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NFL playoff picture: How Broncos can clinch the AFC West and No. 1 seed in Week 17

NFL playoff picture: How Broncos can clinch the AFC West and No. 1 seed in Week 17

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Update (Christmas night): Denver’s win over the Chiefs on Christmas night keeps both of their scenarios alive for Week 17. The Broncos will clinch the AFC West with a Chargers loss or tie to the Texans on Saturday night. Denver can also clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference with a Patriots loss to the Jets, a Chargers loss or tie to the Texans, a Jaguars loss or tie against the Colts, and a Bills loss or tie against the Eagles.

The Denver Broncos travel to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas night to take on the Kansas City Chiefs.

And the Broncos can make it a wonderful Christmas for themselves and their fans with a win over their division rivals, and a little bit of help from around the rest of the league. Denver can clinch both the AFC West, and the No. 1 seed in the AFC, here in Week 17.

How the Broncos can clinch the AFC West

The Denver Broncos last won the AFC West back in 2015.

Peyton Manning — yes, the guy from the commercials — was their starting quarterback.

But Denver can clinch the AFC West title this week, officially bringing to an end the Kansas City Chiefs’ reign atop the division. With a win over the Chiefs on Christmas night, and a Los Angeles Chargers loss or tie against the Houston Texans on Saturday, the Broncos are AFC West champions.

Denver can also clinch the AFC West with a tie against the Chiefs, provided the Chargers lose to the Texans.

How the Broncos can clinch the No. 1 seed

Not only can Denver clinch the AFC West this weekend, but the Broncos also have a narrow path to clinching the No. 1 seed in the AFC, something that again the team has not accomplished since that 2015 season.

However, Denver would need a lot of help to wrap that up this weekend.

First, the Broncos would need to win against the Chiefs on Thursday night. Then, the Broncos would need the New England Patriots to lose to the New York Jets, the Chargers to lose or tie against the Texans, the Jacksonville Jaguars to lose or tie against the Indianapolis Colts, and the Buffalo Bills to lose or tie against the Philadelphia Eagles.

So you’re saying there’s a chance …

AFC standings entering Week 17

Here are the full AFC standings heading into Week 17:

x – Team has clinched a playoff spot
e – Team has been eliminated from playoff contention

AFC West standings entering Week 17

Here are the full AFC West standings with two weeks left in the season:

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Punjab Kings will host Rajasthan Royals at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh, on Tuesday. Barring a no-result against KKR, Punjab is yet to drop points this season, winning six out of its seven games. Meanwhile, RR will look to make a comeback after a loss against SRH, taking its tally to four wins in seven games.

In the last encounter between these two teams PBKS beat RR by 10 runs, defending a target of 220.

Here are the head-to-head records between the two teams in IPL:

PBKS vs RR Head-to-Head record

Matches played – 30

PBKS won – 12

RR won – 17

Tied – 1

MOST RUNS IN PBKS vs RR IPL MATCHES

Batter Innings Runs Average Strike Rate HS
Sanju Samson 21 690 38.33 150 119
KL Rahul 8 490 81.66 138.81 95*
Shaun Marsh 7 409 58.42 144.52 115
Ajinkya Rahane 12 373 37.3 117.66 98
Yashasvi Jaiswal 8 338 42.25 151.56 68

MOST WICKETS IN PBKS vs RR IPL MATCHES

Bowler Innings Wickets Economy Average BBI
Arshdeep Singh 11 18 10.06 23.94 5/32
Piyush Chawla 11 14 7.59 22.42 3/35
Sidharth Trivedi 10 11 7.84 27.09 2/21
Jofra Archer 7 10 7.37 20.4 3/15
James Faulkner 7 10 9.77 25.9 3/26

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHZKfnILQsI[/embed]

Published on Apr 28, 2026

#PBKS #headtohead #record #IPL #Punjab #Kings #Rajasthan #Royals #stats #runs #wickets">PBKS vs RR head-to-head record, IPL 2026: Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals overall stats; most runs, wickets Punjab Kings will host Rajasthan Royals at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh, on Tuesday. Barring a no-result against KKR, Punjab is yet to drop points this season, winning six out of its seven games. Meanwhile, RR will look to make a comeback after a loss against SRH, taking its tally to four wins in seven games.In the last encounter between these two teams PBKS beat RR by 10 runs, defending a target of 220.Here are the head-to-head records between the two teams in IPL: PBKS vs RR Head-to-Head record Matches played – 30 PBKS won – 12 RR won – 17 Tied – 1 MOST RUNS IN PBKS vs RR IPL MATCHES Batter Innings Runs Average Strike Rate HS Sanju Samson 21 690 38.33 150 119 KL Rahul 8 490 81.66 138.81 95* Shaun Marsh 7 409 58.42 144.52 115 Ajinkya Rahane 12 373 37.3 117.66 98 Yashasvi Jaiswal 8 338 42.25 151.56 68MOST WICKETS IN PBKS vs RR IPL MATCHES Bowler Innings Wickets Economy Average BBI Arshdeep Singh 11 18 10.06 23.94 5/32 Piyush Chawla 11 14 7.59 22.42 3/35 Sidharth Trivedi 10 11 7.84 27.09 2/21 Jofra Archer 7 10 7.37 20.4 3/15 James Faulkner 7 10 9.77 25.9 3/26[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHZKfnILQsI[/embed]Published on Apr 28, 2026 #PBKS #headtohead #record #IPL #Punjab #Kings #Rajasthan #Royals #stats #runs #wickets

Deadspin | D.C. United scores 2 late goals to rally past Orlando City Apr 25, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Orlando City SC midfielder Tiago Souza (11) controls the ball defended by D.C. United midfielder Jackson Hopkins (25) during the first half at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Hannah Foslien-Imagn Images Kye Rowles scored on a header in the 90th minute as D.C. United overcame its home-field jinx, rallying for a 3-2 win over injury-riddled Orlando City SC Saturday on a chilly night in Washington, D.C. Jackson Hopkins and Louis Munteanu also scored for D.C. (3-4-3, 12 points), which snapped a six-game winless run in all competitions and won for just the second time in its last 15 MLS matches at home. Sean Johnson added five saves as D.C. United won without their top scorer Tai Baribo, who was out with a thigh injury after scoring a hat trick in a 4-4 draw Wednesday at the New York Red Bulls. After entering the week with an MLS-low four goals, D.C. put up seven in a four-day span. The winning goal came off a corner kick to the opposite post by Keisuke Kurokawa. Jacob Murrell headed the ball to the middle of the box to a cutting Rowles, who scored for the first time in his two seasons as a starting defender for D.C. Justin Ellis and Tyrese Spicer scored second-half goals to provide a 2-1 lead for Orlando City (2-7-1, 7 points), which is winless and has been outscored 20-3 in five road games. Maxime Crepeau had five saves as the Lions were without three injured starters including dangerous threat Marco Pasalic, who missed his third straight MLS match, also with a thigh injury. Hopkins scored the only goal of the first half when he took a pass from Kurokawa just outside the penalty arc, turned and fired a left-footed laser into the bottom right corner in the 10th minute. In the 57th minute, the 18-year-old Ellis scored the first goal of his professional career, notching the equalizer on a right-footed shot from the middle of the box. Ellis’ goal came as he cleaned up a rebound from close range after Johnson stopped a header by Griffin Dorsey. Ten minutes later, Spicer put Orlando in front when he ran down a long pass from Adrian Marin. Spicer’s shot from a tough angle deep on the left wing caromed off the inside of the top left post and into the net. In the 84th minute, Munteanu tied it back up, 2-2, scoring his first-ever goal for D.C. when his right-footed shot from outside the box was deflected by a defender and bounced just inside the left post. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #D.C #United #scores #late #goals #rally #Orlando #CityApr 25, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Orlando City SC midfielder Tiago Souza (11) controls the ball defended by D.C. United midfielder Jackson Hopkins (25) during the first half at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Hannah Foslien-Imagn Images

Kye Rowles scored on a header in the 90th minute as D.C. United overcame its home-field jinx, rallying for a 3-2 win over injury-riddled Orlando City SC Saturday on a chilly night in Washington, D.C.

Jackson Hopkins and Louis Munteanu also scored for D.C. (3-4-3, 12 points), which snapped a six-game winless run in all competitions and won for just the second time in its last 15 MLS matches at home.

Sean Johnson added five saves as D.C. United won without their top scorer Tai Baribo, who was out with a thigh injury after scoring a hat trick in a 4-4 draw Wednesday at the New York Red Bulls.

After entering the week with an MLS-low four goals, D.C. put up seven in a four-day span.

The winning goal came off a corner kick to the opposite post by Keisuke Kurokawa. Jacob Murrell headed the ball to the middle of the box to a cutting Rowles, who scored for the first time in his two seasons as a starting defender for D.C.


Justin Ellis and Tyrese Spicer scored second-half goals to provide a 2-1 lead for Orlando City (2-7-1, 7 points), which is winless and has been outscored 20-3 in five road games.

Maxime Crepeau had five saves as the Lions were without three injured starters including dangerous threat Marco Pasalic, who missed his third straight MLS match, also with a thigh injury.

Hopkins scored the only goal of the first half when he took a pass from Kurokawa just outside the penalty arc, turned and fired a left-footed laser into the bottom right corner in the 10th minute.

In the 57th minute, the 18-year-old Ellis scored the first goal of his professional career, notching the equalizer on a right-footed shot from the middle of the box. Ellis’ goal came as he cleaned up a rebound from close range after Johnson stopped a header by Griffin Dorsey.

Ten minutes later, Spicer put Orlando in front when he ran down a long pass from Adrian Marin. Spicer’s shot from a tough angle deep on the left wing caromed off the inside of the top left post and into the net.

In the 84th minute, Munteanu tied it back up, 2-2, scoring his first-ever goal for D.C. when his right-footed shot from outside the box was deflected by a defender and bounced just inside the left post.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #D.C #United #scores #late #goals #rally #Orlando #City">Deadspin | D.C. United scores 2 late goals to rally past Orlando City Apr 25, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Orlando City SC midfielder Tiago Souza (11) controls the ball defended by D.C. United midfielder Jackson Hopkins (25) during the first half at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Hannah Foslien-Imagn Images Kye Rowles scored on a header in the 90th minute as D.C. United overcame its home-field jinx, rallying for a 3-2 win over injury-riddled Orlando City SC Saturday on a chilly night in Washington, D.C. Jackson Hopkins and Louis Munteanu also scored for D.C. (3-4-3, 12 points), which snapped a six-game winless run in all competitions and won for just the second time in its last 15 MLS matches at home. Sean Johnson added five saves as D.C. United won without their top scorer Tai Baribo, who was out with a thigh injury after scoring a hat trick in a 4-4 draw Wednesday at the New York Red Bulls. After entering the week with an MLS-low four goals, D.C. put up seven in a four-day span. The winning goal came off a corner kick to the opposite post by Keisuke Kurokawa. Jacob Murrell headed the ball to the middle of the box to a cutting Rowles, who scored for the first time in his two seasons as a starting defender for D.C. Justin Ellis and Tyrese Spicer scored second-half goals to provide a 2-1 lead for Orlando City (2-7-1, 7 points), which is winless and has been outscored 20-3 in five road games. Maxime Crepeau had five saves as the Lions were without three injured starters including dangerous threat Marco Pasalic, who missed his third straight MLS match, also with a thigh injury. Hopkins scored the only goal of the first half when he took a pass from Kurokawa just outside the penalty arc, turned and fired a left-footed laser into the bottom right corner in the 10th minute. In the 57th minute, the 18-year-old Ellis scored the first goal of his professional career, notching the equalizer on a right-footed shot from the middle of the box. Ellis’ goal came as he cleaned up a rebound from close range after Johnson stopped a header by Griffin Dorsey. Ten minutes later, Spicer put Orlando in front when he ran down a long pass from Adrian Marin. Spicer’s shot from a tough angle deep on the left wing caromed off the inside of the top left post and into the net. In the 84th minute, Munteanu tied it back up, 2-2, scoring his first-ever goal for D.C. when his right-footed shot from outside the box was deflected by a defender and bounced just inside the left post. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #D.C #United #scores #late #goals #rally #Orlando #City

Two Republican members of Congress are calling on the Trump ​administration to empower the National Guard to address potential ‌drone-related threats and ensure a “unified federal security posture” ​at the upcoming World Cup games.

The ⁠letter by U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul and Elijah Crane, who both sit on the House of Representatives’ Committee ‌on Homeland Security, was sent to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, acting U.S. ‌Attorney General Todd Blanche and Pentagon chief ‌Pete ⁠Hegseth on Friday.

McCaul and Crane called for ⁠immediate interagency action to secure the airspace over the 11 U.S. cities hosting World Cup matches this summer.

Potential personnel ​shortages and complex jurisdictional ‌divides between event organizers and host cities risk creating a fragmented environment, they said, adding that the situation requires a unified federal security ‌posture.

“With its rapid deployability, nationwide scalability, and extensive ​experience responding to domestic emergencies, the National Guard is uniquely positioned to assist ⁠federal and state authorities with C-UAS mitigation and unified coordination for World Cup security,” they wrote.

The Department ‌of Homeland Security, Justice Department and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The call to deputize troops to respond to drone threats came a day before a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner ‌in Washington, sparking new security concerns about this summer’s World ​Cup games.

The White House said on Monday that the matches will be safe ⁠following Saturday’s shooting.

“President Trump is focused on ensuring that ⁠this is not only an incredible experience for all fans and visitors, but also ‌the safest and most secure in history,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a ​statement.

Published on Apr 28, 2026

#FIFA #World #Cup #Congressmen #call #National #Guard #address #drone #threats">FIFA World Cup 2026: Congressmen call for National Guard to address drone threats Two Republican members of Congress are calling on the Trump ​administration to empower the National Guard to address potential ‌drone-related threats and ensure a “unified federal security posture” ​at the upcoming World Cup games.The ⁠letter by U.S. Representatives Michael McCaul and Elijah Crane, who both sit on the House of Representatives’ Committee ‌on Homeland Security, was sent to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, acting U.S. ‌Attorney General Todd Blanche and Pentagon chief ‌Pete ⁠Hegseth on Friday.McCaul and Crane called for ⁠immediate interagency action to secure the airspace over the 11 U.S. cities hosting World Cup matches this summer.Potential personnel ​shortages and complex jurisdictional ‌divides between event organizers and host cities risk creating a fragmented environment, they said, adding that the situation requires a unified federal security ‌posture.“With its rapid deployability, nationwide scalability, and extensive ​experience responding to domestic emergencies, the National Guard is uniquely positioned to assist ⁠federal and state authorities with C-UAS mitigation and unified coordination for World Cup security,” they wrote.The Department ‌of Homeland Security, Justice Department and Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The call to deputize troops to respond to drone threats came a day before a gunman opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner ‌in Washington, sparking new security concerns about this summer’s World ​Cup games.The White House said on Monday that the matches will be safe ⁠following Saturday’s shooting.“President Trump is focused on ensuring that ⁠this is not only an incredible experience for all fans and visitors, but also ‌the safest and most secure in history,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a ​statement.Published on Apr 28, 2026 #FIFA #World #Cup #Congressmen #call #National #Guard #address #drone #threats

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