In a battle of Oregon quarterbacks, the veteran reminded the rookie who is boss.

Justin Herbert's Los Angeles Chargers dominated the second half en route to a 34-27 win over Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos' offense was running on all cylinders early – Audric Estime found the end zone for the first score of the game, and Bo Nix threw touchdowns to both unlikely targets in Michael Burton and Devaughn Vele. Gus Edwards’ first quarter touchdown tied it, but the Chargers' offense stalled afterward. 

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Los Angeles did catch a break, though, as the Broncos were called for fair catch interference as time expired on their punt, giving the Chargers a "fair catch kick," which Cameron Dicker nailed from 57 yards out. Thus, the Broncos led 21-13 at the half. Amazingly, the last successful fair catch kick was back in 1976 … by the San Diego Chargers.

Denver kicked a field goal to start the third quarter, but they committed a late hit on third down to give the Chargers 1st and goal. They took advantage, and Edwards scored again, but their two-point conversion was no good, keeping it a 24-19 game in favor of the Broncos. 

However, after forcing a punt, Herbert found Derius Davis for a score, and Joshua Palmer made a great tip-toe grab for the two-point conversion, giving Los Angeles a 27-24 lead with 12:23 to go.

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The Chargers were able to contain the Broncos for the rest of the night, and after a big run by Herbert on 3rd and 10 with under four minutes left, Los Angeles was able to waste even more clock. A couple of plays later, Hassan Haskins scampered into the end zone, and it was a 34-24 LA lead with 2:27 to go. 

The second the Broncos got in field goal range, they kicked to make it a seven-point deficit, valuing time over the touchdown. However, their onside kick was unsuccessful, and the Chargers were able to waste away the rest of the clock for the win.

In all, it was 21 unanswered points for the Chargers, who now sit in second place in the AFC West behind the 13-1 Kansas City Chiefs, before that late field goal.

Herbert finished 23 for 31 with 284 yards and his two touchdown passes. Ladd McConkey led the team with six receptions for 87 yards, and it was the eighth game in a row the rookie had 50-plus receiving yards. He is one game away from tying the all-time rookie record set by Odell Beckham Jr. in 2014.

Nix impressed yet again, going 29-for-40 with 263 yards.

Both teams completed passes to 10 different receivers - the 20 combined pass-catchers are the most in the NFL this season.

The Chargers can coast into the playoffs, as their final two games are against the Patriots and Raiders, but both are on the road. As for Denver, it's a tougher finish with Cincinnati and the Chiefs on the docket.

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New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is back in the spotlight this week after a bombshell report accused the former ambassador of passing on a trade for Cleveland Browns star receiver Jerry Juedy because of his Madden NFL rating. 

A report from The Athletic published Thursday morning painted a picture of dysfunction for the organization, which missed out on the playoffs for the 14th straight year, the longest active streak in the NFL.

At the heart of that dysfunction, according to the report, is Johnson. 

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An example detailed in the report was the Jets’ decision to kill a trade with the Denver Broncos involving former first round pick Jerry Jeudy. Sources told The Athletic that despite the negotiations of former general manager Joe Douglas and the interest of his counterpart, George Paton, the deal was called off because Johnson was influenced by the player’s rating in Madden NFL.

"Douglas told the Broncos that Johnson didn’t want to make the trade because the owner felt Jeudy’s player rating in ‘Madden NFL,’ the popular video game, wasn’t high enough, according to multiple league sources," the report read. Jeudy was instead traded to the Cleveland Browns.

The video game’s rating also influenced other football decisions, per the report, including Johnson pushing back on signing guard John Simpson. 

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Perhaps more concerning, however, was sources' claims that Johnson’s two teenage sons had an influence in the decision-making. 

"When we’re discussing things, you’ll hear Woody cite something that Brick or Jack read online that’s being weighed equally against whatever opinion someone else in the department has," a current team executive told the outlet. 

A spokesperson dismissed this claim in a statement to The Athletic. 

"It is used as a reference point; it is not determinative," they said of the opinion of Johnson’s children. "It’s really sad that an adult would use a misleading anecdote about teenagers to make their father look bad. It’s ridiculous, quite honestly, the idea that this was used to influence the opinion of experienced executives."

The spokesperson added that they have "no role" in the organization, calling it "completely ridiculous" to imply otherwise. 

After firing both head coach and general manager and demoting their offensive coordinator, the Jets’ offseason will again feature more turnover and, hopefully, fewer leaks. 

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"What might have been could be yours," Topps says of its new trading card featuring an NFL legend who could have been a baseball star. 

Topps announced Wednesday the release of a new John Elway card that shows him as a member of the New York Yankees.

Before becoming a Pro Football Hall of Famer, Elway was drafted by the Yankees in the second round of the 1981 MLB Draft, six spots ahead of Tony Gwynn, who became one of the greatest hitters of all time.

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To kick off the release, Topps got some help with one of the most infamous television characters of all time.

Topps' ad starts with Stephen A. Smith interviewing Elway, asking him how the Yankees drafted him over Gwynn. Elway reminisces that "it was all [George] Steinbrenner." That notion is somewhat true because Steinbrenner wanted Elway to be the team's right fielder in 1985.

The ad then flashes back to "Steinbrenner's office" ahead of the 1981 MLB Draft, where scouts are trying to convince The Boss, played by Larry David, to take Gwynn. David was the voice of Steinbrenner on "Seinfeld." Steinbrenner never actually appeared on the show himself, but George Costanza worked for the owner in the show.

"The basketball player?" David asks, referring to Gwynn, who played basketball at San Diego State. "It's gotta be Elway. I want him out in right field with that cannon of an arm."

The scouts reply that Gwynn will be better than Keith Hernandez, who made a well-known appearance on "Seinfeld."

"I don't like that big mustache," David responds.

David then pictures kids lining up for Elway’s baseball card and his name in lights at Yankee Stadium.

"DiMaggio, Mantle, Ruth — it's gotta be Elway," David says again.

The ad closes with the card of Elway in a Yankee uniform playing the outfield, saying, "What might have been could be yours."

It's essentially the next version of "What Ifs" that Topps is producing. It did the same with Tom Brady and the Montreal Expos.

Elway played for the Yankees' minor league system in 1982 before being the first pick in the 1983 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts.

Elway, though, was openly against playing for them, even threatening to stick with the Yankees if the Colts didn't trade him. 

They did eventually trade him to the Denver Broncos, and the rest is history.

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston was a mixed bag in the team’s 41-32 loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday night. 

Winston, 30, threw for a career-high and Browns franchise record 497 yards in the loss with four touchdowns. He also threw three interceptions, including two back-breaking pick-sixes. 

After the game, Winston reflected on his up and down performance.

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"In times like this, it’s the opportunity to continue to grow for the lord, even through the toughest circumstances. I know I’m better than this, I know, like I’m just praying for the lord to deliver me from pick-sixes. Like that’s just not me. Like phenomenal game, offense did some great things, but I messed it up," Winston said postgame. 

Winston’s first pick-six came with under two minutes left in the second quarter. The Browns were down 14-10, trying to put points on the board before the end of the half. 

On first down, after surveying the field, Winston tried to check down to his tight end Jordan Akins. Linebacker Nik Bonitto jumped in front of Akins and intercepted the pass for a 71-yard pick-six. 

Winston responded to the pick-six by leading the Browns back down the field and connecting with tight end David Njoku for his second touchdown of the game on a 4-yard pass. The score came just before the first half ended, cutting the Broncos lead to 21-17. 

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The second pick-six came with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Browns were down 34-32 trying to mount a comeback. Winston targeted wide receiver Elijah Moore on first down, but the pass was undercut by cornerback Ja’Quan McMillan.

McMillan fell but got back up and raced to the end zone, effectively ending the game, putting the Broncos up 41-32 and up by two scores.

Winston throughout his career has been known to be a gunslinger, throwing 152 career touchdown passes to 106 interceptions. In 2019, Winston led the NFL with 5109 passing yards while throwing 33 touchdowns and a whopping 30 interceptions. 

Winston’s 497 yards passing in the loss marked the fifth game in his career where Winston has had over 400 yards in a game passing. 

Winston is now 2-3 as the Browns' starter since taking over for the injured Deshaun Watson. He has completed 61.3% of his passes for 1763 yards while throwing for 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The Browns fell to 3-9 with the loss, and will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers next, where Winston hopes the lord will have delivered him from more pick-sixes. 

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The Denver Broncos picked up a huge win for their playoff chances, taking down the Cleveland Browns, 41-32, in a back-and-forth thriller on "Monday Night Football."

This game was a shootout much like Jameis Winston’s previous nationally televised bout, which ended in victory for the Browns this past Thursday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But Bo Nix, not Russell Wilson, was Winston’s opposing quarterback this time, and he continued to show why he’s an Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner as he picked apart the Browns’ defense. 

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On the team’s second drive, Nix was methodical as he dissected the defense, finding fellow rookie DeVaughn Vele for a 16-yard gain that landed the Broncos at the one-yard line. A few plays later, running back Javonte Williams scored the game’s first touchdown to get the home team on the board first. 

But leave it to Winston to immediately respond, launching one to Elijah Moore for a 44-yard gain four plays into the next drive to get into the red zone. Then, David Njoku went upstairs to haul in his first of two touchdowns on the night for Cleveland to tie things up 7-7. 

The Browns’ offense, though, definitely ran through Jerry Jeudy, who went into this contest against his former team saying he wanted to "whip their a--."

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He lived up to those words with 235 yards on nine catches, including a 70-yard touchdown that came immediately after Nix had thrown a dot to Marvin Mims Jr. on third-and-11 for a 93-yard touchdown in the third quarter. 

After the Broncos kicked a field goal to make it a 31-26 game, Winston was back under center again, this time looking to take the lead for the first time in this game with a touchdown.

That’s exactly what happened, as Nick Chubb was uncovered on his route for a five-yard score. 

However, Nix, who has been calm under pressure throughout this season, continued his good performance by getting his team into the red zone once more and Wil Lutz buried a short field goal to retake the lead, 34-32. 

Winston had a chance to respond once more, but he threw his second pick-six of the game, as Ja’Quan McMillan stepped into the out route and wasn’t touched after falling to the turf. He walked right into the end zone to pull away late in the fourth quarter. 

That was the victory seal for Denver, as Winston and the Browns didn’t have any magic in them to pull spoiler yet again. 

Looking at the stat sheet, Nix was 18-for-35 for 294 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, with Mims (3 catches, 105 yards) and Courtland Sutton (6 catches, 102 yards) leading the team. 

On the ground, Jaleel McLaughlin had 84 yards on 14 carries for the Broncos. 

For the Browns, Winston had a whopping 497 yards passing on 34-of-58 with Moore also tallying 11 yards on eight catches. Njoku finished with nine receptions for 52 yards and his two scores. 

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For the first time in league history, the NFL is flexing a "Thursday Night Football" game. 

The Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals were scheduled to play the Thursday night game during Week 16, but the NFL is replacing that matchup with the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers.

The change is unprecedented because of how drastically different team preparation is between a Thursday and Sunday game. 

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Teams and players generally don’t like playing on Thursday because of a lack of recovery time and preparation can lead to injuries. 

The Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-19 Thursday to improve to 3-8 and are closer to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft than playoff contention.

The Bengals, despite Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase playing well, are 4-7 and have an uphill climb to make the playoffs. 

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The Chargers (7-3) and Broncos (6-5) both occupy playoff spots in the AFC and their Week 16 matchup could be pivotal for determining seeding, not to mention better ratings for the NFL. 

The current seeding in the AFC:

1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1)

2. Buffalo Bills (9-2)

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)

4. Houston Texans (7-4)

5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3)

6. Baltimore Ravens (7-4)

7. Denver Broncos (6-5)

The Indianapolis Colts (5-6) and Miami Dolphins (4-6) are on the outside looking in. 

The Chargers will be home for the Thursday night matchup against the Broncos Dec.19. Both teams are home the prior week, potentially another reason the NFL made the schedule change. 

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Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway had been in the game for most of his life, starting when he was a child, before progressing through high school to Stanford and later to the NFL with the Denver Broncos.

Even after he retired, Elway stuck around the sport. He spent nearly a dozen more seasons in the Broncos’ front office, eventually becoming the general manager of the team and the president of football operations. He served as a consultant starting in 2022, until the position ended the next year.

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Elway admitted in an interview on Fox News Channel’s "Fox & Friends" that he’s not missing the game as much as he thought he would.

"My dad was a football coach, so I grew up in football. I always thought that when I did get away from it I might miss it. And, actually, I’m kind of enjoying the retired life," he said.

Elway has been keeping busy. He has four children and 10 grandchildren.

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"I’ve been playing a lot of golf," he added. "I’m still watching week in and week out. But I’m actually kinda glad I got away from the game. I’m kinda enjoying my life. I got 10 grandkids so I got a lot of kids to go see and spend some time with."

Elway won two Super Bowl championships at the tail end of his career. He concluded his playing days on top, with a Super Bowl XXXIII win over the Atlanta Falcons.

He helped bring Peyton Manning into the fold and, behind a stellar defense, he won a Super Bowl title as an executive.

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