Broncos try to look at the bright side after their long winning streak is ended by Jaguars

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos are determined to make their first loss in a month a recalibration.

“We got hit in the mouth today, and they played a good game and we let it get away,” quarterback Bo Nix said after Denver's 34-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday ended their 11-game winning streak along with their 12-game home winning streak. “But you'd rather have it hit you now than in the first round of the playoffs.”

Wins by New England and the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday tightened the AFC playoff race with the Broncos (12-3) falling into a tie with the Patriots in the chase for the No. 1 overall seed. The Chargers' win at Dallas pulled them to within a game of Denver in the AFC West.

The Broncos had uncharacteristic breakdowns in all three phases against the Jaguars. Wil Lutz clanked a field-goal attempt off the upright to start things off, the defense missed many tackles and the offense sputtered in trying to keep up with Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence.

Their slipups raised the stakes for the Broncos' remaining two games beginning Thursday night at Kansas City (6-9), where Denver hasn't won in a decade. The Chargers (11-4) visit Denver in Week 18 for what is shaping up to be a winner-take-all game for both the division crown and the AFC's lone first-round bye.

“I wouldn’t call it a wake-up call because we were playing well,” Nix said. "It’s just one of those that will reset you and put you back in, get you back to where you need to be. It’ll put you in a good mindset if you’ll let it. And like I said, you can’t let this one linger. We have to move on and attack this week on just a short couple of days.”

Linebacker Alex Singleton was also relieved the slipup came in December, not January.

“It’s going to happen,” Singleton said. “This is the NFL and when you can control what you can control now, I mean, there’s nothing better than a short week to flush stuff and go play another game. Let’s get it out of our system and go win two games and people can say whatever they want.”

Denver's pass rushers had five more sacks, giving the Broncos 63 on the season and tying the franchise record they set last season. Getting sacks Sunday were John Franklin-Meyers (two), Riley Moss, Malcolm Roach and D.J. Jones. But only two of those sacks came in the last three quarters and OLB Nik Bonitto admittedly played poorly, saying he was unprepared for the game: “I don't think I played to my standard. I feel like I could have been a lot better. I didn't come ready to play today and that kind of reflected on the rest of the defense.”

The Broncos suddenly had a tackling problem to go with their penchant for penalties, leading to explosive play after explosive play by the Jaguars, none more deflating than Parker Washington's 63-yard catch-and-run that set up Travis Etienne's 10-yard TD catch to give the Jaguars a two-TD lead in the third quarter. The game pitted the two most penalized teams in the NFL but the Jaguars were only whistled twice for 20 yards whereas the Broncos were flagged six times for 61 yards.

RB RJ Harvey pinballed his way for a 38-yard touchdown to tie the game at 17 early in the third quarter. That was the rookie's 11th touchdown. Harvey had 121 scrimmage yards: 50 yards on seven carries and 71 yards on four receptions. The only other major impact came from WR Courtland Sutton (six catches, 86 yards, one touchdown).

Nix had a clunker one week after the best game of his career. He can still tie Russell Wilson's record for most wins (24) in a quarterback's first two seasons. But he'll have to beat the Chiefs on Thursday night and the Chargers in Week 18 to match that mark.

WR Pat Bryant was released from the hospital after suffering a concussion in the final minute of the game when Nix's high pass left him vulnerable to the big hit he absorbed.

The 10 sacks the Broncos need to break the NFL record of 72 set by the 1984 Chicago Bears, who had a dozen sacks in their final regular-season game that season.

To get within reach of their goals to win a division title and the top seed in the AFC playoffs, the Broncos need to win in Kansas City for the first time since Sept. 17, 2015, when they visit the hobbled Chiefs on Christmas night.

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Denver Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant is carted off the field after an injury during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Denver, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton runs on the field after an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Denver, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Denver, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Powerball will be drawing its winning lottery numbers Monday night for a record 46th time since its last jackpot was claimed, as a string of failed sweepstakes ballooned the top prize to $1.6 billion.

So far, it's the 5th-largest jackpot in U.S. history after more than three months without a Powerball winner. The game's long odds created a massive windfall that has enticed people to splurge on $2 tickets ahead of the live drawing at 10:59 p.m. ET Monday night.

Lottery officials made the odds tougher in 2015 to create these humongous jackpots and draw more attention, while also making it easier to win smaller prizes.

Experts say it’s a sign the lottery is operating exactly as designed, and that no one should really expect to match all six numbers and make a killing. Still, somebody will likely win at some point, and many players are hoping to be that lucky winner.

“Everybody wants to be a millionaire,” said Saqi Anwer, an Atlanta gas station manager who sold $800 worth of tickets on Saturday.

Monday's estimated $1.6 billion jackpot has a cash value of $735.3 million.

That means a winner can choose to be paid the whole amount through an annuity, with an immediate payment and then annual payments over 29 years that increase by 5% each time. Winners almost always opt for the up-front cash value, however both eye-popping figures are before taxes.

The last time someone won the Powerball top prize was on Sept. 6, when players in Missouri and Texas won $1.787 billion — the second-highest jackpot in U.S. history.

Matt Strawn, who chairs the Powerball Product Group, said in an interview that nothing special predated back-to-back billion-dollar jackpots this year other than the odds of the game. Still, he said it would be magical for a winning ticket to be cashed in during the holidays.

“Imagine if someone is giving the gift of a winning Powerball ticket away, whether it’s in a stocking or a thank-you note to your mail carrier,” Strawn said.

Monday’s potential bounty now tops the existing 5th-biggest jackpot of a $1.586 billion drawn on Jan. 13, 2016.

Four other jackpots, all from the past three years, have bested the current prize. The biggest U.S. jackpot ever was $2.04 billion back in 2022.

That lotto winner bought the ticket at a Los Angeles-area gas station and opted for a lump-sum payment of $997.6 million.

In Atlanta on Sunday, players were lining up to get their tickets ahead of Monday's drawing.

“My wife encourages me to buy a ticket because she wants to go on a big trip and she wants to do something good in society,” Bob Wehner said outside a car wash. “And she thought, ‘Well, we can do both if we win, for crying out loud!’”

Ronan Farrell, a middle schooler, speculated about buying an Xbox and a Lamborghini if his family won.

“With an Xbox controller as well,” he added.

The odds of winning Monday’s jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball. Before the switch a decade ago, the odds were 1 in 175 million. Players now have a 1 in 24.9 chance overall of winning some kind of prize.

Tim Chartier, a Davidson College math professor, said he's never bought a lottery ticket despite knowing those odds inside and out.

“Picking a winning lottery ticket is equivalent to selecting one marked dollar bill from a stack 19 miles high — roughly the height of more than 115 Statues of Liberty,” or 30 kilometers, Chartier said.

“If you have the funds and you enjoy dreaming about a billionaire life, enjoy the ride. Of course, you could win,” Chartier said. “But when the numbers don’t fall your way, recognize that the odds were never in your favor — and that the twinkle of possibility is what made the journey worth the almost-certain letdown.”

Associated Press videojournalist Emilie Megnien in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

A customer fills out a Powerball lottery ticket at a convenience store in Mundelein, Ill., Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A Powerball play slip is seen at a store Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)