Broncos stand pat at trade deadline after all as they lean on defense and try to jump-start offense

DENVER (AP) — The schedule gets a lot less daunting for Denver now that the Broncos have emerged from a brutal two-month stretch with a 7-2 record and stand atop the AFC West by a half game over the Kansas City Chiefs entering Week 10.

Then again, nothing comes easy for these Broncos, who scuttled their trade for Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley on Thursday, leaving them with a status quo roster for the stretch run.

The Broncos have won five close games this season, stretching their streak of victories in one-score games to an NFL-record 16 straight, a remarkable run that began with a fourth-quarter comeback in Philadelphia early last season.

Many observers predicted their 11 one-score wins in 2025 would lead to a reversal of fortunes in 2026, and coach Sean Payton said during training camp the best way to keep that flip-flop at bay was to avoid close games altogether.

That hasn't happened.

Five times they've been in games decided by eight points or fewer and they've won all five, edging Jacksonville, Kansas City, Seattle and both Los Angelesteams.

Slow starts and frenetic finishes have become the norm in the Mile High City, where Bo Nix routinely turns an inconsistent offense into a revved-up machine come crunch time and Vance Joseph's defense keeps coming up with stout stands in the closing minutes.

“I keep repeating myself, but it's part of our fabric,” All-Pro guard Quinn Meinerz said. “It's what we do here. None of us flinch.”

After their bye, the Broncos face Las Vegas (4-5) twice, Miami (1-7), the New York Jets (2-7) and the Chargers (0-8). Their toughest tests should come at Pittsburgh (6-2) on Black Friday, against Buffalo (7-2) in Denver on Christmas Day and at New England (5-4) just after New Year's Day as they try to secure the AFC's top seed again.

They had it last season when Nix broke his right ankle against Buffalo in the divisional round and missed the AFC championship game, where backup Jarrett Stidham flopped in a 10-7 loss to the Patriots in a snowstorm.

Nix is finally rounding into form after struggling in the first month, which he blamed in good part on the mental aspect of his comeback from two ankle surgeries. Missing chunks of the offseason clearly affected his chemistry with new teammate Jaylen Waddle and also with familiar options Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin.

Another player who likely is dealing with the mental aspect of his comeback is running back J.K. Dobbins, who had foot surgery that cut short his 2025 season. He's averaging a career-worst 3.3 yards per carry, down from his career average of 5.0, and the Broncos have put him on a load management program with the emergence of rookie Jonah Coleman.

Davis Webb's cameo as offensive play-caller lasted a month and the Broncos are 5-0 since Payton took back the play sheet. But the offense remains stuck, ranking 23rd in passing and 24th in rushing. Denver's 34 three-and-outs rank second in the NFL and its 41 punts are tied with Philadelphia for the most in the league.

Payton told FS1's Colin Cowherd this week, “I am pleased with some of the things we are doing better. There is still some yellow tape around the offense that says ‘work in progress.’ It just is. I would say this: so much of what we are able to do offensively, run the ball, have balance, can really make Bo’s job easier. I know we have the right quarterback in the building.

“Now, getting specific, like, man, I am watching the cutups of the game we just played, and we didn’t block them very well," Payton added. "And I am just being honest. That has to improve. We have got plenty of depth in the offensive line. We are going to look at all those little things closely. The tape surrounding the offense has to come down, and the family needs to move in.”

Alex Palczewski figures to get a chance at Ben Powers' job at left guard. Center Luke Wattenberg has had too many errant shotgun snaps that throw off Nix's timing and right tackle Mike McGlinchey has been fighting through aches and pains all season.

The Broncos were in the Jonathan Taylor trade talks, but they weren't about to give up another first-round pick — that would have left them with two first-rounders in a six-year span — and they didn't add a tight end at the trade deadline, either.

They called off their only deadline deal after Henley had flown to Denver for his physical. They had hoped he'd help a defense dealing with injuries to Talanoa Hufanga, Brandon Jones and Riley Moss.

Instead, the Broncos, much as they did in the offseason when they decided to run it back with largely the same roster that went 15-4, stood pat midway through this season, figuring they'll tweak the offense and continue to lean on their strong defense to position themselves for another deep run in the playoffs.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Denver Broncos safety Devon Key intercepts of the end zone intended for Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Denver Broncos running back Jonah Coleman celebrates after scoring against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser)

Denver Broncos' Pat Surtain II breaks up a pass intended for Kansas City Chiefs' Xavier Worthy during the second half of an NFL football game in Denver, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos' Jaylen Waddle reacts after catching a touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Denver, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos' Bo Nix smiles after an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Denver, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Coco Gauff rallied to win the final six games of the match and beat Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 7-5 in her round-robin group at the WTA Finals on Thursday.

Then came more suspense.

Gauff's eventual fate depended on the outcome of fellow American Jessica Pegula's match against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova later. A victory by Pegula would knock Gauff, her former doubles partner, out and advance Pegula to the semifinals of the season-ending championships. Gauff beat Pegula in three sets in their opening Group 1 match.

Noskova had already advanced to the semifinals at the $10 million event in the Southern California desert, which was moved from Saudi Arabia because of the Iran war in the Middle East.

Gauff overcame serving issues and visits from a trainer to massage her back during the match. It initially stiffened up in her first match and bothers her on serves and forehands. She received a painkiller.

"I think it's kicking in now,” she said, laughing afterward, “so I feel good.”

Kostyuk raced to a 4-0 lead in in the second set, fighting off four break points to hold in the second game. Twice, Gauff double-faulted away games. She requested a trainer early in the set to work on her as she lay on her side while Kostyuk walked over to sit on the advertising board and chat with her team.

“I was just preparing to play a third (set) at that point,” Gauff said.

Kostyuk led 5-1 before Gauff's comeback began. She fought off three break points and hit a crosscourt forehand winner to trail 5-2.

Kostyuk's wrist began hurting in the first set and a trained tended to it.

“I couldn't really serve anymore,” she said. “I couldn't even hit the ball properly anymore, so I started to miss a lot. I was like, ‘I have to finish this match because it’s just not fair, like for everyone, if I would just stop here right now.'"

Gauff broke twice to tie the set at 5-5. Gauff held for a 6-5 lead and won the match on Kostyuk's netted forehand.

“One game turned into another and I think she got a little bit frustrated too, so that kind of helped me," Gauff said. "Once it was 5-all, I felt momentum was on my side and I just needed to keep my foot on the gas.”

Gauff led 5-2 in the first set before Kostyuk broke to close to 5-4. Gauff broke back in the next game with a gutsy crosscourt backhand volley winner to take the set.

Kostyuk got into the Finals as the first alternate after top-ranked Elena Rybakina withdrew because of a viral illness. The 24-year-old Ukrainian went 0-3 in Group 1 play.

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

FILE - Marta Kostyuk, of Ukraine, returns the ball to Linda Noskova, of the Czech Republic, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig,File)

FILE - Coco Gauff, of the United States, returns the ball to Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, on Sept. 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)