Broncos try to keep their winning streak alive against the Jaguars in Week 16 clash

DENVER (AP) — Denver is the hub of the sports world right now with the NBA's Nuggets and NHL's Avalanche off to historic starts as they seek to add some hardware to their trophy cases and the Broncos are an NFL-best 12-2.

“I've had the chance to talk to a couple of Nuggets players and I told them it's our turn to bring a parade to the city,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said, noting that both Nikola Jokic and Nathan MacKinnon have earned champaign showers and celebrations while the Broncos last won the Lombardi Trophy a decade ago.

“And so we feel it's our turn to do our part for the city in terms of keeping the winning tradition going,” Sutton said. “Them boys are playing some great ball and great hockey and it's exciting to be a part of. And I know people around the United States are definitely shocked that the state of Colorado is bumpin' right now.”

To keep that going, the Broncos will have to fend off the Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) on Sunday at Empower Field in the AFC's premier Week 16 matchup, which pits division leaders in what may very well serve as a playoff preview.

With Trevor Lawrence playing the best football of his five-year NFL career, figuring out the nuances in coach Liam Coen’s offense and stoking his connection with deadline trade addition Jakobi Meyers, the Jaguars have won five in a row, outscoring their opponents by a cumulative 171-72.

“We’ve been on a roll for a while, just doing what we do best: executing our plays, minimizing mistakes and playing our brand of football,” Jaguars cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. “We have faith in ourselves and are trying to go out there and trying to impose our will on our opponents. It doesn’t matter who we play. Of course, they’re a really good team. But it’s always about us.”

With Bo Nix emerging as one of the league's elite quarterbacks (22-10) in Year 2 to complement an overpowering defense that's collected 58 sacks so far, the Broncos own their longest winning streak since 2012. They have mounted 10 come-from-behind wins and prevailed in 10 of 12 one-score games.

The Broncos ended an eight-year playoff drought last year as a wild card but are aiming to get the conference's No. 1 overall seed and its first-round bye this time. So, coach Sean Payton has insisted all week that despite clinching a playoff spot already, the Broncos haven't accomplished any of their goals yet.

“I think that’s the biggest thing for us is making sure that we don’t become drunk of the situation of look what we’ve done and listen to the different people who do want us to give us the pat on the backs — which aren’t many,” Sutton said.

“We’ve been staying to ourselves, we’ve been showing up week in and week out, having great weeks of work, and then showing up on Sunday and just putting that on tape and we’ve been able to come out successful."

The Broncos have outscored their opponents 115-51 in the fourth quarter, including 67-29 at home. The altitude undoubtedly plays a role in Denver’s penchant for wearing teams out late in games in the Mile High City.

"We got to get ready for that," Lewis said. "We got to understand that does sometimes play a factor. But we got to be ready for the fourth quarter.”

The Jaguars have 18 interceptions and are plus-10 in turnover differential. But that doesn't mean the Broncos are doing anything different to prepare.

“It’s just something to be aware of,” Nix said, "but nothing to be scared of.”

Jacksonville is averaging 32.9 points over its last seven games, all since a bye week. The Jaguars scored a combined 84 points in back-to-back wins against the Colts and Jets.

“We all have a lot of confidence in what we’re doing,” Lawrence said. “It seems like we’ve got the ball rolling the last few weeks, so it feels good."

The Jaguars have a chance to sweep one of the NFL’s toughest divisions, the AFC West, for the second time in history. They already beat Kansas City, Las Vegas and the Los Angeles Chargers — Jacksonville topped 30 points against each of them — and can cap the AFC West sweep for the first time since 2007 on Sunday.

Sunday marks the return of former Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick, who has three TD catches in Jacksonville, matching his total from last year in Detroit, where he signed after Denver waived him following a torn ACL in 2022 and a torn Achilles in 2023.

Sutton said Patrick won't talk to him until they do a jersey swap post-game Sunday.

Asked if he'll have to fend off teammate Garett Bolles, who, like Patrick, went to the University of Utah, Sutton said: “G.B. is going to have to get his sent. It's already locked in, receiver-receiver. He's going to try to do the old ‘Utes’ thing, but me and Tim tapped in already.”

AP Pro Football Writer Mark Long contributed from Jacksonville, Florida.

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Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) scores a touchdown against the New York Jets during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Denver Broncos' Riley Moss celebrates an interception during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton answers a question after an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks on during the second half against the New York Jets an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Denver Broncos' Bo Nix celebrates after an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

The Washington Post laid off one-third of its staff Wednesday, eliminating its sports section, several foreign bureaus and its books coverage in a widespread purge that represented a brutal blow to journalism and one of its most legendary brands.

The Post's executive editor, Matt Murray, called the move painful but necessary to put the outlet on stronger footing and weather changes in technology and user habits. “We can't be everything to everyone,” Murray said in a note to staff members.

He outlined the changes in a companywide online meeting, and staff members then began getting emails with one of two subject lines — telling them their role was or was not eliminated.

Rumors of layoffs had circulated for weeks, ever since word leaked that sports reporters who had expected to travel to Italy for the Winter Olympics would not be going. But when official word came down, the size and scale of the cuts were shocking, affecting virtually every department in the newsroom.

“It's just devastating news for anyone who cares about journalism in America and, in fact, the world,” said Margaret Sullivan, a Columbia University journalism professor and former media columnist at the Post and The New York Times. “The Washington Post has been so important in so many ways, in news coverage, sports and cultural coverage.”

Martin Baron, the Post's first editor under its current owner, billionaire Jeff Bezos, condemned his former boss and called what has happened at the newspaper “a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction.”

As of midday, the Post did not have any news of the changes on its website.

Bezos, who has been silent in recent weeks amid pleas from Post journalists to step in and prevent the cutbacks, had no immediate comment Wednesday.

The newspaper has been bleeding subscribers in part due to decisions made by Bezos, including pulling back from an endorsement of Kamala Harris, a Democrat, during the 2024 presidential election against Donald Trump, a Republican, and directing a more conservative turn on liberal opinion pages.

A private company, the Post does not reveal how many subscribers it has, but it is believed to be roughly 2 million. The Post would also not say how many people it has on staff, making it impossible to estimate how many people were laid off Wednesday. The Post also did not outline its finances.

The Post’s troubles stand in contrast to its longtime competitor The New York Times, which has been thriving in recent years, in large part due to investments in ancillary products such as games and its Wirecutter product recommendations. The Times has doubled its staff over the past decade.

Eliminating the sports section puts an end to a department that has hosted many well-known bylines through the years, among them John Feinstein, Michael Wilbon, Shirley Povich, Sally Jenkins and Tony Kornheiser. The Times has also largely ended its sports section, but it has replaced the coverage by buying The Athletic and incorporating its work into the Times website.

The Post’s Book World, a destination for book reviews, literary news and author interviews, has been a dedicated section in its Sunday paper.

A half-century ago, the Post's coverage of Watergate, led by intrepid reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, entered the history books. The Style section under longtime Executive Editor Ben Bradlee hosted some of the country's best feature writing.

Word of specific cuts drifted out during the day, as when Cairo Bureau Chief Claire Parker announced on X that she had been laid off, along with all of the newspaper's Middle East correspondents and editors. “Hard to understand the logic,” she wrote.

In the immediate future, Murray said, the Post would concentrate on areas that demonstrate authority, distinctiveness and impact, and resonate with readers, including politics, national affairs and security. Even during its recent troubles, the Post has been notably aggressive in coverage of Trump's changes to the federal workforce.

The company's structure is rooted in a different era, when the Post was a dominant print product, Murray said in his note to staff members. In areas such as video, the outlet hasn't kept up with consumer habits, he said.

“Significantly, our daily story output has substantially fallen in the last five years,” he said. “And even as we produce much excellent work, we too often write from one perspective, for one slice of the audience.”

While there are business areas that need to be addressed, Baron pointed a finger of blame at Bezos — for a “gutless” order to kill a presidential endorsement and for remaking an editorial page that stands out only for “moral infirmity” and “sickening” efforts to curry favor with Trump.

“Loyal readers, livid as they saw owner Jeff Bezos betraying the values he was supposed to uphold, fled The Post,” Baron wrote. “In truth, they were driven away, by the hundreds of thousands."

Baron said he was grateful for Bezos' support when he was editor, noting that the Amazon founder came under brutal pressure from Trump during the president's first term.

“He spoke forcefully and eloquently of a free press and The Post's mission, demonstrating his commitment in concrete terms,” Baron wrote. “He often declared that The Post's success would be among the proudest achievements of his life. I wish I detected the same spirit today. There is no sign of it.”

David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

A sign for the Washington Post is seen at the company's offices, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A sign for the Washington Post is seen at the company's offices, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A sign for the Washington Post is seen at the company's offices, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A sign for the Washington Post is seen at the company's offices, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)