Veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis is no longer on the Broncos’ active roster.
The NFL’s daily transaction report shows that the Broncos waived Lewis on Thursday. There was no corresponding addition to the 53-man roster.
Lewis played 66 offensive snaps for the Broncos over the last four weeks. He may not be away from the team for long, however.
Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post reports that Lewis is expected to return to Denver’s practice squad if he clears waivers.
The move could be a sign that the Broncos expect tight end Nate Adkins back from a knee injury. He has been out since late October.
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Packers running back Josh Jacobs missed his second straight practice on Thursday and shared some information about his knee injury when he spoke to reporters later in the day.
Jacobs said that he went for an MRI on Monday to see if there was any structural damage to his knee after experiencing discomfort during last Sunday’s loss to the Bears. The scan came back clear, but Jacobs is still managing the injury.
“It’s just a buildup,” Jacobs said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “I didn’t get hit on it last game. Towards the second half of the game last week, it started to get stiff. Just running around, just casual, swelling. That’s the main thing, really. Just trying to get the fluid out of there.”
There’s been no determination about Jacobs’ status for Sunday’s game against the Broncos. Friday will bring an injury designation, but things could remain up in the air until close to kickoff.
At this point in the week, it’s unclear whether or not the Packers will have their starting running back when they play the Broncos on Sunday.
Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters in his press conference that Josh Jacobs probably will not practice on Thursday after he was sidelined for Wednesday’s session with a knee injury.
“He’s been battling through it,” LaFleur said, via Wes Hodkiewicz of the team’s website. “More than likely, he will not be out there today. We’ll see how he’s feeling tomorrow and go from there.
“He’s doing everything in his power to be ready to go.”
Jacobs missed the Week 12 win over the Vikings with a knee issue, but has been able to play the last two contests. He has mostly been a limited participant in practice over the last two weeks.
In his second season with Green Bay, Jacobs has rushed for 817 yards with 12 touchdowns and caught 31 passes for 251 yards in 2025. He has not yet rushed for 100 yards in a game this year, but has tallied at least 100 yards from scrimmage in four contests.
The 11-2 Patriots and 11-2 Broncos are tied for the best record in the NFL. They’ve each won 10 games in a row.
And they’re both underdogs at home in Week 15.
The Patriots, who can clinch the AFC East by completing the sweep of the Bills, are 1.5-point underdogs against Buffalo. Coach Mike Vrabel undoubtedly will find a way to use that to poke and prod his players — even if the Bills had nothing to do with the setting of the line.
Ditto for the Broncos. They’re 2.5-point underdogs at home against the Packers. That one is a bit more defensible, since the Broncos have played plenty of games against overmatched foes, with very few truly convincing wins. (Still, coach Sean Payton likely will have a thing or two to say to his players about the betting line.)
The spreads are driven in part by wagering patterns. Bettors still don’t believe in the Patriots and Broncos the way they could, or perhaps should.
In contrast, the gamblers continue to cling to the idea that the 6-7 Chiefs, who are 5.5-point favorites against the 9-4 Chargers, will emerge from their current funk.
However it goes, it adds a little spice to the 15th weekend of regular-season football, with all three games having postseason significance to both teams.
When the Broncos drafted Bo Nix last year, they wanted a quarterback who could help them move on from their disastrous two-year experiment with Russell Wilson. Nix has exceeded expectations.
And by the end of this season, Nix may exceed Wilson’s record for the most wins any quarterback has had in his first two NFL seasons.
The Seahawks won 24 games that Wilson started in his first two seasons, 2012-2013. The Broncos have won 21 games that Nix has started in his first two seasons, and the Broncos have four games remaining this season. If Nix leads Denver to four more wins down the stretch, he’ll top Wilson’s mark.
If Nix and the Broncos beat the Packers on Sunday, he’ll move into a tie for the second-most wins by a quarterback in his first two seasons. Andrew Luck, Dak Prescott and Ben Roethlisberger all had 22 wins in their first two seasons in the NFL.
With four more wins, the Broncos would also clinch the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. Not many people expected Denver to be there two years ago.
Quarterback Sam Ehlinger had a chance to join the Colts’ active roster. He decided to remain on the Broncos’ practice squad.
Ehlinger told Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post that he spent 48 hours weighing his options after Daniel Jones tore his Achilles on Sunday.
“We’re really happy here and enjoy the organization, the path we’re on and what we’re building,” Ehlinger told Gabriel. “I want to be part of that.
“I was in Indianapolis for four years, and I love everybody over there. It’s just a difficult situation, obviously.”
The Colts made Ehlinger a sixth-round pick in 2021, and he spent his first four seasons in Indianapolis. He started three games in 2022.
The Colts had hoped to sign both Ehlinger and Philip Rivers. They ended up with only Rivers.
Ehlinger will make the league minimum $1.17 million for a fifth-year player because he was on the active roster for Week 1 this season.
Packers running back Josh Jacobs did not practice on Wednesday.
His knee injury kept him sidelined during the first practice of the week before Sunday’s game against the Broncos.
Jacobs has 206 carries for 817 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games.
He was the only player on the roster who didn’t practice.
Safety Javon Bullard (ankle), defensive lineman Brenton Cox Jr. (groin), defensive lineman Kingsley Enagbare (knee), wide receiver Matthew Golden (wrist), running back MarShawn Lloyd (calf), defensive lineman Collin Oliver (hamstring), wide receiver Jayden Reed (shoulder), defensive lineman Jordon Riley (knee), offensive lineman Zach Tom (back), defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness (foot), linebacker Kristian Welch (concussion), wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) and wide receiver Savion Williams (foot) were limited.
Cox, Lloyd and Oliver are in their 21-day practice windows.
Quarterback Jordan Love (left shoulder) was a full participant.
The Raiders kept the Broncos offense from scoring any points in the second quarter of last Sunday’s game, but Denver was still able to break a 7-7 tie before halftime.
Those points came on special teams. Marvin Mims fielded a punt near midfield and took it back for a 48-yard score. That gave the Broncos a 14-7 lead at the break and they went on to a 24-17 win that moved them to 11-2 on the season.
It was the first punt return touchdown of Mims’ career and he also had a kickoff return for a score in 2023. Mims had one catch against the Raiders and has 25 catches for 247 yards and a touchdown on the season.
Mims was named the AFC’s special teams player of the week because of his big return. It’s the third time he has taken that prize in his career.
We’ve reached the point in the regular season where teams can officially turn an eye toward January.
The Rams, Patriots, and Broncos are the three clubs that can clinch a postseason berth this week.
For Los Angeles, it’s simple: Win and you’re in. The Rams can only secure the NFC’s first playoff spot, with the NFC West still up for grabs between L.A., Seattle, and San Francisco.
Things are a little more complicated for two AFC teams.
New England will win the AFC East and secure a home playoff game with a victory over Buffalo. The Patriots can also clinch a postseason berth with a tie and a Chargers loss; a tie with a Texans loss or tie; a tie with a Colts loss or tie; or a tie with a Jaguars loss. New England would also clinch a berth if Houston loses or ties and Indianapolis loses or ties as long as both games don’t end in a tie.
Denver cannot clinch the AFC West on Sunday, but can clinch a postseason berth with a win. If Denver ties, a Chargers loss, or Jaguars loss, or Texans loss or tie, or Colts loss or tie would also secure a playoff spot. Additionally, the same New England clinching scenario with a Houston loss or tie plus an Indianapolis loss or tie, as long as both games don’t end in a tie, applies to Denver.
The Patriots will play the Bills at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, while Broncos-Packers and Rams-Lions both have a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff time.
Raiders coach Pete Carroll made an odd decision to kick a field goal when trailing by 10 points with five seconds remaining in Sunday’s game against the Broncos. Daniel Carlson made a 46-yard kick as time expired, making the final score 24-17.
Making the decision even more curious, the Broncos were 7.5-point favorites, and the over/under was 40.5.
Carroll was hoping for enough time to kick the field goal and attempt an onside kick, but even then, barring a penalty, time would have expired before the Raiders went back on offense. So, frankly, his explanation made as much sense as his decision to kick the field goal.
“I knew it was going to look stupid, like you couldn’t figure out why we were doing it,” Carroll said Monday, via Ryan McFadden of ESPN. “But there was a clear thought of what we were trying to get down there, just to take it down to the very last click. That might not be good enough for you, I understand that, but I think you can see what we were trying to do, but it just didn’t work out.”
Carroll said he does not — and cannot — concern himself with public opinion.
“I can’t bend and twist and go with whatever the public sentiment is, or one person’s sentiment for that matter, regardless of who it is,” Carroll said. “I just can’t do that and do my job the right way to the best of my ability.”
