With long string of losing seasons over, Broncos have good chance to end 8-year playoff drought

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With long string of losing seasons over, Broncos have good chance to end 8-year playoff drought

2024-12-17 08:23 Last Updated At：08:30

DENVER (AP) — One ignominious streak down, one more to go for the Denver Broncos, who turned an ugly showing into a pretty comfortable rout of the Indianapolis Colts to clinch the franchise's first winning season since 2016.

Outscoring Indy 31-3 after falling behind 10-0 Sunday, the Broncos (9-5) now have a better than 90% chance of stopping another long skid: their eight-year playoff drought.

They've cleaned out their lockers and quickly scattered to watch the postseason from afar every year since Von Miller, Peyton Manning and John Elway hoisted the franchise's third Lombardi Trophy following the 2015 season.

It was that type of moment Sean Payton thought of when he took over as head coach last year.

“The appeal to me was the tradition here, the years of sustained success here and the importance of this game here," he said. "You can only find a few cities you can say that about and then you find the right ownership group. There were certain things that were really important. The football tradition and history here was very appealing to me.

“I have known Peyton and John forever but it was somewhere where the fan base’s expectations were high. You want to be in New York, Los Angeles or Las Vegas if you’re in entertainment; you do not want to be in Rhode Island. If you are in this industry, you want to be somewhere where it is really important and the expectations are high."

And so, Payton said, "it is nice to get the ninth win.”

And in quarterback Bo Nix's first season. too.

“Good teams respond on a day like today.” Nix said after the Broncos' overcame a slow start, his first three-interception day and a variety of missteps and miscalculations.

“Good teams find ways to win, and playoff teams find ways to win these close ones," Nix said. “... It’s a good sign that we’re winning these close games, the tough ones that don’t necessarily look pretty, but we’re just finding ways to win.”

Coupled with the Chargers' loss Sunday, the Broncos and L.A. flipped playoff positions with the Broncos now in sixth and the Chargers in seventh. The teams play Thursday night in Los Angeles.

The Broncos might be without their top two cornerbacks for that game, although Patrick Surtain II walked without any noticeable limp at a charity event Monday in which he partnered with Raising Cane's restaurant chain to give away 100 bicycles to kids in need during the holiday season.

“It's better,” Surtain said of his sprained right ankle. “I'm taking it day by day. That's about it.”

With fellow starter Riley Moss (knee) not expected back until next week at Cincinnati, the Broncos might have to go with two young players who replaced Levi Wallace, who was inactive after his poor performance against Cleveland.

Although Damarri Mathis played in the base defense, rookie Kris Abrams-Draine got his first career start as the Broncos started the game in the nickel.

Payton was impressed with both Abrams-Draine and Mathis, but bristled when asked Monday if those two might be pressed into bigger roles with this being a short week and Surtain ailing.

“No. 1, I thought those guys played well. That's the easiest way I can answer the question," Payton said. “You guys know we don't talk about injuries, but I also don't want to talke about hypotheticals, either. But those two guys really played well and I was encouraged.”

Abrams-Draine replaced Wallace late in the Broncos' 41-32 win over the Browns on Dec. 2.

“The last two weeks, he showed some moxie, stayed with his guy, didn't panic when the ball's in the air,” Payton said. “There's something about him.”

Denver's defense. The Broncos caught a break when Jonathan Taylor's premature celebration turned a touchdown into a touchback. But they also had healthy amounts of skill, preparation and execution to go with their bit of good fortune. They had five takeaways and two sacks.

The ground game. The Broncos managed a meager 72 yards on 27 carries for a 2.7-yard average. Take away Nix's 16-yard scamper and Denver has 56 yards and a 2.15-yard average.

Nik Bonitto. The Broncos would be wise to sign him to a long-term extension as soon as possible. With a pick-6 against Cleveland and a hijacking of Indy's trick play Sunday, Bonitto became the second Denver defender to score TDs in back-to-back games. The other was Billy Thompson in 1973.

Levi Wallace. (See above).

In addition to Surtain, RG Quinn Meinerz (shoulder), McLaughlin (thigh) and DT D.J. Jones (finger) left with injuries.

97 — yards on three punt returns for Marvin Mims Jr. whose 61-yard return set up Denver's go-ahead touchdown.

A short turnaround as the Broncos visit the Chargers on Thursday night. The Chargers won in Denver 23-16 on Oct. 13, but have lost three of four.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

India great Virat Kohli retires from test cricket

2025-05-12 17:22 Last Updated At：17:31

NEW DELHI, India (AP) — India great Virat Kohli retired from test cricket Monday after playing 123 matches in his glorious 14-year red-ball career.

Kohli made his test debut in 2011 against West Indies and has been India's standout batter since Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement in 2013.

“As I step away from this format, it’s not easy — but it feels right,” Kohli posted on Instagram. “It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket. Honestly, I never imagined the journey this format would take me on. It’s tested me, shaped me, and taught me lessons I’ll carry for life.”

The 36-year-old Kohli’s retirement comes only days after Rohit Sharma stepped down from test cricket, taking two senior batters out of selection contention for India's tour to England. India will need to select a new skipper and reshape its batting order for the five-test series starting June 20.

Kohli scored 9,230 runs including 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries at a test batting average of 46.85. He also led India in 68 test matches and was India’s most successful captain with 40 test wins.

The former India captain is one of the highest-profile people in cricket, with 271 million followers on Instagram and almost 68 million on X, and he owns batting records in the longest and the limited-overs formats. He's expected to continue playing one-day international cricket, and he's still heavily involved in the lucrative Twenty20 Indian Premier League, which was suspended last Friday for a week following the escalating military tensions with Pakistan.

Kohli said the traditions and ebbs and flows of the five-day format were special to him, including “the quiet grind, the long days, the small moments that no one sees but that stay with you forever.”

“I am walking away with a heart full of gratitude — for the game, for the people I shared the field with, and for every single person who made me feel seen along the way,” he wrote. "I will always look back at my test career with a smile. #269, signing off.”

Kohli finished as India’s fourth highest scorer in tests after Tendulkar (15,921), Rahul Dravid (13,265) and Sunil Gavaskar (10,122). He also scored the most double centuries for India in tests — seven — one more than the legendary Tendulkar.

His crowning glory in test cricket, though, came as captain. His 40 test wins set a record for an India captain, surpassing MS Dhoni (27 from 60 tests) and Sourav Ganguly (21 from 49 tests).

He finished fourth in the all-time list of most wins as test captain, behind South Africa’s Graeme Smith (53 from 109 tests), and Australia’s Ricky Ponting (48 from 77 tests) and Stephen Waugh (41 from 57 tests).

Kohli also led India to the International Cricket Council's No. 1 ranking in test cricket after taking over from Dhoni in 2014-15, and helped his side maintain a stronghold on that position for five years.

In 2018, he guided India to its first ever test series victory against Australia in Australia.

Speculation over Kohli’s test future has intensified since India's five-test tour of Australia finished in January. After scoring a 30th test hundred in Perth, Kohli’s series tapered off and he finished it with 190 runs in nine innings at average 23.75. Still, his impact on the game in India and around the cricket world has been huge.

“Thank you, Virat Kohli. An era ends in test cricket but the legacy will continue forever," the Board of Control for Cricket in India posted in a statement on X. "His contributions to team India will forever be cherished!”

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket