ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos lead the NFL with a franchise-record 58 sacks, a number they aim to bolster Sunday when Carson Wentz fills in for Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs resting some of their stars ahead of the playoffs.

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph promised a more aggressive approach this season and his pass rushers have delivered more sacks than any other Broncos team in its 65-year history.

They're averaging almost four sacks a game.

“Still kind of taken aback by it,” said outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper. “There’s been so many great players that played on the D-line here. We’re just humbled, honestly. I’m humbled about it, just want to get back to work. I feel like our best ball still hasn’t been played for any one of us.

“We’re going to continue to grow as players and keep going. I just feel like the sky is the limit and this has given us a lot of confidence moving forward.”

Fifteen Broncos have registered a sack this season, led by outside linebacker Nik Bonitto with 11 1/2. He’s the first Denver defender since 2018 to reach double-digit sacks and Cooper, who has 9 1/2, can join him Sunday if he gets to Wentz.

Defensive end Zach Allen also is within striking distance after his career-best 3 1/2 sacks of Joe Burrow last week pushed his season total to a career-best 8 1/2.

Allen sacked Burrow on back-to-back plays in overtime. The last one, which he shared with fellow interior D-lineman John Franklin-Myers (six sacks), was the Broncos' 58th sack of the season, breaking the franchise record that had stood for 40 years.

“It’s really amazing, just knowing the types of guys that we have not only in that edge room but in the defensive tackle room," Bonitto said. "We always have a rush plan each and every week. Everyone always sticks to it, and we always are trying to find ways to work well together in the game.

"You can’t really just give it to one guy, there are so many guys that can contribute and help other guys get sacks. It’s me, Coop, JFM (John Franklin-Myers) and Zach, even the young guys like Till (OLB Dondrea Tillman) and (OLB) Jonah (Ellis). It’s just a collective group.”

Of course, the Broncos were in no mood to celebrate the accomplishment last weekend after Burrow bounced back from his seven-sack day to lead the Bengals to a 30-24 win in overtime that kept the Broncos from clinching a playoff berth.

“Yeah, Joe is elite for a reason," Allen said. "I think it’s pretty hard not to say he’s a — if not THE — top quarterback in the league. There’s a reason why he got to the Super Bowl a couple years ago, wins big playoff games. Give him credit. He’s a gamer.”

So is Mahomes — whom the Broncos sacked four times in Week 10 — but he'll sit out Sunday when the Chiefs (15-1), who have already clinched the AFC's top seed, visit Denver, where the Broncos (9-7) are aiming to end an eight-year playoff drought.

The Broncos will face a bevy of backups led by Wentz, who is hoping to parlay a good game at Empower Field into a starting opportunity somewhere else in 2025.

It's a similar situation to last year when Wentz filled in for Matthew Stafford in the Los Angeles Rams' season finale at San Francisco with both teams locked into their playoff positions.

The Niners held him to 163 passing yards, intercepted him once and sacked him twice, but Wentz led the Rams to a 21-20 win, throwing for two touchdowns and scoring on a 12-yard run with 4:56 to play and then converting a 2-point conversion pass to Tutu Atwell.

A win or even a tie by the Broncos would send Denver to the playoffs for the first time since they beat Carolina in Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.

That team was led by an iconic defense that featured the “No Fly Zone” secondary and twin quarterback terrors DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller, the vanguard of a 52-sack unit that's considered the best in franchise history.

Two Broncos rookies have five sacks this season: Ellis, a seventh-round draft pick out of Utah, and Tillman, who went undrafted out of Indiana and played for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League. Safety Justin Strnad's three sacks include one of Aaron Rodgers in his first NFL start.

Chiefs designate CB Jaylen Watson to return and plan to sit most of their stars at Denver

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs designated Jaylen Watson to return from the injured list Friday, raising the chances that one of their top cornerbacks could be available when they begin play in the divisional round of the playoffs in a couple of weeks.

The 26-year-old Watson earned a starting job alongside Trent McDuffie in training camp, and he was playing well until breaking his ankle during a 28-18 victory over the 49ers in Week 7. At that point, the Chiefs considered it unlikely that Watson would be back this season, but the injury has healed quickly and there is a possibility Watson could see the field in the postseason.

Kansas City has earned the No. 1 seed and first-round bye, so its first game would not come until at least Jan. 18.

“He’s really done well coming back,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said after Friday's workout. “I’m curious to see how he did and how he felt. He was out there until the end and moving around pretty good from what I saw.”

The Chiefs visit the Broncos on Sunday in a game that means nothing to their postseason position, though it is crucial to Denver, which could need to beat the AFC West champions to qualify for the playoffs.

Reid had previously said quarterback Patrick Mahomes would get the game off, meaning backup Carson Wentz will be under center. The Chiefs also declared right tackle Jawaan Taylor (knee) and running back Isiah Pacheco (ribs) out with injuries Friday, while a bevy of stars — defensive tackle Chris Jones, tight end Travis Kelce, cornerback Trent McDuffie, pass rusher George Karlaftis, safety Justin Reid and linebackers Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill — were doubtful and unlikely to play.

There is a good chance that former Pro Bowl left tackle D.J. Humphries will get the start against the Broncos, Reid said. He signed with the Chiefs midway through the season but hurt his hamstring in his debut against the Chargers on Dec. 8 and has not played since. The Chiefs would like to get him some game reps to shake off the rust ahead of the playoffs.

“He’s one that I’m kind of checking every day here as we go,” Reid said, “but he looked like he did good today.”

Watson's return would be a big lift for a defense that is No. 2 in scoring, No. 4 against the rush and overall but just No. 14 in the league against the pass. The Chiefs have leaned on Joshua Williams to replace him, but his inconsistent play has also caused the Chiefs to try Nazeeh Johnson, Chamarri Conner and Chris Roland-Wallace in the defensive backfield.

Reid said Watson had worked hard in the training and rehab rooms to give him a chance to play in the postseason.

“I get to see it every day, the progress he's making, or at least get an update on it,” Reid said, "and he's been doing so well that I figured that he'd be out there to give it a whirl. ... He was moving around pretty good. Be curious to see how he feels here after this practice and into tomorrow.”

Kansas City (15-1) at Denver (9-7)

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, CBS

BetMGM NFL Odds: Broncos by 9 1/2.

Against the spread: Chiefs 7-8-1, Broncos 11-5.

Series record: Chiefs lead 73-56.

Last meeting: Chiefs beat the Broncos 16-14 on Nov. 10, 2024, at Arrowhead Stadium.

Last week: Chiefs beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10 on Christmas Day; Broncos lost 30-24 in overtime at Cincinnati.

Chiefs offense: overall (13), rush (16), pass (10), scoring (11).

Chiefs defense: overall (4), rush (4), pass (14), scoring (2).

Broncos offense: overall (22), rush (17), pass (22), scoring (10).

Broncos defense: overall (15), rush (8), pass (25), scoring (5).

Chiefs player to watch

QB Carson Wentz gets the start for the Chiefs as Patrick Mahomes gets a rest with the No. 1 seed clinched and the game rendered meaningless to them. Wentz went to the Pro Bowl with Philadelphia and was one of the more productive quarterbacks in the NFL until injuries derailed his career. This is an opportunity to show off for a whole bunch of teams in desperate need of improved play at the game’s most important position heading into next season.

Broncos player to watch

CB Riley Moss was rusty in his return last week after missing a month with a sprained MCL. Moss was burned repeatedly by Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins, who hooked up for three touchdowns, including the clincher in overtime as the Bengals stayed alive in the playoff chase and denied the Broncos a playoff berth in Week 17. Moss is having a breakout season in his second year in the NFL, but he'll need to get back to his pre-injury self if the Broncos get into the playoffs and have to visit Buffalo.

Key matchup

Chiefs WR DeAndre Hopkins versus Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II. Hopkins figures to be one of a handful of front-line starters who play Sunday because he's approaching some bonuses. He's nine receptions shy of 65, which would trigger a $250,000 bonus. Another 140 yards receiving and he'll earn another $250,000. And if he has a TD catch, he'll earn $500,000 for having six this season. Surtain, the odds-on favorite to win the league's Defensive Player of the Year honor, has been shutting down teams' top options all season. Last week, he held Cincinnati superstar Ja'Marr Chase to three catches for 27 yards on six targets. Chase against everyone else had six catches for 75 yards.

Key injuries

Sitting out along with Mahomes for Kansas City are RB Isiah Pacheco (ribs), RT Jawaan Taylor (knee), CB Jaylen Watson (ankle) and WR Mecole Hardman (knee). DL Chris Jones (calf) was among nine players listed as doubtful on the Chiefs' final injury report Friday. Others listed as doubtful for Sunday although they're not hurt are: LB Nick Bolton, DE George Karlaftis, TE Travis Kelce, RB Kareem Hunt, S Justin Reid, LB Drue Tranquill and CB Trent McDuffie. Although the Chiefs have already said Mahomes won't play, he was officially listed as doubtful.

The Broncos are healthy for Week 18 with only backup T Frank Crum (illness) ruled out Friday.

Series notes

The Chiefs have dominated the series ever since Peyton Manning retired. They won 16 straight before a 24-9 loss at Denver last season. They were about to lose again in Week 10 at Arrowhead Stadium but they blocked a chip-shot field goal as time expired to preserve a 16-14 victory.

Stats and stuff

The Chiefs have already set a franchise record with their 15th regular-season win. They can match the single-season record set by New England in 2007, though that was during a 16-game regular season. ... Mahomes has thrown 245 TD passes, the most for a QB in his first eight years. He hardly played as a rookie and made it in 112 games, while Peyton Manning (244) needed 128 games to set the previous record. ... Kelce has 1,004 receptions, third most among TEs. He needed 175 games to surpass 1,000, or 28 games fewer than Jason Witten. ... Kelce has 77 TD receptions, breaking Tony Gonzalez’s Chiefs record of 76. Kelce also has 80 total TDs, three behind Priest Holmes’ franchise record. ... Hopkins has caught a pass in an NFL-leading 178 consecutive games. Kelce is next with 174. ... Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy needs one TD catch to match Rashee Rice’s franchise rookie record of seven set last season. ... The Broncos can clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2015 with a victory. Denver's playoff drought is the longest for a team that won the Super Bowl. ... A victory by the Broncos would give Denver a 6-2 home record, the franchise's best since the 2015 season when they also went 6-2 at home. ... Since Week 5, rookie Bo Nix has been one of the top five QBs in the league, completing 267 of 400 passes for 2,794 yards with 24 TDs and eight interceptions. ... Nix has multiple touchdown throws in all five starts against AFC West teams. ... Rookie RB Audric Estime had a season-best 53 yards rushing in the teams' first meeting in November. ... WR Marvin Mims Jr. is coming off a career-best game at Cincinnati, where he had eight catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns. ... DE Zach Allen had a career-high 3 1/2 sacks last week, most by a Broncos player since 2009. ... LB Nik Bonitto has sacks in six consecutive home games. ... LB Jonathon Cooper needs half a sack for his first career 10-sack season. ... Rookie LB Dondrea Tillman is going for his fourth consecutive game with a sack.

Injured Avs goalie Scott Wedgewood estimated week-to-week after play that drew Jared Bednar's wrath

DENVER (AP) — Jared Bednar received some clarity from the league on why a whistle wasn't blown to stop a play with his goaltender Scott Wedgewood hurt and down on the ice.

It doesn't mean the Colorado Avalanche coach fully agrees with what he heard.

“We had a good discussion on it today, on my thoughts. I think they understood my thoughts. I understand theirs,” Bednar said Friday after practice. "I don’t want to say agree to disagree — there’s some differences of opinion, but I do understand their side of it. I think they understand mine.”

Wedgewood was hurt in the third period Thursday night after a Buffalo Sabres player fell on his right leg following a collision in front of the net. Bednar's gripe was that the play should've been stopped once the puck went into the corner and with Wedgewood still down. The whistle didn't sound and the Sabres ended up scoring a goal in a game the Avalanche rallied to win 6-5 in overtime.

“When the goalie's hurt, you blow the whistle,” an upset Bednar said Thursday night after the game. “By the time that puck got cycled behind the net, it should have been called. You’re doing it for every other player on the ice, but you’re not going to do it for the goalie? Makes no sense to me.”

Bednar said Friday the team was still waiting on tests that may determine how long Wedgewood might be sidelined. Bednar estimated his goalie will be week to week. The team is hoping it's not a high ankle sprain, which would keep Wedgewood out about six weeks.

“He’s going to miss some time,” Bednar said. “We’re just hoping for the best side of that timeline.”

On the play that drew Bednar's wrath, Sabres forward Zach Benson crashed into Avalanche center Parker Kelly and fell into Wedgewood’s right leg. Benson got back up, gained possession of the puck and later scored with Wedgewood still down and inside the goal.

It fired up the Avalanche, who tied the game with 8 seconds remaining and won it 48 seconds into overtime on Devon Toews' breakaway goal.

“I thought our guys got mad and got super-determined after that happened,” Bednar said.

Wedgewood's injury is the latest in a string of ailments for the Avalanche. They're also missing Valeri Nichushkin (lower body), Miles Wood (upper body), Ivan Ivan (upper body), Oliver Kylington (upper body) and captain Gabriel Landeskog (knee).

Behind the play of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen and Toews, the Avalanche have reeled off six straight wins heading into a game Saturday against Montreal.

“We’ve got a lot of really good players. That's why we’ve been a really good team for a long time,” Bednar said. “I have faith that we will get healthy at some point, and then I'd like to see what our team looks like.”

With Wedgewood out, the Avalanche plan to lean heavily on Mackenzie Blackwood, who was acquired by the Avalanche in a deal last month with San Jose that sent Alexandar Georgiev to the Sharks. Blackwood has gone 6-1 with a 1.93 goals-against average since the trade. He's confident he can handle the increased workload.

“You've got to be ready to go in situations like that,” said Blackwood, who signed a five-year contract extension on Dec. 27. “Obviously, back-to-backs are tougher, but you do what you can.”

Colorado plans to call up Trent Miner from the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League to serve as a backup.

“We'll just see how long Wedgie’s going to be out,” Bednar said of Wedgewood, who was acquired in a trade with Nashville on Nov. 30. “We’ve kept both guys (Blackwood and Wedgewood) going, because both guys were playing great. Now we’ll have to lean on one guy.”

Expansion-seeking PWHL ready to drop puck on 9-game neutral site Takeover Tour in Seattle

Of all the places Hilary Knight has played competitive hockey — from Beijing to Utica, New York — during her 17 U.S. national team seasons, the Boston Fleet captain holds a soft spot for Seattle, not far from her home in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Two years have passed, but the four-time Olympian still excitedly reflects on the electric atmosphere a U.S.-Canada Rivalry Series record-crowd of 14,551 created inside the NHL Kraken’s arena.

“To be honest, I have yet to experience another crowd like that,” Knight said of playing in Climate Pledge Arena, where she scored twice and added an assist in 4-2 win. “Seattle holds a special place in my mind, and that’s why I’m super excited to be able to share that experience with other teammates, whether it’s on the Fleet or on the Montreal team.”

Knight makes her return to the Pacific Northwest on Sunday, when Boston faces the Montreal Victoire to kick off the PWHL’s expanded series of neutral-site games. Dubbed “The Takeover Tour,” the Seattle stop is the first of nine out-of-market outings the PWHL will play in places including Raleigh, North Carolina, St. Louis and Vancouver, British Columbia.

The series serves two major purposes for the six-team league a month into its second season: Aside from broadening the sport’s reach across North America, the tour allows the PWHL to test markets as it considers expanding by as many as two franchises next season.

“I think any opportunity to have an outreach of currently out-of-market games for us is a critical one for the growth of the game and also our league,” Knight said of a league whose westernmost team is in Minnesota.

“Would I love to see teams out west? Absolutely. I think it’s a prime hockey market,” added Knight. “So there’s really no sky or ceiling to where this league can go.”

Rounding out the list of neutral sites are Denver, Detroit, Buffalo, New York, and the Canadian cities Edmonton and Quebec City. Detroit is already considered a front-runner for expansion and the only repeat city on the schedule after drawing 13,736 fans for one of two neutral-site games last year; Pittsburgh was the other.

Minnesota goalie Nicole Hensley looks forward to her Denver homecoming on Jan. 12, when the Frost play Montreal at the Avalanche’s Ball Arena.

“I think the last time I (played in Denver) was in high school,” Hensley said.

“Yeah, it was a pretty small rink, so this will be little different,” Hensley added, noting she attended many Avalanche games. “I’m not going to lie, I’ve been looking forward to it for a while.”

Current players aren’t the only ones awaiting tour stops.

Cammi Granato, who captained the United States to win gold at the first Winter Games to feature women’s hockey in Nagano in 1998, considers the tour yet another a breakthrough for her sport, with Montreal playing Toronto in her adopted hometown of Vancouver on Jan. 8.

“It’s something I never thought could be possible,” Granato wrote in a text to The Associated Press.

“When I was growing up, I had the same dream as my brothers to play in the NHL. As I got older, it was hard to accept that I didn’t have the same opportunities to play professional hockey,” added Granato, now an assistant GM with the NHL's Canucks. “It is incredible to see that it can be a dream come true for this generation of players.”

Montreal rookie Jennifer Gardiner is from suburban Vancouver and felt isolated from women’s hockey because much of it was being played in the east. She’s excited to hear the Victoire’s game against Toronto has already sold out with the region’s youth girls' hockey associations suspending play that day in order to attend.

“It goes to show how important it is to continue to expand this league and get these games all over North America because people want to watch,” said Gardiner, who played at Ohio State. “I haven’t stopped smiling since I heard about these games out west.”

The Kraken privately campaigned to land one of the PWHL’s inaugural franchises a year ago. Seattle's staff includes assistant GM Alexandra Mandrycky and it is the NHL’s first team to hire a full-time women’s assistant coach in Jessica Campbell.

“We are committed to growing the game of hockey for both boys and girls in the Pacific Northwest. It’s inspiring for young women in our region to witness female success in hockey on and off the ice,” Kraken GM Ron Francis said. “This is an exciting moment for our community and an important step forward for women’s hockey.”