The Chargers, not the Chiefs, stand between Broncos and AFC West title | The Starting Lineup
Turn on the game!
Three must-see events this week:
1. MLB trade deadline (4 p.m. Monday) — The Rockies are on the clock. If Jake McCarthy and Antonio Senzatela are still here for happy hour, the front office is obligated to pick up our tab.
2. Broncos training camp (Monday through Saturday) — The Broncos installed a golf simulator in their new $175 million facility. While appreciative, employees feel “guilty” playing 9 during work hours.
(Stephen Swofford, Denver Gazette)
3. Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony (10 a.m. Saturday, ESPN) — Sean Payton will introduce Drew Brees 20 years before he returns to present Bo Nix as a Hall of Fame inductee. Right?
Numbers game
$350 million — the rough estimate on Nikola Jokic’s five-year supermax extension he could sign next summer, when he’s 32, the second time he’d sign the richest contract in NBA history
Box office
$40 — for a seat at Centennial Stadium at 8 p.m. Wednesday when the North Carolina Courage (6-6-3) visit Denver Summit FC (5-6-4) in an NWSL game (Gametime app)
On this day
Aug. 2, 2007 — Troy Tulowitzki and Kazuo Matsui turned a pair of double plays as Colorado beat the Marlins, 4-3, keeping the Rockies 3.5 games back of the Diamondbacks to set up Rocktober
Final word
While the Denver-Kansas City Monday night opener is a delightful appetizer, it’s not the game that will determine the AFC West title. The Broncos’ season finale against the Chargers is going to decide the division. The Chargers are healthy for now. They fortified an offensive line devastated by injuries in 2025 — yet still managed to win 11 games. Plus, there’s the addition of Smoky Hill grad Mike McDaniel as Justin Herbert’s coordinator. The Chargers usually Charger. This year they won’t.
—Paul Klee, The Denver Gazette