans were ready to declare that 2001 wasn't a fluke and that Belichick was indeed one of the best coaches in the league. The Dallas Cowboys, who had finished their last three seasons 5-11, were 7-2 in Parcells's first year there, and boasted the No. 1 defense in the league. It was a tough test for the coaches, and a tough test for the players. Advertisement Game breakdown: The Patriots defense completely shut down the Cowboys offense. This was one of the first examples of the Patriots employing the defense that was so effective against mobile quarterbacks: clamping down on the run, making them sit in the pocket, and asking them to win throwing the ball. Quincy Carter was unable to do it, and the Cowboys only passed midfield three times all game: once to the Patriots' 48 (really the 43 after a 5-yard penalty on the punt) on the first drive of the game, and twice to the red zone in the fourth quarter, both of which ended with a Patriots interception. For the Patriots offense, all three of its scores came after big plays. Brady hit Deion Branch for a 46-yard pass on an all-out Cowboys blitz, which set up a 23-yard field goal. Later, Brady hit David Givens on a 57-yard pass, when the Cowboys sent nine players at the quarterback and got called for roughing the passer; this set up an Antowain Smith 2-yard touchdown run the next play. Then, in the fourth quarter, the Patriots got the ball near midfield after a Tyrone Poole interception, and it led to another Adam Vinatieri field goal to make it a two-touchdown game and put the Cowboys away. Game highlights: Other game notes: This wasn't just a return for Bill Parcells, it was also a return for Terry Glenn. The former Patriots first-round draft pick had been back to Foxboro the year before when he was with the Packers, but now he was back again, this time with Parcells. He would finish the game with only one catch for 8 yards, and the Tyrone Poole interception was on a pass intended for him. Advertisement Elsewhere in sports: Not much going on in the NFL this week, except for the Falcons doing what they do best, blowing a big lead. Up 20-3 at the half, they would let the Saints back into it with two touchdowns. The Falcons were driving late in the fourth quarter up 20-17, and got into the red zone, but Kurt Kittner threw an interception to end the drive. The Saints would drive down and kick a game tying field goal to end regulation. After a missed 54-yard field goal by Jay Feely, the Saints ended it with a John Carney 36-yard field goal. More from
