thedenverpost--2020-10-18--Drew Lock is 1-0 against Bill Belichick, making it a win to remember even if the Broncos QB had a st

Drew Lock is 1-0 against Bill Belichick, making it a win to remember even if the Broncos QB had a stat line to forget

Granted , the stat line was about as pretty as the roadkill along I-70 .
And yes , we know the first interception of the fourth quarter had you reaching for the Pepto .
And the second one had you grasping for something stronger .
We don ’ t blame you for spending the last six minutes of Sunday ’ s Broncos-Patriots game crawling up the dang well , convinced Drew Lock had thrown this puppy away .
“ ( I was ) very anxious , ” Lock said after leading Denver to a COVID-delayed , season-shifting 18-12 win at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You know , that ’ s just our offense , though .
We ’ re going to take the shots when they ’ re there.
” The numbers say Buzz Lightyear misfired .
A lot .
The former Mizzou standout completed just 10-of-24 throws for 189 yards , zero scores and two picks .
He was intercepted on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter , helping the hosts turn a defensive slugfest into a nail-biter .
But if the glass was half — well , half-something , here ’ s the half-full version @ @ @ @ @ @ @ five of those incompletions were drops , balls that doinked off a forearm , a finger , or both .
• Three of those drops came in the end zone on catchable balls .
One came off the mitts of Jerry Jeudy and another two were by dropped by Lock ’ s old college teammate , tight end Albert Okwuegbunam .
• You won in New England .
You beat a Bill Belichick team at Gillette Stadium .
Lock is in his second full year with the Broncos .
But in terms of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more or less an NFL rookie .
Belichick has never lost to a rookie quarterback at home as the coach of the Pats .
Belichick hasn ’ t lost to a first-year signal-caller anywhere on the planet since 2013 .
• Because of the Pats ’ coronavirus circus , Belichick and his staff had two weeks to prep for the contest , even if they were preparing without a full complement of players , and rarely practiced .
( And it showed . )
“ I thought Drew played well , ” Broncos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who ’ s now 5-3 since last December as an NFL starter , 1-2 this fall .
“ I thought he looked good out there .
And when I say that , I just thought he looked comfortable .
He didn ’ t look like a guy coming back from an injury .
He wasn ’ t tentative .
He was out there playing football the way we want him to play .
“ Obviously , the interceptions , we don ’ t want to have .
One was , I believe one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at the other one on tape .
But I think it ’ s a great learning experience for him and the entire team .
And hopefully we ’ ll be better prepared to close out the next time we get a lead like that.
” More from the half-full side : Lock didn ’ t report any discomfort following the game — “ I felt good , ” he said — when asked about some of the shots he took , especially to the right shoulder .
Of course , he also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about his health later during his postgame Zoom call with Denver media , so you might want to keep those rosary beads handy , just in case .
“ There ’ s no doubt in my mind that I was ready to come out and play and try to lead us to a win , ” said Lock , who made his first appearance since suffering an injury to his right rotator cuff during a Week 2 loss at Pittsburgh .
“ I think maybe a week earlier ( when the game was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m not 100 % sure about that ( readiness ) .
” When Lock was good , he was very , very good .
The young Broncos signal-caller found wideout Tim Patrick for huge gains on his first drive of the day and again in the third quarter — the second one a rainbow dropped between two Pats defenders .
But he also missed Patrick on a back-shoulder fade at midfield , a toss that sailed short and was picked off by New England ’ s J.C. Jackson with 5:15 left .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Okwuegbunam ( six targets , two catches , 45 receiving yards ) made it look , at times , as if Noah Fant had never left , the drops were painful .
• Kiszla : When Phillip Lindsay runs for 100 yards , Broncos don ’ t lose .
Pay him , John Elway , before Lindsay makes “ business decision ” to play in another NFL city .
• Brandon McManus sets Broncos ’ franchise record with six field goals in win against Patriots • Broncos game balls and gassers : Malik @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it matters “ I know Albert is going to be upset about some of those plays in the red zone , ” Lock said .
“ And of course , I ’ m holding him to a higher standard than he ’ s probably hoping for .
So we ’ ll probably hit a couple of those after practices this week .
But I was excited for him.
” “ We saw opportunities to pass the ball down there , ” Lock said .
“ And the opportunities were there , you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
That ’ s the struggle of it .
It ’ s just football .
We ’ ve got to put those plays together .
”

Granted, the stat line was about as pretty as the roadkill along I-70. And yes, we know the first interception of the fourth quarter had you reaching for the Pepto. And the second one had you grasping for something stronger.
We don’t blame you for spending the last six minutes of Sunday’s Broncos-Patriots game crawling up the dang well, convinced Drew Lock had thrown this puppy away.
“(I was) very anxious,” Lock said after leading Denver to a COVID-delayed, season-shifting 18-12 win at New England on Sunday afternoon. “You know, that’s just our offense, though. We’re going to take the shots when they’re there.”
The numbers say Buzz Lightyear misfired. A lot. The former Mizzou standout completed just 10-of-24 throws for 189 yards, zero scores and two picks. He was intercepted on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter, helping the hosts turn a defensive slugfest into a nail-biter.
But if the glass was half — well, half-something, here’s the half-full version of Week 6:
• At least five of those incompletions were drops, balls that doinked off a forearm, a finger, or both.
• Three of those drops came in the end zone on catchable balls. One came off the mitts of Jerry Jeudy and another two were by dropped by Lock’s old college teammate, tight end Albert Okwuegbunam.
• You won anyway.
• You won in New England. You beat a Bill Belichick team at Gillette Stadium. Lock is in his second full year with the Broncos. But in terms of game experience, he’s still more or less an NFL rookie. Belichick has never lost to a rookie quarterback at home as the coach of the Pats. Belichick hasn’t lost to a first-year signal-caller anywhere on the planet since 2013.
• Because of the Pats’ coronavirus circus, Belichick and his staff had two weeks to prep for the contest, even if they were preparing without a full complement of players, and rarely practiced. (And it showed.)
• Bill Belichick is 0-1 against Drew Lock.
Pretty? No.
Satisfying? Given everything?
Yeah. Oh, heck, yeah.
“I thought Drew played well,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said of Lock, who’s now 5-3 since last December as an NFL starter, 1-2 this fall.
“I thought he looked good out there. And when I say that, I just thought he looked comfortable. He didn’t look like a guy coming back from an injury. He wasn’t tentative. He was out there playing football the way we want him to play.
“Obviously, the interceptions, we don’t want to have. One was, I believe one was a miscommunication. I’ll look at the other one on tape. But I think it’s a great learning experience for him and the entire team. And hopefully we’ll be better prepared to close out the next time we get a lead like that.”
More from the half-full side: Lock didn’t report any discomfort following the game — “I felt good,” he said — when asked about some of the shots he took, especially to the right shoulder. Of course, he also danced around one of the questions asked about his health later during his postgame Zoom call with Denver media, so you might want to keep those rosary beads handy, just in case.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that I was ready to come out and play and try to lead us to a win,” said Lock, who made his first appearance since suffering an injury to his right rotator cuff during a Week 2 loss at Pittsburgh. “I think maybe a week earlier (when the game was originally scheduled), and I’m not 100% sure about that (readiness).”
When Lock was good, he was very, very good. The young Broncos signal-caller found wideout Tim Patrick for huge gains on his first drive of the day and again in the third quarter — the second one a rainbow dropped between two Pats defenders.
But he also missed Patrick on a back-shoulder fade at midfield, a toss that sailed short and was picked off by New England’s J.C. Jackson with 5:15 left. And while the timing with fellow Tigers buddy Okwuegbunam (six targets, two catches, 45 receiving yards) made it look, at times, as if Noah Fant had never left, the drops were painful.
“I know Albert is going to be upset about some of those plays in the red zone,” Lock said. “And of course, I’m holding him to a higher standard than he’s probably hoping for. So we’ll probably hit a couple of those after practices this week. But I was excited for him.”
Perfect? No.
Cathartic? No question.
“We saw opportunities to pass the ball down there,” Lock said. “And the opportunities were there, you’ve just got to come up with it. That’s the struggle of it. It’s just football. We’ve got to put those plays together.”


thedenverpost--2020-10-18--Vic Fangio’s fourth-down blitz call helps Broncos fight off New England comeback bid

FOXBOROUGH , Mass .
— Throughout his year-plus as the Broncos ’ coach and defensive play-caller , Vic Fangio has occasionally gone to great lengths to say he was not immune to blitzing in general and blitzing at critical times in particular .
The pressures were in his playbook .
The situation and opponent need to be just right .
And just watch , the Broncos will double down at the figurative blackjack table when it is unexpected , he promised .
The time was exactly right late in Sunday ’ s game against the New England Patriots .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 15-point comeback when quarterback Cam Newton and Co. faced a fourth-and-10 from the Broncos ’ 24 .
Safeties Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson got a head start from nine yards beyond the line of scrimmage .
They were joined by five other pass rushers , whose pressure forced Newton to throw incomplete in 2.59 seconds before receiver N ’ Keal Harry could complete his out route .
The pressure allowed the Broncos to escape with an 18-12 win and produced sighs of relief from Fangio ( for the gutsy call ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) and well , the entire Broncos organization .
Up 18-3 with nine minutes remaining , a loss would have meant a painful flight back to Denver and an even more tortuous tape review Monday .
“ That was very Vic-esque , ” Simmons said of the call .
“ He has such a great feel for the game in terms of play-calling and he felt it was the right time to call it.
” The right call at the right time and the right result .
The Broncos failed to score a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two fourth-quarter picks … and didn ’ t lose .
And Brandon McManus accounted for all of the points ( field goals of 45 , 44 , 27 , 52 , 20 and 54 yards ) … and it was enough .
“ I think it speaks to the type of players we have , the type of team we have , the type of conviction we have , ” Fangio said of the defense after the Broncos won following a 17-day layoff .
“ Those guys went out there and fought , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When Phillip Lindsay runs for 100 yards , Broncos don ’ t lose .
Pay him , John Elway , before Lindsay makes “ business decision ” to play in another NFL city .
• Drew Lock is 1-0 against Bill Belichick , making it a win to remember even if the Broncos QB had a stat line to forget • Brandon McManus sets Broncos ’ franchise record with six field goals in win against Patriots • Broncos game balls and gassers : Malik Reed becomes “ Dream Killer ” when it matters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were just about done , done , done .
Following wins over the Jets and Patriots , they should have some hope .
“ Proud of my boys , ” defensive end Shelby Harris said in a phone interview with The Denver Post .
“ We really answered the bell .
We had to go out there and step up and be the best defense on the field and we did .
We answered every call asked of us.
” The last call was the biggest call .
Lock ’ s interception with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Broncos leaning on Phillip Lindsay to burn some clock ? )
gave the Patriots hope .
In the Broncos ’ defensive huddle , the message was simple .
“ It was pretty much , ‘ Suck it up , let ’ s get it , ’ ” Harris said .
“ That ’ s what great defenses do.
” New England was so flummoxed offensively it had receiver Julian Edelman throw completions of 22 and 16 yards .
Quarterback Cam Newton caught the second pass , down to the Broncos ’ 24 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrived after a Newton incompletion , outside linebacker Malik Reed ’ s second sack and a six-yard catch by running back James White .
The Broncos called timeout with 1:03 remaining .
The Broncos ’ personnel : Fangio deployed six defensive backs , the extras being De ’ Vante Bausby and cornerback Duke Dawson .
Harris was the only lineman on the field .
The Patriots ’ personnel : Edelman ( slot ) and Harry ( wide ) lined up to the right , receiver Damiere Byrd wide left and White and running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shotgun .
The call : Not quite “ Cover Zero ” ( all-out blitz with across-the-board man coverage ) , but close .
The Broncos rushed seven , leaving Dawson to account for the middle of the field .
Bausby and cornerbacks Michael Ojemudia and Bryce Callahan were in man coverage .
The play : The Patriots kept seven in protection , which cost Newton an outlet receiver .
Newton wasn ’ t hit , but Simmons and Reed forced him to throw wide to Harry .
“ We just knew , ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play , ’ ” said Ojemudia , who had two forced fumbles .
“ We had to cover for about one , two , three seconds and thanks to Vic for having the trust in us to cover our guys .
That definitely took some guts and we appreciated the call.
” Fangio ’ s daring call falls in line with how he called the Week 4 win over the New York Jets ; the Broncos rushed five or more players on 20 of the Jets ’ 55 drop-backs ( 36.4 % ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his cornerbacks ?
That has to be the main consideration .
He would be hesitant to blitz safeties and inside linebackers if he didn ’ t feel his corners could track players down and across the field .
And he could get A.J .
Bouye back from a shoulder injury next week .
Is Fangio going to turn into a blitz-happy play-caller ?
Broncos fans should hope so .
Pressure does lead to big plays allowed , but it also leads to sacks and turnovers .
“ At one time , I was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Fangio said .
“ With the teams I had in San Francisco and Chicago , we didn ’ t need to ( blitz ) .
But it ’ s there when it needs to be had and obviously we needed to have it ( Sunday ) .
” Needed it because the Broncos nearly gave the game away , wasting McManus ’ franchise record-breaking effort and spoiling the return of running back Phillip Lindsay ( 101 yards on 22 carries ) .
The Broncos led 9-3 at halftime , 18-3 entering the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And nearly squandered it all .
They found a way to survive the Patriots ’ last gasps , though , and now head home to face Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers .
“ They are a tough-minded group of people , ” Fangio said .
“ I think that was on display ( Sunday ) .
”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Throughout his year-plus as the Broncos’ coach and defensive play-caller, Vic Fangio has occasionally gone to great lengths to say he was not immune to blitzing in general and blitzing at critical times in particular.
The pressures were in his playbook. The situation and opponent need to be just right. And just watch, the Broncos will double down at the figurative blackjack table when it is unexpected, he promised.
The time was exactly right late in Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.
The Patriots were on the cusp of completing a 15-point comeback when quarterback Cam Newton and Co. faced a fourth-and-10 from the Broncos’ 24.
Suddenly, Fangio became Gambling Vic.
Safeties Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson got a head start from nine yards beyond the line of scrimmage. They were joined by five other pass rushers, whose pressure forced Newton to throw incomplete in 2.59 seconds before receiver N’Keal Harry could complete his out route. The pressure allowed the Broncos to escape with an 18-12 win and produced sighs of relief from Fangio (for the gutsy call), quarterback Drew Lock (two fourth-quarter interceptions) and well, the entire Broncos organization. Up 18-3 with nine minutes remaining, a loss would have meant a painful flight back to Denver and an even more tortuous tape review Monday.
“That was very Vic-esque,” Simmons said of the call. “He has such a great feel for the game in terms of play-calling and he felt it was the right time to call it.”
The right call at the right time and the right result.
The Broncos failed to score a touchdown … and won. Lock threw two fourth-quarter picks … and didn’t lose. And Brandon McManus accounted for all of the points (field goals of 45, 44, 27, 52, 20 and 54 yards) … and it was enough.
“I think it speaks to the type of players we have, the type of team we have, the type of conviction we have,” Fangio said of the defense after the Broncos won following a 17-day layoff. “Those guys went out there and fought, fought, fought.”
When they were 0-3, the Broncos were just about done, done, done. Following wins over the Jets and Patriots, they should have some hope.
“Proud of my boys,” defensive end Shelby Harris said in a phone interview with The Denver Post. “We really answered the bell. We had to go out there and step up and be the best defense on the field and we did. We answered every call asked of us.”
The last call was the biggest call. Lock’s interception with 3:14 remaining (why weren’t the Broncos leaning on Phillip Lindsay to burn some clock?) gave the Patriots hope. In the Broncos’ defensive huddle, the message was simple.
“It was pretty much, ‘Suck it up, let’s get it,’” Harris said. “That’s what great defenses do.”
New England was so flummoxed offensively it had receiver Julian Edelman throw completions of 22 and 16 yards. Quarterback Cam Newton caught the second pass, down to the Broncos’ 24 with under 90 seconds remaining.
Fourth-and-10 arrived after a Newton incompletion, outside linebacker Malik Reed’s second sack and a six-yard catch by running back James White. The Broncos called timeout with 1:03 remaining.
The Broncos’ personnel: Fangio deployed six defensive backs, the extras being De’Vante Bausby and cornerback Duke Dawson. Harris was the only lineman on the field.
The Patriots’ personnel: Edelman (slot) and Harry (wide) lined up to the right, receiver Damiere Byrd wide left and White and running back Rex Burkhead flanking Newton in the shotgun.
The call: Not quite “Cover Zero” (all-out blitz with across-the-board man coverage), but close. The Broncos rushed seven, leaving Dawson to account for the middle of the field. Bausby and cornerbacks Michael Ojemudia and Bryce Callahan were in man coverage.
The play: The Patriots kept seven in protection, which cost Newton an outlet receiver. Newton wasn’t hit, but Simmons and Reed forced him to throw wide to Harry.
“We just knew, ‘This is it. This is the play,’” said Ojemudia, who had two forced fumbles. “We had to cover for about one, two, three seconds and thanks to Vic for having the trust in us to cover our guys. That definitely took some guts and we appreciated the call.”
Fangio’s daring call falls in line with how he called the Week 4 win over the New York Jets; the Broncos rushed five or more players on 20 of the Jets’ 55 drop-backs (36.4%).
Is Fangio becoming more confident in his cornerbacks? That has to be the main consideration. He would be hesitant to blitz safeties and inside linebackers if he didn’t feel his corners could track players down and across the field. And he could get A.J. Bouye back from a shoulder injury next week.
Is Fangio going to turn into a blitz-happy play-caller? Broncos fans should hope so. Pressure does lead to big plays allowed, but it also leads to sacks and turnovers.
“At one time, I was the leading blitz-krieger in the NFL,” Fangio said. “With the teams I had in San Francisco and Chicago, we didn’t need to (blitz). But it’s there when it needs to be had and obviously we needed to have it (Sunday).”
Needed it because the Broncos nearly gave the game away, wasting McManus’ franchise record-breaking effort and spoiling the return of running back Phillip Lindsay (101 yards on 22 carries). The Broncos led 9-3 at halftime, 18-3 entering the fourth quarter and 18-9 with 8:31 remaining. And nearly squandered it all.
They found a way to survive the Patriots’ last gasps, though, and now head home to face Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers.
“They are a tough-minded group of people,” Fangio said. “I think that was on display (Sunday).”


thedenverpost--2020-10-18--Derrick Henry, Titans rally past Texans 42-36 in OT, remain unbeaten

NASHVILLE , Tenn. — Expectations for Derrick Henry already are pretty high , with his history of mighty stiff arms and long touchdown runs .
Last season ’ s rushing leader keeps finding new ways to top himself , taking the Tennessee Titans along with him yet again .
Henry took a direct snap and ran 5 yards for a touchdown 3:30 into overtime and the Titans remained undefeated , rallying to beat the Houston Texans 42-36 on Sunday .
“ Obviously , we all witnessed somebody taking a game over , ” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said of Henry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a franchise-record 601 yards of total offense .
That helped them overcome two turnovers , Stephen Gostkowski having a field goal blocked and missing another and the defense giving up 335 yards passing and four touchdown passes to Deshaun Watson .
Watson ’ s final TD pass put Houston ( 1-5 ) up 36-29 with 1:50 left , but his pass to Randall Cobb on the 2-point conversion attempt failed .
Coach Romeo Crennel , in his second game since replacing the fired Bill O ’ Brien , said he went for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the game out of reach .
Crennel also didn ’ t take a timeout before the game-winning TD .
“ That play was run in practice , and we should have been prepared , ” Crennel said of the wildcat play .
Ryan Tannehill , who had three of his 19 career game-winning drives to start this season , drove the Titans 76 yards before finding A.J .
Brown on a 7-yard TD pass with 4 seconds left .
Gostkowski made the extra point , and the Texans fielded a squib kick to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for 202 yards in regulation , including a 94-yard TD run .
In overtime , he took a screen pass 53 yards on the second play .
He capped the six-play , 82-yard drive with his second TD of the game , finishing with 212 yards rushing and 52 yards receiving .
The Titans are 16-0 when Henry runs for at least 100 yards .
Asked about his performance , Henry kept giving credit to his teammates .
“ I just had to do my job , ” Henry said more than once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ runs for 100 yards , Broncos don ’ t lose .
Pay him , John Elway , before Lindsay makes “ business decision ” to play in another NFL city .
• Drew Lock is 1-0 against Bill Belichick , making it a win to remember even if the Broncos QB had a stat line to forget The Titans have their second-best start in franchise history since this franchise won its first 10 games in 2008 .
Their win , combined with Pittsburgh ’ s victory over Cleveland , sets up a showdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undefeated teams here in a week .
Tannehill finished with 364 yards and four TD passes .
He had seen Henry make huge plays before coming to Tennessee .
“ He just has that rare size , strength and speed combination that it ’ s extremely rare , ” Tannehill said .
The Texans ( 1-5 ) came in as the two-time defending AFC South champs and nearly gave Crennel a second straight victory .
“ We did not finish the game on defense , ” Texans star J.J. Watt said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t do it .
And as a leader of the defense , I put that squarely on my shoulders .
So this one is very difficult to take.
” Tennessee led 21-10 at halftime .
Houston safety Justin Reid blocked a 27-yard field goal attempt by Gostkowski , who later missed a 37-yarder wide left , in the third quarter to set up David Johnson ’ s 1-yard TD run .
The Titans lost left tackle Taylor Lewan to an injured knee on the next drive , and Watt sacked Tannehill two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ball .
Jacob Martin recovered for Houston at the Titans 4 , and Watson found Randall Cobb at the right pylon for a 4-yard TD pass and a 23-21 lead .
Henry broke off a 94-yard TD run , racing to the other end zone in 14 seconds .
Watson answered two plays later with a 53-yard TD pass to Will Fuller for a 30-29 lead with 8:37 left .
The Titans ended the shootout with a 601-412 advantage in total yards .
The previous franchise record for yards from scrimmage was 583 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also in overtime , against Dallas on Nov. 10 , 1991 .
The Titans now have scored at least 31 points in four straight games and came in ranked sixth in the NFL averaging 30.5 points a game .
They scored in each of the first two quarters , extending their streak to 15 straight before going scoreless in the third .
They also have scored at least 42 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1961 .
The then-Houston Oilers beat the Titans of New York ( later the Jets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the final two weeks of the 1961 season before beating the Chargers the next week for the AFL title .
The Titans had a handful of players back from the reserve/COVID-19 list : defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons , receivers Adam Humphries and Cam Batson , cornerback Kristian Fulton and fullback Khari Blasingame .
Only wide receiver Corey Davis and tight end MyCole Pruitt from the active roster remain on that list .
Texans cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III went down late in the second quarter but returned in the third .
Texans cornerback Lonnie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overtime .
Lewan did not return after walking gingerly to the locker room .
Titans tight end Jonnu Smith limped to the sideline and had his right foot and ankle retaped .
He did not return .
The Texans host the Packers next Sunday .

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Expectations for Derrick Henry already are pretty high, with his history of mighty stiff arms and long touchdown runs.
Last season’s rushing leader keeps finding new ways to top himself, taking the Tennessee Titans along with him yet again.
Henry took a direct snap and ran 5 yards for a touchdown 3:30 into overtime and the Titans remained undefeated, rallying to beat the Houston Texans 42-36 on Sunday.
“Obviously, we all witnessed somebody taking a game over,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said of Henry.
The Titans (5-0) finished with a franchise-record 601 yards of total offense. That helped them overcome two turnovers, Stephen Gostkowski having a field goal blocked and missing another and the defense giving up 335 yards passing and four touchdown passes to Deshaun Watson.
Watson’s final TD pass put Houston (1-5) up 36-29 with 1:50 left, but his pass to Randall Cobb on the 2-point conversion attempt failed. Coach Romeo Crennel, in his second game since replacing the fired Bill O’Brien, said he went for the conversion in a bid to put the game out of reach. Crennel also didn’t take a timeout before the game-winning TD.
“That play was run in practice, and we should have been prepared,” Crennel said of the wildcat play.
Ryan Tannehill, who had three of his 19 career game-winning drives to start this season, drove the Titans 76 yards before finding A.J. Brown on a 7-yard TD pass with 4 seconds left. Gostkowski made the extra point, and the Texans fielded a squib kick to send it into overtime.
Henry ran for 202 yards in regulation, including a 94-yard TD run. In overtime, he took a screen pass 53 yards on the second play. He capped the six-play, 82-yard drive with his second TD of the game, finishing with 212 yards rushing and 52 yards receiving.
The Titans are 16-0 when Henry runs for at least 100 yards. Asked about his performance, Henry kept giving credit to his teammates.
“I just had to do my job,” Henry said more than once.
The Titans have their second-best start in franchise history since this franchise won its first 10 games in 2008. Their win, combined with Pittsburgh’s victory over Cleveland, sets up a showdown between the AFC’s last two undefeated teams here in a week.
Tannehill finished with 364 yards and four TD passes. He had seen Henry make huge plays before coming to Tennessee.
“He just has that rare size, strength and speed combination that it’s extremely rare,” Tannehill said.
The Texans (1-5) came in as the two-time defending AFC South champs and nearly gave Crennel a second straight victory.
“We did not finish the game on defense,” Texans star J.J. Watt said. “We had multiple opportunities and we didn’t do it. And as a leader of the defense, I put that squarely on my shoulders. So this one is very difficult to take.”
Tennessee led 21-10 at halftime. Houston safety Justin Reid blocked a 27-yard field goal attempt by Gostkowski, who later missed a 37-yarder wide left, in the third quarter to set up David Johnson’s 1-yard TD run.
The Titans lost left tackle Taylor Lewan to an injured knee on the next drive, and Watt sacked Tannehill two plays later, stripping him of the ball. Jacob Martin recovered for Houston at the Titans 4, and Watson found Randall Cobb at the right pylon for a 4-yard TD pass and a 23-21 lead.
That started a scoring spree.
Henry broke off a 94-yard TD run, racing to the other end zone in 14 seconds. Watson answered two plays later with a 53-yard TD pass to Will Fuller for a 30-29 lead with 8:37 left.
The Titans ended the shootout with a 601-412 advantage in total yards. The previous franchise record for yards from scrimmage was 583 by the Warren Moon-led Houston Oilers, also in overtime, against Dallas on Nov. 10, 1991.
HIGH-SCORING OFFENSE
The Titans now have scored at least 31 points in four straight games and came in ranked sixth in the NFL averaging 30.5 points a game. They scored in each of the first two quarters, extending their streak to 15 straight before going scoreless in the third.
They also have scored at least 42 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1961. The then-Houston Oilers beat the Titans of New York (later the Jets) 48-21 and the Raiders 47-16 in the final two weeks of the 1961 season before beating the Chargers the next week for the AFL title.
BOLSTERED LINEUP
The Titans had a handful of players back from the reserve/COVID-19 list: defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons, receivers Adam Humphries and Cam Batson, cornerback Kristian Fulton and fullback Khari Blasingame. Only wide receiver Corey Davis and tight end MyCole Pruitt from the active roster remain on that list.
INJURIES
Texans cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III went down late in the second quarter but returned in the third. Texans cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr. was hurt tackling Henry in overtime.
Lewan did not return after walking gingerly to the locker room. Titans tight end Jonnu Smith limped to the sideline and had his right foot and ankle retaped. He did not return.
UP NEXT
The Texans host the Packers next Sunday.
The Titans host Pittsburgh next Sunday.


thedenverpost--2020-10-18--Brandon McManus sets Broncos’ franchise record with six field goals in win against Patriots

Brandon McManus kicked six field goals Sunday in New England to set a franchise record and further validate his journey to becoming one of the NFL ’ s top placekickers .
McManus accounted for all of Denver ’ s points in an 18-12 victory against the Patriots , connecting twice from 50-plus yards , and prompting head coach Vic Fangio to give him a game ball .
He ’ s the first player in team history to convert six field goals in a single game .
When asked where his performance ranked in his seven Broncos seasons , McManus said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there ” near the top .
But for reasons beyond the box score .
Playing the hero in Foxborough is especially sweet when you consider his backstory .
Prior to Sunday , McManus last visited Gillette Stadium in 2014 during his first NFL season with the Broncos .
The Patriots rolled to an easy 43-21 victory .
What McManus remembers , though , is a field goal attempt gone wrong — and the unfortunate fallout .
“ I hit a 41-yarder off the right upright , ” McManus said .
“ Then a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up cutting me.
” It ’ s true .
The Broncos cut McManus in November of 2014 after he missed another field goal , this time against the Dolphins .
McManus landed back on Denver ’ s practice squad a month later , but the consequences of his New England mistake set the groundwork for a meteoric rise .
On Sunday , McManus tied Ravens kicker Justin Tucker for the most games in NFL history ( six ) with multiple 50-yard field goals .
“ This place is special for me to come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McManus said .
“ It ’ s always difficult to kick here in a windy stadium like this.
” The flipside to his heroics was Denver ’ s inability to score touchdowns , which kept it from blowing the game open .
Four of his field goals were from outside 40 yards , but the Broncos twice settled for chip shots while sniffing the New England end zone .
Fangio told reporters : “ I ’ d like some of those to be touchdowns , as everybody on this team would , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re going to have to work harder finishing our drives , particularly down in the red zone.
” But Fangio had no problem leaning on McManus .
“ They proved to be enough to win the game , ” Fangio said .
“ Right now , that ’ s all we need.
” Fangio considered giving McManus a seventh field goal try in the fourth quarter , leading 18-3 , when Denver opted to punt instead .
It would have been another McManus attempt from 50-plus yards .
“ If he had missed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give them good field position and jumpstart their offense there , ” Fangio said .
McManus added that he had no problem with the decision .
“ I like to play the percentages to win , ” McManus said .
The Broncos displayed a long-term commitment to McManus , 29 , as their placekicker in September with a four-year contract extension that will keep him in Denver through the 2024 season .
Last year , McManus was 29-of-34 on field goal tries with zero misses from inside 40 yards .
He ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( 12-of-13 ) with his only miss from 58 yards .
McManus , one of only a few Broncos left from the team ’ s last Super Bowl victory , is respected among Denver ’ s top leaders — despite being a kicker .
On Sunday , during postgame video interviews , Broncos starting quarterback Drew Lock finished his time with a nod of respect .
“ We can pass it over to the legend himself , Brandon McManus , ” Lock said .
McManus smiled .
“ This is Drew ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s got a lot to learn .
There are a lot of legends before me , ” he said .
“ Obviously , it ’ s a great compliment from him .
I want to continue playing well , kicking well , and giving us a chance to win .
”

Brandon McManus kicked six field goals Sunday in New England to set a franchise record and further validate his journey to becoming one of the NFL’s top placekickers.
McManus accounted for all of Denver’s points in an 18-12 victory against the Patriots, connecting twice from 50-plus yards, and prompting head coach Vic Fangio to give him a game ball. He’s the first player in team history to convert six field goals in a single game.
When asked where his performance ranked in his seven Broncos seasons, McManus said: “It has to be up there” near the top. But for reasons beyond the box score.
Playing the hero in Foxborough is especially sweet when you consider his backstory.
Prior to Sunday, McManus last visited Gillette Stadium in 2014 during his first NFL season with the Broncos. The Patriots rolled to an easy 43-21 victory. What McManus remembers, though, is a field goal attempt gone wrong — and the unfortunate fallout.
“I hit a 41-yarder off the right upright,” McManus said. “Then a week or two later … they ended up cutting me.”
It’s true. The Broncos cut McManus in November of 2014 after he missed another field goal, this time against the Dolphins. McManus landed back on Denver’s practice squad a month later, but the consequences of his New England mistake set the groundwork for a meteoric rise.
On Sunday, McManus tied Ravens kicker Justin Tucker for the most games in NFL history (six) with multiple 50-yard field goals.
“This place is special for me to come back and perform like that,” McManus said. “It’s always difficult to kick here in a windy stadium like this.”
The flipside to his heroics was Denver’s inability to score touchdowns, which kept it from blowing the game open.
Four of his field goals were from outside 40 yards, but the Broncos twice settled for chip shots while sniffing the New England end zone. Fangio told reporters: “I’d like some of those to be touchdowns, as everybody on this team would, and every Bronco fan would. We’re going to have to work harder finishing our drives, particularly down in the red zone.”
But Fangio had no problem leaning on McManus.
“They proved to be enough to win the game,” Fangio said. “Right now, that’s all we need.”
Fangio considered giving McManus a seventh field goal try in the fourth quarter, leading 18-3, when Denver opted to punt instead. It would have been another McManus attempt from 50-plus yards.
“If he had missed, I didn’t want to give them good field position and jumpstart their offense there,” Fangio said.
McManus added that he had no problem with the decision.
“I like to play the percentages to win,” McManus said.
The Broncos displayed a long-term commitment to McManus, 29, as their placekicker in September with a four-year contract extension that will keep him in Denver through the 2024 season. Last year, McManus was 29-of-34 on field goal tries with zero misses from inside 40 yards. He’s off to another hot start this season (12-of-13) with his only miss from 58 yards.
McManus, one of only a few Broncos left from the team’s last Super Bowl victory, is respected among Denver’s top leaders — despite being a kicker. On Sunday, during postgame video interviews, Broncos starting quarterback Drew Lock finished his time with a nod of respect.
“We can pass it over to the legend himself, Brandon McManus,” Lock said.
McManus smiled. “This is Drew’s second year in the league. He’s got a lot to learn. There are a lot of legends before me,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a great compliment from him. I want to continue playing well, kicking well, and giving us a chance to win.”


thedenverpost--2020-10-18--Cam Newton admits to rusty play after long COVID-19 layoff

FOXBORO — Like all previous opponents , Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore are putting COVID-19 behind them .
Neither Patriots star wanted to address their recent bouts with the coronavirus following the team ’ s 18-12 loss Sunday to the Broncos .
Newton became the first Patriot to test positive for COVID-19 back on Oct. 2 .
His test was ultimately the first domino to fall in New England , where several ensuing practices were cancelled and Sunday ’ s game was postponed .
Four days after Newton was sidelined , Gilmore landed on the team ’ s COVID-19 reserve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday .
That afternoon , he and Newton returned to the field for the Pats ’ only padded practice of the past two weeks .
While Newton acknowledged his time away affected his performance against Denver , he declined to get into specifics of his experience with the virus .
“ For the sake of where we are right now , I don ’ t think it ’ s beneficial for me to speak on that , ” Newton said .
“ Obviously the performance today it showed a lot of — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I said , I have to be better , and I will be better.
” Newton completed 17 of 25 passes for 157 yards and two interceptions Sunday .
His first throw , a tipped screen pass , was picked off .
He also ran for a team-high 76 yards , half of which came on a long fourth-quarter scramble that threw gas on smoldering hopes of a comeback .
Newton ’ s 13 days away from the team indicate he likely displayed symptoms of COVD-19 or failed to produce consecutive negative PCR @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his positive test .
“ Honestly for me right now I ’ m just trying to move forward , ” Newton said .
“ Obviously , respectfully that was two weeks ago .
( I ’ m ) still bitter over the game and just trying to focus on ways to just get better .
Obviously everybody knows what the situation was , and it is what it is .
And I just know for me here moving forward , I just got to play better football , and that ’ s what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do.
” Gilmore claimed he never experienced any symptoms , an assertion confirmed by his timeline .
He was activated nine days after testing positive , meaning he must have produced consecutive negative PCR tests separated by 24 hours , per league protocols .
Gilmore said he “ felt great ” running around Sunday and seemed to show no ill effects from his infection .
“ I feel good .
I ’ m just upset we lost the game , ” Gilmore said .
“ I don ’ t really care about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an opportunity to come out and play the game that we love and play for our teammates and we just didn ’ t get the job done today.
” Gilmore was hardly targeted by Broncos quarterback Drew Lock , though he did commit a third-down holding penalty in the red zone that revived a Denver drive in the third quarter .
Gilmore brushed aside any notion that the team ’ s lack of practice time affected its performance .
As for his infection , Gilmore said the fact he was able to play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He finished with three tackles .
“ It ’ s a process we have to go through .
It was unfortunate , but I ’ m past that , ” Gilmore said .
“ I was able to come out and suit up and play , and that ’ s what it ’ s about.
” Pats captain Matthew Slater , who ’ s been in contact with the NFLPA about the league ’ s evolving COVID-19 protocols , said players accepted the risks of playing when they committed to playing this season @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Patriots had a league-high eight players opt out .
“ This is affecting us all differently .
And that ’ s understandable , I get that .
But again , we made a decision that we were going to play this year , and I think all of us understood the potential scenarios that existed when we opted in , ” Slater said .
“ And that doesn ’ t mean that it ’ s easy when you ’ re faced with them , but we have to do the best that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we made to play football .
“ We ’ re blessed to be doing what we ’ re doing , and if we ’ re going to do it , we need to commit ourselves to doing it at a high level .
”

FOXBORO — Like all previous opponents, Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore are putting COVID-19 behind them.
Neither Patriots star wanted to address their recent bouts with the coronavirus following the team’s 18-12 loss Sunday to the Broncos. Newton became the first Patriot to test positive for COVID-19 back on Oct. 2. His test was ultimately the first domino to fall in New England, where several ensuing practices were cancelled and Sunday’s game was postponed.
Four days after Newton was sidelined, Gilmore landed on the team’s COVID-19 reserve list, where he remained until last Thursday. That afternoon, he and Newton returned to the field for the Pats’ only padded practice of the past two weeks.
While Newton acknowledged his time away affected his performance against Denver, he declined to get into specifics of his experience with the virus.
“For the sake of where we are right now, I don’t think it’s beneficial for me to speak on that,” Newton said. “Obviously the performance today it showed a lot of — the time off showed. But yet like I said, I have to be better, and I will be better.”
Newton completed 17 of 25 passes for 157 yards and two interceptions Sunday. His first throw, a tipped screen pass, was picked off. He also ran for a team-high 76 yards, half of which came on a long fourth-quarter scramble that threw gas on smoldering hopes of a comeback.
Newton’s 13 days away from the team indicate he likely displayed symptoms of COVD-19 or failed to produce consecutive negative PCR tests within the first 10 days after his positive test.
“Honestly for me right now I’m just trying to move forward,” Newton said. “Obviously, respectfully that was two weeks ago. (I’m) still bitter over the game and just trying to focus on ways to just get better. Obviously everybody knows what the situation was, and it is what it is. And I just know for me here moving forward, I just got to play better football, and that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
Gilmore claimed he never experienced any symptoms, an assertion confirmed by his timeline. He was activated nine days after testing positive, meaning he must have produced consecutive negative PCR tests separated by 24 hours, per league protocols. Gilmore said he “felt great” running around Sunday and seemed to show no ill effects from his infection.
“I feel good. I’m just upset we lost the game,” Gilmore said. “I don’t really care about the situation that happened, but we had an opportunity to come out and play the game that we love and play for our teammates and we just didn’t get the job done today.”
Gilmore was hardly targeted by Broncos quarterback Drew Lock, though he did commit a third-down holding penalty in the red zone that revived a Denver drive in the third quarter. Gilmore brushed aside any notion that the team’s lack of practice time affected its performance. As for his infection, Gilmore said the fact he was able to play was the only thing that mattered.
He finished with three tackles.
“It’s a process we have to go through. It was unfortunate, but I’m past that,” Gilmore said. “I was able to come out and suit up and play, and that’s what it’s about.”
Pats captain Matthew Slater, who’s been in contact with the NFLPA about the league’s evolving COVID-19 protocols, said players accepted the risks of playing when they committed to playing this season. Prior to training camp, the Patriots had a league-high eight players opt out.
“This is affecting us all differently. And that’s understandable, I get that. But again, we made a decision that we were going to play this year, and I think all of us understood the potential scenarios that existed when we opted in,” Slater said. “And that doesn’t mean that it’s easy when you’re faced with them, but we have to do the best that we can to remain committed to the choice we made to play football.
“We’re blessed to be doing what we’re doing, and if we’re going to do it, we need to commit ourselves to doing it at a high level.”


thedenverpost--2020-10-18--Broncos Report Card: Defense, kicking game carry day in win over Patriots

No touchdowns and two fourth-quarter interceptions usually equals an F … and a loss .
But the Broncos managed to get into scoring position six times for Brandon McManus field goals .
And , Phillip Lindsay ( 101 yards rushing on 22 carries ) and Tim Patrick ( 101 yards receiving ) had big games .
It ’ s impressive just how much energy Lindsay brings to the offense , something that was mostly missing during his three-game injury absence .
His longest rush was 20 yards and he did his usual good work after first contact .
Quarterback Drew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complete only 10-of-24 passes and post a 34.9 rating .
One thing the Broncos need to iron out is their deep-throw efficiency .
Lock is trying to stretch the field , but with minimal-to-no success .
Four sacks and three takeaways to win on the road against the Patriots , coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Cam Newton ?
Giving the Broncos ’ defense an A is an easy decision .
Check out the Patriots ’ first four second-half possessions : Punt ( three-and-out ) , fumble ( Justin Simmons recovery ) , interception @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( three-and-out ) .
Outside linebacker Malik Reed had two sacks , cornerback Michael Ojemudia two forced fumbles and outside linebacker Bradley Chubb was active from start to finish .
Did they lose track of Newton a few times ?
For sure , but so does every team .
And the defense finished off a game for the second consecutive outing , forcing Newton into a fourth-down incompletion with 58 seconds remaining .
McManus set a Broncos single-game record with six field goals ( 45 , 44 , 27 , 52 , 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team with all of their points .
McManus is now 12-of-13 on field goals this season .
Also important was his kickoff hang time in the first half when Gunner Olszewski felt the need to take the kick out of the end zone .
The Patriots started their first drive at the 17 and their third drive at the 24 .
Returner Diontae Spencer departed with a shoulder injury .
Punter Sam Martin had two attempts for a 38.5-yard net average .
On his first punt , he had to leave his feet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ snap .
The lack of a touchdown offensively kept the Broncos ’ staff from getting an A .
Coach Vic Fangio had one of his best play-calling games since joining the Broncos , helping force New England into 4-of-13 on third down and only 288 yards .
The final-play seven-man pressure that Fangio called forced Newton to throw incomplete before he wanted to release the football .
Offensively , play-caller Pat Shurmur called for several early deep throws ( one connected ) , but then found Lock ’ s comfort level with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ liked how he lined up Lindsay and Royce Freeman on the field at the same time ( more of that , please ) .
And finally , the coaches thought rookie tight end Albert Okwuegbunam merited a jersey and he caught two passes for 45 yards .

Offense – D
No touchdowns and two fourth-quarter interceptions usually equals an F … and a loss. But the Broncos managed to get into scoring position six times for Brandon McManus field goals. And, Phillip Lindsay (101 yards rushing on 22 carries) and Tim Patrick (101 yards receiving) had big games. It’s impressive just how much energy Lindsay brings to the offense, something that was mostly missing during his three-game injury absence. His longest rush was 20 yards and he did his usual good work after first contact. Quarterback Drew Lock returned from a shoulder injury to complete only 10-of-24 passes and post a 34.9 rating. One thing the Broncos need to iron out is their deep-throw efficiency. Lock is trying to stretch the field, but with minimal-to-no success.
Defense – A
Four sacks and three takeaways to win on the road against the Patriots, coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Cam Newton? Giving the Broncos’ defense an A is an easy decision. Check out the Patriots’ first four second-half possessions: Punt (three-and-out), fumble (Justin Simmons recovery), interception (cornerback Bryce Callahan) and punt (three-and-out). Outside linebacker Malik Reed had two sacks, cornerback Michael Ojemudia two forced fumbles and outside linebacker Bradley Chubb was active from start to finish. Did they lose track of Newton a few times? For sure, but so does every team. And the defense finished off a game for the second consecutive outing, forcing Newton into a fourth-down incompletion with 58 seconds remaining.
Special teams – A
McManus set a Broncos single-game record with six field goals (45, 44, 27, 52, 20 and 54 yards), providing the team with all of their points. McManus is now 12-of-13 on field goals this season. Also important was his kickoff hang time in the first half when Gunner Olszewski felt the need to take the kick out of the end zone. The Patriots started their first drive at the 17 and their third drive at the 24. Returner Diontae Spencer departed with a shoulder injury. Punter Sam Martin had two attempts for a 38.5-yard net average. On his first punt, he had to leave his feet to catch Jacob Bobenmoyer’s high snap.
Coaching – B
The lack of a touchdown offensively kept the Broncos’ staff from getting an A. Coach Vic Fangio had one of his best play-calling games since joining the Broncos, helping force New England into 4-of-13 on third down and only 288 yards. The final-play seven-man pressure that Fangio called forced Newton to throw incomplete before he wanted to release the football. Offensively, play-caller Pat Shurmur called for several early deep throws (one connected), but then found Lock’s comfort level with a steady diet of crossing routes. We liked how he lined up Lindsay and Royce Freeman on the field at the same time (more of that, please). And finally, the coaches thought rookie tight end Albert Okwuegbunam merited a jersey and he caught two passes for 45 yards.


thedenverpost--2020-10-18--Broncos game balls and gassers: Malik Reed becomes “Dream Killer” when it matters

Brandon McManus , Broncos K — Some people perform better on a contract year .
Others do so with peace of mind .
Brandon McManus is very much the latter .
Given a contract extension at the start of this season , the veteran kicker has been nothing short of brilliant , with Sunday ’ s 6-for-6 effort ( including kicks of 54 and 52 yards ) his latest masterwork .
The only regret ?
Coach Vic Fangio not giving him a shot from 58 .
Malik Reed , Broncos OLB — We saw glimpses of this during the 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Dream Killer ” was racking up sacks and QB hits against the backups .
On Sunday , the second-year outside linebacker did it during winning time , sacking Cam Newton twice in the second half , the last one coming with the Pats driving at the Broncos ’ 24-yard line with 1:09 left .
Two plays later , game over .
Shelby Harris , Broncos DE — Two games after losing defensive end Jurrell Casey for the season , the Denver defensive line is just fine .
Give Shelby Harris a fair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 29-year-old veteran was all over the field Sunday with three tackles , a quarterback hit and two more pass deflections — the first one hauled in by DeShawn Williams for an incredible acrobatic interception .
Drew Lock , Broncos QB — Love the aggression , Drew .
All those throws down the field ?
The deep shots ?
Let ’ s do more of that .
But , maybe , just maybe , rein it in a tad with a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter .
Congrats on being the second straight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite throwing a pair of picks in the final 15 minutes .
Let ’ s just not make a habit of it .
Broncos pass catchers — In Lock ’ s defense , he had at least two , possibly three passes that should ’ ve been caught for touchdowns .
College buddy Albert Okwuegbunam was responsible for a pair of them .
Although , if we ’ re being fair , one of those drops was a solid defensive play by the Pats ’ defensive back .
If not for Tim Patrick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four receptions , 101 yards ) , things might not have ended so rosy Sunday .

Game Balls
Brandon McManus, Broncos K — Some people perform better on a contract year. Others do so with peace of mind. Brandon McManus is very much the latter. Given a contract extension at the start of this season, the veteran kicker has been nothing short of brilliant, with Sunday’s 6-for-6 effort (including kicks of 54 and 52 yards) his latest masterwork. The only regret? Coach Vic Fangio not giving him a shot from 58.
Malik Reed, Broncos OLB — We saw glimpses of this during the 2019 preseason. But back then, the “Dream Killer” was racking up sacks and QB hits against the backups. On Sunday, the second-year outside linebacker did it during winning time, sacking Cam Newton twice in the second half, the last one coming with the Pats driving at the Broncos’ 24-yard line with 1:09 left. Two plays later, game over.
Shelby Harris, Broncos DE — Two games after losing defensive end Jurrell Casey for the season, the Denver defensive line is just fine. Give Shelby Harris a fair amount of credit for that. The 29-year-old veteran was all over the field Sunday with three tackles, a quarterback hit and two more pass deflections — the first one hauled in by DeShawn Williams for an incredible acrobatic interception.
Gassers
Drew Lock, Broncos QB — Love the aggression, Drew. All those throws down the field? The deep shots? Let’s do more of that. But, maybe, just maybe, rein it in a tad with a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. Congrats on being the second straight Broncos starting quarterback to win a game despite throwing a pair of picks in the final 15 minutes. Let’s just not make a habit of it.
Broncos pass catchers — In Lock’s defense, he had at least two, possibly three passes that should’ve been caught for touchdowns. College buddy Albert Okwuegbunam was responsible for a pair of them. Although, if we’re being fair, one of those drops was a solid defensive play by the Pats’ defensive back. If not for Tim Patrick’s second straight head turner (four receptions, 101 yards), things might not have ended so rosy Sunday.


thedenverpost--2020-10-19--Dodgers-Rays rare wild-card era matchup of baseball’s best

ARLINGTON , Texas — The World Series matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays is a rare meeting of baseball ’ s best for the title , and a matchup of organizations with Andrew Friedman ’ s imprint .
Friedman was the Rays ’ director of baseball operations from 2004-05 and then general manager from until he left in October 2014 to become the Dodgers president of baseball operations .
Retired first baseman James Loney , a veteran of both organizations , describes the Rays as “ feisty.
” “ We were always fighting .
But we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better team , ” he said Sunday .
“ I don ’ t ever feel like we went out there overmatched .
We didn ’ t care who was pitching .
We didn ’ t care what kind of lineup they had .
We were bringing that mentality and I think the Rays team this year has that.
” “ Both teams are really committed to winning and trying to find any kind of edge they could , ” added Loney , who played for the Dodgers from 2006-11 and the Rays from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known for their analytics and getting in there , trying to find different ways to beat hard teams : Is it a bullpen guy that we need to use in maybe an unorthodox situation ?
And the Dodgers , I felt we kind of started doing that towards the end of my career.
” Despite the shortened schedule and expanded playoffs , the teams with the best record in each league meet in the World Series for just the fourth time since Major League Baseball realigned each league into three divisions in 1995 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , newcomer Mookie Betts and manager Dave Roberts ’ Dodgers went 43-17 , the best record in the majors by eight wins .
They overcame a 3-1 deficit in the NL Championship Series , beat Atlanta 4-3 on Bellinger ’ s late home run in Game 7 Sunday night and reached the World Series for the third time in four years .
Rookie sensation Randy Arozarena and skipper Kevin Cash ’ s bullpen-rich Rays were 40-20 and topped the American League by four victories .
They also won a Game 7 , topping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the second World Series trip in franchise history .
“ Going to be a fun Series , ” Bellinger said .
Because of its superior record , Los Angeles has “ home field advantage ” when the neutral site Series starts in Arlington , Texas , and will bat last in Games 1 and 2 , and then in 6 and 7 , if necessary .
• Grading the Week : Don ’ t blame Patriots for mess that ’ s clearly on Roger Goodell ’ s tab “ From the moment we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ season together , once they figured out that COVID thing , everybody was expecting us to get to the World Series .
We were expecting to get to the World Series , ” said Kiké Hernández , who tied Game 7 with a pinch-hit home run in the sixth inning .
About 11,000 fans will be allowed at Globe Life Field , the new home of the Texas Rangers with a retractable roof , for each game .
Corey Seager and AJ Pollock boost LA ’ s offense and Walker Buehler and Clayton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dodgers won their 24th pennant by getting past Milwaukee , San Diego and Atlanta , but have not won a title since 1988 , falling short a seven-game Series loss to Houston in 2017 and a five-game defeat to Boston the following year .
The Dodgers have won half their pennants since leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles after the 1957 season .
Tampa Bay is in the Series for just the second time and is among just six current franchises that have never won , joined by Colorado , Milwaukee , Texas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost to Philadelphia in five games in 2008 .
While the Dodgers topped the major leagues with a $ 95.6 million prorated payroll as of Aug. 1 , the Rays were 28th at $ 29.3 million , according to figures compiled by Major League Baseball .
Only Baltimore ( $ 23.8 million ) and Pittsburgh ( $ 23.6 million were lower ) .
Tampa Bay ’ s offense is much less known to most fans .
The Rays ’ top hitter during the season was Brandon Lowe with 14 homers and 37 RBIs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6 for 52 ) with two RBIs in the playoffs .
Arozarena has been the breakout star of the postseason , hitting .382 with seven homers and 10 RBIs .
Pitching has been key , with Tyler Glasgow , Blake Snell and Charlie Morton leading the Rays past Toronto , the New York Yankees and Houston .
Tampa Bay also is known for taking an innovative approach to the game , employing a versatile staff and occasionally using a four-man outfield .
Since the postseason doubled to eight teams in 1995 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records in each league were Atlanta ’ s victory over Cleveland in 1995 , the New York Yankees ’ win over the Braves in 1998 and Boston ’ s triumph over St. Louis in 2013 — all in six games .
Baseball ’ s postseason keeps getting bigger , expanding to 10 teams in 2012 and 16 this year , when the novel coronavirus pandemic caused the regular season schedule for each team to be cut from the normal 162 games .
The Rays and Dodgers haven ’ t played that much over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
LA has won 10 of them .
Loney is among a group to have played for both teams that includes Carl Crawford , Jose Cruz , Logan Forsythe , Dioner Navarro and J.P. Howell .
And they share a notorious player in common : Manny Ramirez was acquired by the Dodgers from Boston in July 2008 and stayed until August 2010 .
He signed with the Rays for the 2011 season but retired after five games rather than face a 100-game suspension for a positive drug test .
Tampa Bay began as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Devil Rays to plain old Rays for the 2008 season , the first after Stuart Sternberg bought control from founding owner Vince Naimoli .
The Rays beat Boston in Game 7 of the AL Championship series as Matt Garza outpitched Jon Lester and Evan Longoria , Willy Aybar and Rocco Baldelli , then lost to Philadelphia in a World Series that remains the second-lowest viewed since television ratings are available dating to 1968 .
In an attempt to become more of a regional draw , Tampa Bay moved a three-game home series to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kissimmee in Mayb 2007 and another in April 2008 .
The Dodgers are among baseball ’ s most traditional teams , playing at two ballparks for most of the past century-plus : Brooklyn ’ s Ebbets Field ( 1913-57 ) and Dodger Stadium ( since 1962 ) , with a short stop at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 1958-61 ) .
Dodger Stadium remains one of baseball ’ s iconic venues , with seats of yellow , light orange , foam green and light blue , and the San Gabriel Mountains beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ St. Petersburg is know for its catwalks that obstruct popups and its largely empty seats .
The ballpark known previously as the Florida Suncoast Dome ( 1990-93 ) and ThunderDome ( 1993-96 ) , and team has fought unsuccessfully for ballpark projects at the site of nearby Al Lang Field ( abandoned in 2009 ) and Ybor City ( abandoned in 2018 ) .

ARLINGTON, Texas — The World Series matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays is a rare meeting of baseball’s best for the title, and a matchup of organizations with Andrew Friedman’s imprint.
Friedman was the Rays’ director of baseball operations from 2004-05 and then general manager from until he left in October 2014 to become the Dodgers president of baseball operations.
Game 1 is Tuesday night.
Retired first baseman James Loney, a veteran of both organizations, describes the Rays as “feisty.”
“We were always fighting. But we always did feel like we were the better team,” he said Sunday. “I don’t ever feel like we went out there overmatched. We didn’t care who was pitching. We didn’t care what kind of lineup they had. We were bringing that mentality and I think the Rays team this year has that.”
“Both teams are really committed to winning and trying to find any kind of edge they could,” added Loney, who played for the Dodgers from 2006-11 and the Rays from 2013-15. “The Rays are really known for their analytics and getting in there, trying to find different ways to beat hard teams: Is it a bullpen guy that we need to use in maybe an unorthodox situation? And the Dodgers, I felt we kind of started doing that towards the end of my career.”
Despite the shortened schedule and expanded playoffs, the teams with the best record in each league meet in the World Series for just the fourth time since Major League Baseball realigned each league into three divisions in 1995 and .
Reigning NL MVP Cody Bellinger, newcomer Mookie Betts and manager Dave Roberts’ Dodgers went 43-17, the best record in the majors by eight wins. They overcame a 3-1 deficit in the NL Championship Series, beat Atlanta 4-3 on Bellinger’s late home run in Game 7 Sunday night and reached the World Series for the third time in four years.
Rookie sensation Randy Arozarena and skipper Kevin Cash’s bullpen-rich Rays were 40-20 and topped the American League by four victories. They also won a Game 7, topping Houston 4-2 in the ALCS and earn the second World Series trip in franchise history.
“Going to be a fun Series,” Bellinger said.
Because of its superior record, Los Angeles has “home field advantage” when the neutral site Series starts in Arlington, Texas, and will bat last in Games 1 and 2, and then in 6 and 7, if necessary.
“From the moment we that we were able to put a season together, once they figured out that COVID thing, everybody was expecting us to get to the World Series. We were expecting to get to the World Series,” said Kiké Hernández, who tied Game 7 with a pinch-hit home run in the sixth inning.
About 11,000 fans will be allowed at Globe Life Field, the new home of the Texas Rangers with a retractable roof, for each game.
Corey Seager and AJ Pollock boost LA’s offense and Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw head the pitching staff. The Dodgers won their 24th pennant by getting past Milwaukee, San Diego and Atlanta, but have not won a title since 1988, falling short a seven-game Series loss to Houston in 2017 and a five-game defeat to Boston the following year.
The Dodgers have won half their pennants since leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles after the 1957 season.
Tampa Bay is in the Series for just the second time and is among just six current franchises that have never won, joined by Colorado, Milwaukee, Texas, San Diego and Seattle. The Rays lost to Philadelphia in five games in 2008.
While the Dodgers topped the major leagues with a $95.6 million prorated payroll as of Aug. 1, the Rays were 28th at $29.3 million, according to figures compiled by Major League Baseball. Only Baltimore ($23.8 million) and Pittsburgh ($23.6 million were lower).
Tampa Bay’s offense is much less known to most fans. The Rays’ top hitter during the season was Brandon Lowe with 14 homers and 37 RBIs, but he slumped to .115 (6 for 52) with two RBIs in the playoffs. Arozarena has been the breakout star of the postseason, hitting .382 with seven homers and 10 RBIs.
Pitching has been key, with Tyler Glasgow, Blake Snell and Charlie Morton leading the Rays past Toronto, the New York Yankees and Houston. Tampa Bay also is known for taking an innovative approach to the game, employing a versatile staff and occasionally using a four-man outfield.
Since the postseason doubled to eight teams in 1995, the only World Series between the top regular-season records in each league were Atlanta’s victory over Cleveland in 1995, the New York Yankees’ win over the Braves in 1998 and Boston’s triumph over St. Louis in 2013 — all in six games.
Baseball’s postseason keeps getting bigger, expanding to 10 teams in 2012 and 16 this year, when the novel coronavirus pandemic caused the regular season schedule for each team to be cut from the normal 162 games.
The Rays and Dodgers haven’t played that much over the years, only 17 times overall. LA has won 10 of them.
Loney is among a group to have played for both teams that includes Carl Crawford, Jose Cruz, Logan Forsythe, Dioner Navarro and J.P. Howell.
And they share a notorious player in common: Manny Ramirez was acquired by the Dodgers from Boston in July 2008 and stayed until August 2010. He signed with the Rays for the 2011 season but retired after five games rather than face a 100-game suspension for a positive drug test.
Tampa Bay began as expansion team in 1998 and transformed from Devil Rays to plain old Rays for the 2008 season, the first after Stuart Sternberg bought control from founding owner Vince Naimoli. The Rays beat Boston in Game 7 of the AL Championship series as Matt Garza outpitched Jon Lester and Evan Longoria, Willy Aybar and Rocco Baldelli, then lost to Philadelphia in a World Series that remains the second-lowest viewed since television ratings are available dating to 1968.
In an attempt to become more of a regional draw, Tampa Bay moved a three-game home series to the Braves’ then-spring training ballpark in Kissimmee in Mayb 2007 and another in April 2008.
The Dodgers are among baseball’s most traditional teams, playing at two ballparks for most of the past century-plus: Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field (1913-57) and Dodger Stadium (since 1962), with a short stop at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 1958-61). Dodger Stadium remains one of baseball’s iconic venues, with seats of yellow, light orange, foam green and light blue, and the San Gabriel Mountains beyond the outfield pavilions.
Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg is know for its catwalks that obstruct popups and its largely empty seats. The ballpark known previously as the Florida Suncoast Dome (1990-93) and ThunderDome (1993-96), and team has fought unsuccessfully for ballpark projects at the site of nearby Al Lang Field (abandoned in 2009) and Ybor City (abandoned in 2018).


thedenverpost--2020-10-19--World struggles as confirmed COVID-19 cases pass 40 million

LONDON — The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the planet has surpassed 40 million , but experts say that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the true impact of the pandemic that has upended life and work around the world .
The milestone was hit Monday morning , according to Johns Hopkins University , which collates reports from around the world .
The actual worldwide tally of COVID-19 cases is likely to be far higher , as testing has been uneven or limited , many people have had no symptoms and some governments have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To date , more than 1.1 million confirmed virus deaths have been reported , although experts also believe that number is an undercount .
The U.S. , India and Brazil are reporting by far the highest numbers of cases — 8.1 million , 7.5 million and 5.2 million respectively — although the global increase in recent weeks has been driven by a surge in Europe , which has seen over 240,000 confirmed virus deaths in the pandemic so far .
In the U.S. , some states are trying more targeted measures as cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York ’ s new round of virus shutdowns zeroes in on individual neighborhoods , closing schools and businesses in hot spots measuring just a couple of square miles .
As of last week , new cases per day were on the rise in 44 U.S. states , with many of the biggest surges in the Midwest and Great Plains , where resistance to wearing masks and taking other precautions has been running high and the virus has often been seen as just a big-city problem .
Deaths per day were climbing in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. government ’ s top infectious-disease expert , said Americans should think hard about whether to hold Thanksgiving gatherings next month .
The World Health Organization said last week that Europe had a reported a record weekly high of nearly 700,000 cases and said the region was responsible for about a third of cases globally .
Britain , France , Russia and Spain account for about half of all new cases in the region , and countries like Belgium and the Czech Republic are facing more intense outbreaks now than they did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new measures being taken across Europe are “ absolutely essential ” in stopping COVID-19 from overwhelming its hospitals .
Those include new requirements on mask-wearing in Italy and Switzerland , closing schools in Northern Ireland and the Czech Republic , closing restaurants and bars in Belgium , implementing a 9 p.m. curfew in France and having targeted limited lockdowns in parts of the U.K .
The agency said several European cities could soon see their intensive care units overwhelmed and warned that governments and citizens should take all necessary measures to slow the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing and contact tracing , wearing face masks and following social distancing measures .
WHO has previously estimated about 1 in 10 of the world ’ s population — about 780 million people — have been infected with COVID-19 , more than 20 times the official number of cases .
That suggests the vast majority of the world ’ s population is still susceptible to the virus .
Some researchers have argued that allowing COVID-19 to spread in populations that are not obviously vulnerable will help build up herd immunity and is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead of the restrictive lockdowns that have proved economically devastating .
But WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned against the belief that herd immunity might be a viable strategy to pursue , saying this kind of protection needs to be achieved by vaccination , not by deliberately exposing people to a potentially fatal disease .
“ Allowing a dangerous virus that we don ’ t fully understand to run free is simply unethical , ” Tedros said last week .
The U.N. health agency said it hopes there might be enough data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines now being tested are effective by the end of the year .
But it warned that first-generation vaccines are unlikely to provide complete protection and that it could take at least two years to bring the pandemic under control .
Logistics experts also say that some 3 billion of the world ’ s 7.8 billion people live in areas that lack the infrastructure to refrigerate new vaccines safely , a challenge that is sure to slow down the delivery of vaccines to those areas .
This includes most of Central Asia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Latin America except for the largest countries , and all but a tiny corner of Africa .
Subscribe to bi-weekly newsletter to get health news sent straight to your inbox .

LONDON — The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the planet has surpassed 40 million, but experts say that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the true impact of the pandemic that has upended life and work around the world.
The milestone was hit Monday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University, which collates reports from around the world.
The actual worldwide tally of COVID-19 cases is likely to be far higher, as testing has been uneven or limited, many people have had no symptoms and some governments have concealed the true number of cases. To date, more than 1.1 million confirmed virus deaths have been reported, although experts also believe that number is an undercount.
The U.S., India and Brazil are reporting by far the highest numbers of cases — 8.1 million, 7.5 million and 5.2 million respectively — although the global increase in recent weeks has been driven by a surge in Europe, which has seen over 240,000 confirmed virus deaths in the pandemic so far.
In the U.S., some states are trying more targeted measures as cases continue to rise across the country. New York’s new round of virus shutdowns zeroes in on individual neighborhoods, closing schools and businesses in hot spots measuring just a couple of square miles.
As of last week, new cases per day were on the rise in 44 U.S. states, with many of the biggest surges in the Midwest and Great Plains, where resistance to wearing masks and taking other precautions has been running high and the virus has often been seen as just a big-city problem. Deaths per day were climbing in 30 states.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious-disease expert, said Americans should think hard about whether to hold Thanksgiving gatherings next month.
The World Health Organization said last week that Europe had a reported a record weekly high of nearly 700,000 cases and said the region was responsible for about a third of cases globally. Britain, France, Russia and Spain account for about half of all new cases in the region, and countries like Belgium and the Czech Republic are facing more intense outbreaks now than they did in the spring.
WHO said the new measures being taken across Europe are “absolutely essential” in stopping COVID-19 from overwhelming its hospitals. Those include new requirements on mask-wearing in Italy and Switzerland, closing schools in Northern Ireland and the Czech Republic, closing restaurants and bars in Belgium, implementing a 9 p.m. curfew in France and having targeted limited lockdowns in parts of the U.K.
The agency said several European cities could soon see their intensive care units overwhelmed and warned that governments and citizens should take all necessary measures to slow the spread of the virus, including bolstering testing and contact tracing, wearing face masks and following social distancing measures.
WHO has previously estimated about 1 in 10 of the world’s population — about 780 million people — have been infected with COVID-19, more than 20 times the official number of cases. That suggests the vast majority of the world’s population is still susceptible to the virus.
Some researchers have argued that allowing COVID-19 to spread in populations that are not obviously vulnerable will help build up herd immunity and is a more realistic way to stop the pandemic instead of the restrictive lockdowns that have proved economically devastating.
But WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned against the belief that herd immunity might be a viable strategy to pursue, saying this kind of protection needs to be achieved by vaccination, not by deliberately exposing people to a potentially fatal disease.
“Allowing a dangerous virus that we don’t fully understand to run free is simply unethical,” Tedros said last week.
The U.N. health agency said it hopes there might be enough data to determine if any of the COVID-19 vaccines now being tested are effective by the end of the year. But it warned that first-generation vaccines are unlikely to provide complete protection and that it could take at least two years to bring the pandemic under control.
Logistics experts also say that some 3 billion of the world’s 7.8 billion people live in areas that lack the infrastructure to refrigerate new vaccines safely, a challenge that is sure to slow down the delivery of vaccines to those areas. This includes most of Central Asia, much of India and southeast Asia, Latin America except for the largest countries, and all but a tiny corner of Africa.
Subscribe to bi-weekly newsletter to get health news sent straight to your inbox.


thedenverpost--2020-10-19--In-person voting begins Monday for Colorado residents

It ’ s a tradition fast fading in Colorado elections , but the act of venturing out to the polls and squeezing into a booth to cast a vote is still a cherished — and for some voters — critical option in their exercise of democracy .
For Savannah Timme , who just moved to Denver from California , it was the easiest way to register to vote in Colorado and fill out this fall ’ s lengthy ballot filled out at one place and at one time .
She cast her ballot last week at the McNichols Civic Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early to accommodate super-eager voters .
Starting Monday , polling places ( or Voter Service and Polling Centers , in the vernacular of elections officials ) will open across the state to give voters the chance to record in person their preferences on national , state and local races and issues .
“ I enjoy doing it in person , ” Timme said .
“ I ’ ve always voted in person and you can see the ballot going right into the box .
You know 1,000 % it ’ s counted.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s 383 election drop boxes must start accepting ballots from voters .
“ Our goal has been to maintain all voting options , even in this unprecedented time , ” said Pam Anderson , executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association .
That means keeping all avenues to voting operational during a global pandemic — an obvious challenge in an environment where social distancing is the order of the day .
Several larger counties will be standing up voting centers in phases , adding more as Nov. 3 approaches , but state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Voter Service and Polling Centers will be open across Colorado .
According to the Secretary of State ’ s Office , that ’ s 42 more locations than in 2018 .
That may seem a quizzical strategy when in-person voting has been declining in Colorado as a result of the state ’ s decision to adopt a mail ballot system six years ago .
In 2016 , 93 % of voters voted by mail statewide , leaving just 7 % who marked their ballot in person .
The in-person share dropped to 4.7 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s midterm election — with just 120,960 of more than 2.5 million voters casting their ballots at polling places .
Fast-forward to the June primary and with the coronavirus pandemic in full bloom , in-person voting dropped to less than 1 % of ballots cast in Colorado , with 10,637 people voting the old-fashioned way .
Anderson said the June 30 primary was a “ good example and model ” for how to run the in-person portion of this November ’ s election as coronavirus numbers begin to burgeon once again .
Maintaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used less and less in Colorado — is still important , said Peg Perl , Arapahoe County ’ s deputy director of elections .
In-person voting , she said , is instrumental for voters who need interpretive services , have last-minute address changes or need replacement ballots for those lost or misplaced .
And they remain the go-to place for those who just like voting like it ’ s 1976 .
“ There are people who say , ‘ I like to vote in-person , ' ” Perl said .
Arapahoe County will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though it will have 11 up and running Monday .
One of its vote centers will be a pop-up location in a vacant space at Arapahoe Crossing shopping center in Aurora .
Perl compared it to the fleeting costume stores that pepper shopping plazas around this time of year .
“ You can come in costume on Halloween , ” Perl said , noting that voting centers in Arapahoe County will be open on the Saturday the spooky holiday falls on .
Masks , Halloween-themed or not , will be required in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by voters and election judges alike .
In Denver , which will have 36 Voter Service and Polling Centers in operation by Nov. 3 , social distancing will be enforced and everything will be repetitively cleaned .
“ Election judges will disinfect everything — all the way down to the pens , ” said Denver Clerk Paul López .
“ ( The June primary ) was a smooth election with no lines and no wait times — and nobody got sick.
” Denver saw only 2,215 votes cast in person in the June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots .
For the November election , the Secretary of State ’ s Office partnered with the state ’ s Office of Emergency Management to distribute personal protective equipment to county clerks throughout the state to be used at polling places .
The inventory includes masks , face shields , hand sanitizers , sanitizing wipes and thermometers .
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold is encouraging voters to return their ballots by drop box or mail to reduce the chances of COVID-19 infection , but Perl said voting in person is a tradition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I think there is a real inherent value in having in-person voting for many community members , and I don ’ t think that is something we would get rid of , ” Perl said .

It’s a tradition fast fading in Colorado elections, but the act of venturing out to the polls and squeezing into a booth to cast a vote is still a cherished — and for some voters — critical option in their exercise of democracy.
For Savannah Timme, who just moved to Denver from California, it was the easiest way to register to vote in Colorado and fill out this fall’s lengthy ballot filled out at one place and at one time. She cast her ballot last week at the McNichols Civic Center Building downtown, which opened a week early to accommodate super-eager voters.
Starting Monday, polling places (or Voter Service and Polling Centers, in the vernacular of elections officials) will open across the state to give voters the chance to record in person their preferences on national, state and local races and issues.
“I enjoy doing it in person,” Timme said. “I’ve always voted in person and you can see the ballot going right into the box. You know 1,000% it’s counted.”
Monday is also the day Colorado’s 383 election drop boxes must start accepting ballots from voters.
“Our goal has been to maintain all voting options, even in this unprecedented time,” said Pam Anderson, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association.
That means keeping all avenues to voting operational during a global pandemic — an obvious challenge in an environment where social distancing is the order of the day.
Several larger counties will be standing up voting centers in phases, adding more as Nov. 3 approaches, but state election officials say by Election Day 342 Voter Service and Polling Centers will be open across Colorado.
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, that’s 42 more locations than in 2018.
That may seem a quizzical strategy when in-person voting has been declining in Colorado as a result of the state’s decision to adopt a mail ballot system six years ago.
In 2016, 93% of voters voted by mail statewide, leaving just 7% who marked their ballot in person. The in-person share dropped to 4.7% of the electorate in 2018’s midterm election — with just 120,960 of more than 2.5 million voters casting their ballots at polling places.
Fast-forward to the June primary and with the coronavirus pandemic in full bloom, in-person voting dropped to less than 1% of ballots cast in Colorado, with 10,637 people voting the old-fashioned way.
Anderson said the June 30 primary was a “good example and model” for how to run the in-person portion of this November’s election as coronavirus numbers begin to burgeon once again.
Maintaining polling places — even as they get used less and less in Colorado — is still important, said Peg Perl, Arapahoe County’s deputy director of elections. In-person voting, she said, is instrumental for voters who need interpretive services, have last-minute address changes or need replacement ballots for those lost or misplaced.
And they remain the go-to place for those who just like voting like it’s 1976.
“There are people who say, ‘I like to vote in-person,'” Perl said.
Arapahoe County will feature 29 polling places by Election Day, though it will have 11 up and running Monday. One of its vote centers will be a pop-up location in a vacant space at Arapahoe Crossing shopping center in Aurora. Perl compared it to the fleeting costume stores that pepper shopping plazas around this time of year.
“You can come in costume on Halloween,” Perl said, noting that voting centers in Arapahoe County will be open on the Saturday the spooky holiday falls on.
Masks, Halloween-themed or not, will be required in most polling places — to be worn by voters and election judges alike. In Denver, which will have 36 Voter Service and Polling Centers in operation by Nov. 3, social distancing will be enforced and everything will be repetitively cleaned.
“Election judges will disinfect everything — all the way down to the pens,” said Denver Clerk Paul López. “(The June primary) was a smooth election with no lines and no wait times — and nobody got sick.”
Denver saw only 2,215 votes cast in person in the June primary, out of nearly 214,000 voted ballots.
For the November election, the Secretary of State’s Office partnered with the state’s Office of Emergency Management to distribute personal protective equipment to county clerks throughout the state to be used at polling places. The inventory includes masks, face shields, hand sanitizers, sanitizing wipes and thermometers.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold is encouraging voters to return their ballots by drop box or mail to reduce the chances of COVID-19 infection, but Perl said voting in person is a tradition that’s not ready to die.
“I think there is a real inherent value in having in-person voting for many community members, and I don’t think that is something we would get rid of,” Perl said.


thedenverpost--2020-10-19--Surge in overall deaths — not just due to COVID-19 — during pandemic has hit people of color hardest

Surge in overall deaths — not just due to COVID-19 — during pandemic has hit people of color hardest in Colorado

As deaths soared across Colorado during the first six months of the pandemic , people of color died at disproportionately high rates not only from COVID-19 itself , but also from other health conditions , according to an analysis of state data by The Denver Post .
For months , the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted racial inequalities across the nation , and public health officials have attributed the higher rates of infections , hospitalizations and deaths among people of color to those societal and health inequities .
“ This same thing has been going on for decades , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Public Health .
“ What made it so evident in COVID is that it was a very short time window between a disparity and these consequences like hospitalization and death.
” Overall deaths in Colorado increased 20 % during the first six months of the coronavirus pandemic as at least 22,723 residents died between March and August , according to provisional death-certificate data from the state Department of Public Health and Environment .
But the toll on people of color has been higher .
Overall deaths — beyond just COVID-19 — jumped more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hispanic Coloradans compared to the average over the past three years .
Deaths among Native Americans rose about 27 % over the three-year average .
By comparison , fatalities among white residents were up 14 % , the analysis found .
Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders make up a small number — almost 470 — of the more than 22,700 deaths recorded in Colorado during the six months , but saw the largest increase as deaths were up 56 % during the six-month period , according to the death certificate data .
The rise in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus , but fatalities also have increased from overdoses , cirrhosis , heart disease , diabetes , Alzheimer ’ s and other causes , according to the data .
The reason for the rise in deaths varies .
Some deaths may be from missed COVID-19 diagnoses or delaying care .
But more information is needed so public health and medical officials can understand why the deaths are occurring and how to address the disparities , said Dr. Terri Richardson , vice chair of the Colorado Black Health Collaborative .
“ It doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really spending a lot of time with that and these are medical conditions , ” she said , adding , “ I just think there is a lot more that could be done.
” One stark revelation from the death certificate data is that suicides have increased among some groups during the first six months of the pandemic despite a 2 % decline statewide .
For example , there were almost twice as many suicides among Black Coloradans than would be expected during the six months , according to the analysis .
People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and its economic fallout , but also with the racial justice movement , wildfires and hurricanes , Richardson said .
When the racial breakdown of COVID-19 cases and deaths was first released several months ago , Hispanic Coloradans only saw a rise in infections and in some cases hospitalizations .
But now , they also are dying at a higher rate , the death certificate data shows .
Hispanic Coloradans didn ’ t initially see the higher rate of deaths because the population is younger , Burman said .
“ Age has such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death , ” he said .
Hispanic Coloradans make up about 24 % of the 1,627 COVID-19 deaths , despite them representing 21.69 % of the state population .
Black residents make up more than 7 % of coronavirus deaths , despite representing less than 4 % of the state ’ s population , according to the health department .
The total number of COVID-19 deaths among Coloradans is lower than the health department ’ s tally of more than 2,000 fatalities , which includes non-residents who died in the state .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been attributed to the fact that people of color make up a larger share of essential jobs .
Black and Latinos are also more likely to have health issues , such as diabetes and heart disease , that make people more at risk for complications from COVID-19 .
“ We are talking about this whole entire system that has set up our communities to literally die , ” said Karla Gonzalez Garcia , policy director for the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights .
“ And we have felt this @ @ @ @ @ @

As deaths soared across Colorado during the first six months of the pandemic, people of color died at disproportionately high rates not only from COVID-19 itself, but also from other health conditions, according to an analysis of state data by The Denver Post.
For months, the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted racial inequalities across the nation, and public health officials have attributed the higher rates of infections, hospitalizations and deaths among people of color to those societal and health inequities.
“This same thing has been going on for decades,” said Dr. Bill Burman, director of Denver Public Health. “What made it so evident in COVID is that it was a very short time window between a disparity and these consequences like hospitalization and death.”
Overall deaths in Colorado increased 20% during the first six months of the coronavirus pandemic as at least 22,723 residents died between March and August, according to provisional death-certificate data from the state Department of Public Health and Environment.
But the toll on people of color has been higher. Overall deaths — beyond just COVID-19 — jumped more than 40% for both Black and Hispanic Coloradans compared to the average over the past three years. Deaths among Native Americans rose about 27% over the three-year average. By comparison, fatalities among white residents were up 14%, the analysis found.
Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders make up a small number — almost 470 — of the more than 22,700 deaths recorded in Colorado during the six months, but saw the largest increase as deaths were up 56% during the six-month period, according to the death certificate data.
The rise in deaths is mostly due to the novel coronavirus, but fatalities also have increased from overdoses, cirrhosis, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and other causes, according to the data.
The reason for the rise in deaths varies. Some deaths may be from missed COVID-19 diagnoses or delaying care.
But more information is needed so public health and medical officials can understand why the deaths are occurring and how to address the disparities, said Dr. Terri Richardson, vice chair of the Colorado Black Health Collaborative.
“It doesn’t seem like the medical profession is really spending a lot of time with that and these are medical conditions,” she said, adding, “I just think there is a lot more that could be done.”
One stark revelation from the death certificate data is that suicides have increased among some groups during the first six months of the pandemic despite a 2% decline statewide. For example, there were almost twice as many suicides among Black Coloradans than would be expected during the six months, according to the analysis.
People are struggling not only with the pandemic and its economic fallout, but also with the racial justice movement, wildfires and hurricanes, Richardson said.
When the racial breakdown of COVID-19 cases and deaths was first released several months ago, Hispanic Coloradans only saw a rise in infections and in some cases hospitalizations. But now, they also are dying at a higher rate, the death certificate data shows.
Hispanic Coloradans didn’t initially see the higher rate of deaths because the population is younger, Burman said.
“Age has such a powerful impact on the risk of death,” he said.
Hispanic Coloradans make up about 24% of the 1,627 COVID-19 deaths, despite them representing 21.69% of the state population. Black residents make up more than 7% of coronavirus deaths, despite representing less than 4% of the state’s population, according to the health department.
The total number of COVID-19 deaths among Coloradans is lower than the health department’s tally of more than 2,000 fatalities, which includes non-residents who died in the state.
The reason for the higher rates of deaths has been attributed to the fact that people of color make up a larger share of essential jobs. Black and Latinos are also more likely to have health issues, such as diabetes and heart disease, that make people more at risk for complications from COVID-19.
“We are talking about this whole entire system that has set up our communities to literally die,” said Karla Gonzalez Garcia, policy director for the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights. “And we have felt this for a long time.”


thedenverpost--2020-10-19--Denver weather: Mostly sunny and warm in the metro area Monday

Warmer weather is returning to the Denver metro area on Monday .
It ’ s going to be mostly sunny @ @ @ @ @ degrees , according to the National Weather Service in Boulder .
Clouds will roll in @ @ @ @ @ dropping to a low of 46 .
It is also an action day for particulates @ @ @ @ @ seven-county Denver-Boulder metropolitan area .
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is asking @ @ @ @ @ and diesel vehicles until that time to curb negative effects on air quality .
On @ @ @ @ @ expected reach a high of 73 with mostly sunny skies and possible winds gust of @ @ @ @ @ The low will fall to 40 .
The warm temperatures will continue through Wednesday , @ @ @ @ @ of 75 , before dropping to a high of 64 on Thursday .

Warmer weather is returning to the Denver metro area on Monday.
It’s going to be mostly sunny with a high near 73 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder. Clouds will roll in during the evening with temperatures dropping to a low of 46.
It is also an action day for particulates until 4 p.m. for the seven-county Denver-Boulder metropolitan area. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is asking people to limit driving gas and diesel vehicles until that time to curb negative effects on air quality.
On Tuesday, the temperature is expected reach a high of 73 with mostly sunny skies and possible winds gust of up to 16 mph. The low will fall to 40.
The warm temperatures will continue through Wednesday, which will reach a high of 75, before dropping to a high of 64 on Thursday.