Angela Rae Harris's Blog, page 19

Government headed to a shutdown after last-ditch vote fails in Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats have voted down a Republican bill to keep funding the government, putting it on a near certain path to a shutdown after midnight Wednesday for the first time in nearly seven years.

The Senate rejected the legislation as Democrats are making good on their threat to close the government if President Donald Trump and Republicans won’t accede to their health care demands. The 55-45 vote on a bill to extend federal funding for seven weeks fell short of the 60 needed to end a filibuster and pass the legislation.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Republicans are trying to “bully” Democrats by refusing to negotiate on an extension of expanded Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire at the end of the year.

“We hope they sit down with us and talk,” Schumer said after the vote. “Otherwise, it’s the Republicans will be driving us straight towards a shutdown tonight at midnight. The American people will blame them for bringing the federal government to a halt.”

The failure of Congress to keep the government open means that hundreds of thousands of federal workers could be furloughed or laid off. After the vote, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget issued a memo saying “affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.”

Threatening retribution to Democrats, Trump said Tuesday that a shutdown could include “cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”

Trump and his fellow Republicans said they won’t entertain any changes to the legislation, arguing that it’s a stripped-down, “clean” bill that should be noncontroversial. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said “we can reopen it tomorrow” if enough Democrats break party lines.

The last shutdown was in Trump’s first term, from December 2018 to January 2019, when he demanded that Congress give him money for his U.S.-Mexico border wall. Trump retreated after 35 days — the longest shutdown ever — amid intensifying airport delays and missed paydays for federal workers.

Democrats take a stand against Trump, with exceptions

While partisan stalemates over government spending are a frequent occurrence in Washington, the current impasse comes as Democrats see a rare opportunity to use their leverage to achieve policy goals and as their base voters are spoiling for a fight with Trump. Republicans who hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate needed at least eight votes from Democrats after Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky opposed the bill.

Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine voted with Republicans to keep the government open — giving Republicans hope that there might be five more who will eventually come around and help end a shutdown.

After the vote, King warned against “permanent damage” as Trump and his administration have threatened mass layoffs.

“Instead of fighting Trump we’re actually empowering him, which is what finally drove my decision,” King said.

Thune predicted Democratic support for the GOP bill will increase “when they realize that this is playing a losing hand.”

Shutdown preparations begin

The stakes are huge for federal workers across the country as the White House told agencies last week that they should consider “a reduction in force” for many federal programs if the government shuts down. That means that workers who are not deemed essential could be fired instead of just furloughed.

Either way, most would not get paid. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated in a letter to Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst on Tuesday that around 750,000 federal workers could be furloughed each day once a shutdown begins.

Federal agencies were already preparing. On the home page of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a large pop up ad reads, “The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people.”

Democrats’ health care asks

Democrats want to negotiate an extension of the health subsidies immediately as people are beginning to receive notices of premium increases for the next year. Millions of people who purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act could face higher costs as expanded subsidies first put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic expire.

Democrats have also demanded that Republicans reverse the Medicaid cuts that were enacted as a part of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” this summer and for the White House to promise it will not move to rescind spending passed by Congress.

“We are not going to support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the health care of everyday Americans,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said.

Thune pressed Democrats to vote for the funding bill and take up the debate on tax credits later. Some Republicans are open to extending the tax credits, but many are strongly opposed to it.

In rare, pointed back-and-forth with Schumer on the Senate floor Tuesday morning, Thune said Republicans “are happy to fix the ACA issue” and have offered to negotiate with Democrats — if they will vote to keep the government open until Nov. 21.

A critical, and unusual, vote for Democrats

Democrats are in an uncomfortable position for a party that has long denounced shutdowns as pointless and destructive, and it’s unclear how or when a shutdown will end. But party activists and lawmakers have argued that Democrats need to do something to stand up to Trump.

“The level of appeasement that Trump demands never ends,” said Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt. “We’ve seen that with universities, with law firms, with prosecutors. So is there a point where you just have to stand up to him? I think there is.”

Some groups called for Schumer’s resignation in March after he and nine other Democrats voted to break a filibuster and allow a Republican-led funding bill to advance to a final vote.

Schumer said then that he voted to keep the government open because a shutdown would have made things worse as Trump’s administration was slashing government jobs. He says things have now changed, including the passage this summer of the massive GOP tax cut bill that reduced Medicaid.

Trump’s role in negotiations

A bipartisan meeting at the White House on Monday was Trump’s first with all four leaders in Congress since retaking the White House for his second term. Schumer said the group “had candid, frank discussions” about health care.

But Trump did not appear to be ready for serious talks. Hours later, he posted a fake video of Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries taken from footage of their real press conference outside of the White House after the meeting. In the altered video, a voiceover that sounds like Schumer’s voice makes fun of Democrats and Jeffries stands beside him with a cartoon sombrero and mustache. Mexican music plays in the background.

At a news conference on the Capitol steps Tuesday morning, Jeffries said it was a “racist and fake AI video.”

Schumer said that less than a day before a shutdown, Trump was trolling on the internet “like a 10-year-old.”

“It’s only the president who can do this,” Schumer said. “We know he runs the show here.”

___

Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim, Kevin Freking, Matthew Brown, Darlene Superville and Joey Cappelletti in Washington contributed to this report.

Navy heavily favored vs. Air Force, but service academy history shows how little that means

Recent service academy football history shows the unpredictable nature of these games, particularly when they seem their most predictable.

It was only 23 months ago that Air Force was 8-0 and favored by 18 points against Army in Denver, only to be turned away in a 23-3 defeat in front of more than 50,000 fans.

And it wasn’t even 10 months ago that Army, fresh off an American Athletic Conference championship, was a touchdown favorite against Navy. But it was the Midshipmen who walked away with the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy courtesy of a 31-13 trouncing.

Sometimes it’s that very sense of overconfidence that can throw the equation out of whack in these meetings of teams that play a similar style and know each other’s rosters in an in-depth way, having recruited many of them.

“I think you always have to be guarding against overconfidence in this game,” said Navy quarterback Blake Horvath, whose unbeaten Midshipmen (4-0) are favored by 11.5 points heading into Saturday’s matchup with Air Force (1-3) in Annapolis, Md.

“You have to be confident. Stress never made anybody play better. So, you’ve got to be confident. I think you see it in a lot of these games. … There are case studies, there are examples in the past of teams being overconfident. I think what you have to do in this game is understand you throw the records out. We always say it, but you really do have to. You can’t view the records or what Boise State does against this team or Utah State, because it’s different defenses, different offenses, you’re not as familiar with them. It’s always different and you’ve got to treat them with respect, and we always do.”

These series can turn on a dime, too. Air Force had won four in a row against Navy prior to last year, when the Mids won decisively 34-7 at Falcon Stadium.

And in 2020, under the oddity of COVID-19, it was Air Force – which had won 11 games the previous year but suffered one of its two losses at the hands of Navy – that blasted the Midshipmen 40-7.

Coach Troy Calhoun readily admits that no one knows how these, or most matchups, will go, least of all him.

“I don’t know why people bet,” Calhoun said, noting not just service academy games but the growing trend of wagering on sports. “A lot of times I have no clue what a line is or a spread is or over under is, but once in a while if it pops in front of you and I think, how in the world?

“I’m just telling you, man, why? Unless you really know and there’s some insider trading that you have where it’s stupid stuff, no one knows.”

There are plenty of variables playing in Navy’s favor. The Midshipmen are 14-3 since the start of last year, with two of those losses coming to ranked teams. Horvath and most of his surrounding cast have played significant time together since 2023. And while Air Force has lost three service academy games in a row, Navy is seeking its third straight win in these games.

Air Force’s defense has been among the worst in the country. Navy has the top rushing offense in college football and has averaged 34.1 points during a seven-game winning streak.

It seems pretty simple, but that’s just when these games have often been at their most baffling.

3 takeaways from another preseason victory for the Avalanche

The fans at Ball Arena weren’t exactly treated to star-studded lineups from either the Avalanche or Golden Knights, but all the Colorado fans in the building were able to head home happy as the home team won their fourth straight preseason game by a score of 4-2 Tuesday.

Here are three takeaways from Colorado’s win over Vegas.

Jared Bednar has said they’ll give Sam Malinski some time to learn how to play his “off side” on the blue line, but it’ll be interesting to see just how long they give him. They tried it a few years ago with Bowen Byram and Byram often spoke about how difficult it was to make the adjustment. It’s not an easy ask to have of a young defenseman who hasn’t done it a whole lot in his career learn it on the fly in the best league in the world. Malinski got walked on Vegas’ second goal while playing on the left side, so there’s still plenty of room for growth, but Bednar liked his game beyond that. “More involved tonight than the other games,” Bednar saidAnother day, and another impressive performance from Gavin Brindley. The first two periods of this game weren’t pretty, but he was one of the few who stood out with his speed and tenacity. In the third, his pressure created the game-winning goal from Ross Colton, as he forced the goaltender into making a mistake. It sounds like he’ll continue to get more looks during the final two preseason games. “I think he’s been impactful on both sides of the puck,” Bednar said.Calling Tuesday night’s lineup the “B squad” for the Avalanche might actually be overselling it. Bednar didn’t dress a single top-six forward and none of his top five defensemen were in the lineup either. Expect most of the big guns to play in the final two preseason games as a tuneup for the regular season opener.

Excitement overrides Nikola Jokic’s flared-up wrist on first day of Denver Nuggets training camp

Nikola Jokic speaks to members of the press during the Nuggets Media Day at Ball Arena on Monday. (Tom Hellauer/Denver Gazette)

LA JOLLA, Calif. – Nikola Jokic provided reassurance to Nuggets nation for a second consecutive day.

After stating that he wanted to be with the Nuggets “forever” during his media day press conference Monday at Ball Arena, Jokic walked over to the media scrum assembled after Tuesday’s first training camp practice at UC San Diego with a bag of ice wrapped around his right wrist, something that’s become a common sight over the years.

“It’s (from) like six years ago,” Jokic said of the injury.

The minor injury would likely prevent a Spikeball session on the beach during the team’s time on the Pacific Coast but not much else. He said it’s the kind of injury that flares up from time to time, as it has over the last few years with the Nuggets.

“It’s working,” Jokic said. “I’m managing.”

The Nuggets started training camp with a lively, competitive practice. David Adelman liked what he saw from a retooled roster after his first preseason practice as coach.

“They played super hard. We have a lot of depth, a lot of talent. The guys, I thought, played like they knew that,” Adelman said.

“It led to a lot of competition. We played live 95% of the time, which sometimes leads to mistakes, but good mistakes just because the energy was so good. I know we can’t play like that the whole season. We picked up full (court), super physical. You’ve got to put your hands on people, nowadays in the NBA. It’s good to see the guys do that.”

Practice started with a bang, literally. Adelman said two-way wing Spencer Jones needed stitches after a collision with Julian Strawther on the first play of the day. The Nuggets’ coach said Cam Johnson was pulled toward the end of practice for precautionary reasons, while Jokic and the rest of the roster were full participants.

“Everybody else that they kind of red-flagged as possibilities to sit at some point did not,” Adelman said. “That’s up to me. That’s my responsibility to make sure we get the most out of them with the time that we have and don’t waste time just to say you did stuff.”

Getting Jokic to take a break has been a struggle over the years. In the past, Michael Malone admitted there were games he wanted to hold out his superstar, only for Jokic to overrule the coach and play anyway. Jokic has only been back in the United States for roughly 48 hours after representing Serbia in the summer’s EuroBasket tournament. His new head coach made it sound like he’s no worse after the extra wear of international competition.

“He had a good mentality about him today. I thought all the starters did. I thought they were more into what they were doing defensively than offensively. Offensively, we’re always going to score, but I thought the defense was what stood out to me today with that group. They flew around. They always move the ball,” Adelman said.

“The mentality of not just him but the whole first unit was exciting to see.”

A new crop of coaches and some fresh faces on the roster added a little extra juice, the face of the franchise admitted.

“It is (exciting), especially with the new coaching staff and new system that we’re going to try. I like it. It’s something new. I’m looking forward to it,” Jokic said.

“First practice in training camp, the energy is always great.”

Denver’s new defensive philosophy, second-unit shoutout | Nuggets notebook

Nuggets coach David Adelman speaks to members of the press during the Nuggets Media Day at Ball Arena on Monday. (Tom Hellauer/Denver Gazette)

LA JOLLA, Calif. – Don’t sleep on Jared Dudley as a meaningful addition to the Denver Nuggets.

Dudley last played in the NBA as a member of the 2020-21 Los Angeles Lakers. He joined Jason Kidd’s coaching staff as an assistant the following season and left Dallas for Denver this offseason. Coach David Adelman said at Monday’s media day he’s trusting the 14-year veteran to coordinate Denver’s defense this season. The Nuggets’ new assistant didn’t waste much time.

“It’s great,” Nuggets guard Bruce Brown said after the team’s first training camp practice Tuesday at UC San Diego. “He kind of started talking to me in the summer about defense, just being more physical, picking up like three-quarters court, depending, obviously, on who you are.”

Brown went on to mention a new interpretation of a rule that would allow defenders to be more physical when the opposing player is not in the act of dribbling. David Adelman was on the same page with a roster to match Dudley’s outlook.

“To have the depth we have, there’s no excuse,” Adelman said. “Play extremely hard, put your hands on people, not worry about being in foul trouble like we’ve had to do in the past. It’s a different way of looking at the game. We have to demand it every day – put your hands on people, challenge each other. It helps our offense, too, because that’s how our league is going to be played this year.”

Nikola Jokic said he wasn’t asked about the change that might mean he’s spending less time playing at the level of the screen, something he’s fine with. The three-time Most Valuable Player went to his trusted line of letting the coaches do their job, so he can worry about doing his to the best of his ability.

“We’re going to try to do something different than last year,” Jokic said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s going to be. It’s kind of exciting to try something new.”

There’s a give-and-take with schematic changes. Adelman sounded willing to give up some scoring if it means Dudley’s tweaks can improve on Denver’s 116 defensive rating, which ranked 22nd in the NBA last season.

“Defense, sometimes in our league, is so hard, that it’s not how you drill it. It’s just do you want to do it? It really is. It’s ‘Are you willing to do what it takes?’” Adelman said. “It may take away from your offense a little bit, and I would love to see our defense get better. If our offense takes a little step back, we’ll be fine.”

Second-unit shoutout

If Day 1 was any indication, there are big changes coming to Denver’s bench.

Bruce Brown said the second unit consisted of himself, Julian Strawther, Tim Hardaway Jr., Peyton Watson and Jonas Valanciunas at Tuesday’s practice.

“It was good today. We was rolling … we were playing really well, just playing through Val kind of like the first unit playing through Jok,” Brown said.

“I think we can do everything. We’ve got shooters. We’ve got defenders. Me and P-Wat can pick up full. … We can play through Val in the post. He can score with the best of them.”

With Cam Johnson expected to replace Michael Porter Jr. in the starting lineup, that leaves Jalen Pickett, DaRon Holmes, Hunter Tyson and Zeke Nnaji as the four players on standard contracts on the outside of a potential 10-man rotation on Day 1, but things are bound to change.

“That second unit will fluctuate,” Adelman said. “We’ll try different people at different positions.”

Joker Jokes

The topic of Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas sharing time on the court has been a topic of conversation ever since the Nuggets’ new coach said Monday he planned to play the duo together at times.

When it came up again Tuesday, Jokic took advantage of an opportunity to crack a joke at Aaron Gordon’s expense as Gordon walked behind the scrum surrounding Jokic.

“Why not? I’m sick of AG. I cannot play with him anymore. We need to change him. We’re not going to change me,” Jokic joked before getting a bit more serious. “Why not? Just to try to put something out there, something different.”

Is Denver poised to become the Silicon Valley of the ‘New West?’

With an abundance of available talent, robust university partnerships and a “welcoming give first mindset,” global leaders in artificial intelligence are pointing to Denver as the next hotbed for public sector tech innovation.

As Mayor Mike Johnston wrapped up his second city-led – and sold-out – AI Summit on Tuesday, he told attendees that with tools such as AI on the rise, “this is the right moment to think about reinventing government, again.”

But is Denver really ready to take on the future? 

Google Vice President Cris Turner, who oversees the tech giant’s government affairs and public policy knowledge and information products, thinks so.

Turner told The Denver Gazette that Denver has going for it, specifically “a mayor that is unafraid to lean into innovation, play with all of the toys in the sandbox,” calling it “relatively rare to have a local elected official that is so forward-leaning.”

Home to several large tech players, experts say the Mile High City is fueling an inviting AI startup environment.

Mayor Mike Johnston’s second annual city-led AI Summit brough global tech leaders together with local government officials to explore the promise —and pitfalls —of artificial intelligence in the public sector.

“My company and I are betting that both the city of Denver and the state of Colorado are one of the places to get it right first,” Turner said. “So, for what it’s worth, we have lots of commitment and investment and are optimistic for the future of Denver and Colorado.”

However, recent state legislation regarding the regulation of AI prompted legislators to return to the Capitol for a special session, ultimately resulting in a delay in implementation.

“I think that’s great that the legislature said we want to take more time to figure this out before anything becomes operational,” Gov. Jared Polis said. “And I think it’s important to sort of start with what the goal is. I mean, how do you make Colorado the leading state for AI, for consumers and for jobs and for innovators? And then kind of build out a policy that can distinguish ourselves among the other states to achieve that.” 

Turner noted there is some degree of risk in regulating AI too early and too restrictively, rather than focusing on what AI can actually do.

Regulation doesn’t involve lawmakers alone; it also involves consumers, developers and deployers of AI technology.

“I think that one of the risks is that we do this state by state,” Polis said. “We need to approach this nationally for competitiveness and to avoid unintended consequences, to support innovation and add whatever protections are necessary.”

Polis added, “We should do this as a country through law and rule. The danger is, of course, that you have 50 different compliance regimes, which make it very difficult to bring any innovative product to market and add significant cost, to the detriment of the consumer experience.”

Attendees representing local governments from across the nation were eager to explore how AI-powered solutions showcased by promising startups may offer solutions to pressing civic, social and community challenges.

First-time AI Summit goer and Commerce City Mayor Steve Douglas told The Denver Gazette that his city already utilizes some AI platforms in the realm of public safety, but is interested in how it can help streamline many of the city’s processes.

In the next five years, he hopes to see Commerce City embracing more AI technology to speed up permitting, increase public safety, enhance language capabilities, and support education as well.

Johnston hopes to use AI in Denver not only to speed up the permitting process but also to address challenges related to regulatory accretion.

Mayor Mike Johnston’s leads a discussion and answers questions during his second annual city-led AI Summit held Sept 29 and 30.

Local governments add new rules and regulations to the ordinance every year, but rarely remove them, he said. 

“For example, if you want to take a photo in any public park in Denver with 20 or more people, that requires a permit. So, anyone who took a homecoming photo last weekend, we are coming for you,” Johnston joked. “If you had a wedding in one of our parks, we would also come for you. So it turns out that there are certain regulations we probably don’t need, and no one’s taking the time to take them off the books.”

Downtown Development Authority to buy Denver Pavilions mall for $37M

The Denver Downtown Development Authority (DDA) on Tuesday approved spending up to $45 million to purchase and upgrade the Denver Pavilions. 

$37 million of that will go toward purchasing the shopping mall on 16th Street at Glenarm Place, city officials and Mayor Mike Johnston announced.

The mall is currently anchored by an H&M, a Lucky Strike bowling alley and a Regal movie theater. But like much of Upper Downtown, Denver Pavilions has been struggling due to the pandemic and 16th Street’s construction that’s set to fully finish on Saturday.

“Pavilions certainly took a hard part of the brunt of those five years of construction and COVID,” Johnston said.

The authority is also working to purchase the parking lots connected to the mall for $23 million, the DDA announced last July.

“Many developers for decades have been trying to unify these two properties,” Johnston said, adding that it hindered any plans to add on to the mall.

If the authority closes on the two separate sales, it will all be under one ownership and that opens up possibilities for new developments on the site.

The DDA will then develop a master plan to reimagine the mall and find a developer to sell it to in line with that vision.

Johnston said the acquisitions could allow the mall to build new hotels, apartments and more retail.

The authority does not plan to demolish the mall, said Laura Schwartz, spokesperson for the city’s finance department. 

The rest of the $8 million of the approved funds will go toward property improvements, leasing and redevelopment planning, the DDA said.

For any DDA funding over $500,000, the City Council will need to give final approval. It’s set to go before the City Council this fall, Schwartz said.

Outside Denver Pavilions on Glenarm Plaza and 16th Street in Downtown Denver on May 29, 2025. (Bernadette Berdychowski/The Denver Gazette)Replicating Union Station’s redevelopment in Upper Downtown?

The DDA is a financing tool sanctioned by state law to fund urban core projects that will bring more economic activity by using property and sales tax money generated by the development.

It’s mostly used for gap financing to cover what traditional banks may be too weary of, but can be used to fully fund property purchases such as the Pavilions’ parking lots.

The city would not own the mall, but rather the authority funded by downtown tax money will have ownership.

The authority was created in 2008 to pay for Union Station’s 2014 major restoration.

As it paid off the bonds from that project, officials looked to preserve the funding mechanism and the tax money already generated from the project by expanding it last year to include most of downtown with the aim of speeding up recovery following the pandemic.

The authority is looking at the Denver Pavilions as Upper Downtown’s equivalent of Union Station, which spurred mixed-used developments around the neighborhood.

City leaders are touting Union Station’s revitalization as a success story and a model for downtown since Lower Downtown — while still affected by the pandemic — has lower vacancy rates that Upper Downtown.

“Just as the revitalization of Union Station brought new life to Lower Downtown, a reimagined Pavilions will rejuvenate the landscape of Upper Downtown,” said Doug Tisdale, board chair of the DDA.

Outside Denver Pavilions on Glenarm Plaza and 16th Street in Downtown Denver on May 29, 2025. (Bernadette Berdychowski/The Denver Gazette)

The mayor said the city didn’t want to see the mall fall into disrepair and drag the neighborhood already struggling with empty office towers further down.

The three-story, 351,347-square-foot retail and entertainment complex opened in November of 1998, after a year-and-a-half construction. The Denver Business Journal reported Denver-based Gart Properties and Clarion together bought the Pavilions from its developer, California-based Entertainment Development Group, in 2008 for $94 million.

But vacancies at the shopping center — which at one point were as low as 5% — grew after the government-ordered business shutdowns in 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic. It lost it’s anchor original tenant, The Hard Rock Cafe, in 2023.

Its vacancy is 40% now, said Bill Mosher, Denver’s chief projects officer.

“We need this site to be a magnet for Upper Downtown,” Johnston said. “And we worried without this kind of investment in redevelopment you could get the opposite, and that doesn’t just affect this block. That affects all of up or downtown.”

In its first year since voters approved the authority’s expansion — including 10 projects, funding downtown’s new police patrols to the sale of the mall — the DDA has approved nearly $150 million of the $570 million available over the next decade.

Air Force athletic events, including football at Navy, would continue through government shutdown

Air Force’s football game at Navy on Saturday will take place with or without a funded and operating government, The Gazette was told Tuesday.

All other Falcons athletic events, home and away, will also go on as scheduled.

Air Force officials could not comment on the record, but multiple conversations with representatives at Air Force and Navy indicated the football game on CBS at 10 a.m. MT Saturday in Annapolis, Md., would not be jeopardized by a government shutdown that was to go into effect at 10 p.m. MT on Tuesday if it is not averted.

Though confirmation was given that all athletic events would go on, no timeline was given for how long that might be the case if the situation becomes prolonged.

Navy will not be impacted, as its athletic department is nearly self-sufficient behind its nonprofit athletic corporation and operates with minimal government funding.

Air Force has moved to a similar model for athletics funding, but that did not prevent Falcons athletic events from being canceled during a January 2018 government shutdown.

In Octobert 2013 Air Force nearly canceled a football trip to Navy because of a shutdown, with funds provided by U.S. Automobile Asssociation at the last minute allowing the game to be played.

Mark Kiszla: A new Broncos cult hero was born and new team identity forged with all the NFL watching

On a night when a new Denver cult hero was born, the Broncos discovered a newfound identity.

Ending a month of navel-gazing, the Broncos put their heads down, dug in their cleats and slobber-knocked the stripes off the Bengals in a 28-3 victory.

“We showed we’re a tough team,” said running back J.K. Dobbins, who became the first Denver ballcarrier in a long stretch of 38 games to rush for more than 100 yards.

As sweet as it was to see the Broncos kick butt and take names, it was only the second-best thing to happen on an early autumn evening that felt like football weather.

You might find it hard to believe, but the new hot Broncos jersey in this dusty old cowtown seems destined to be No. 63.

And to tell the truth, nobody finds it harder to fathom than the man inside that Denver jersey, reserve offensive lineman Alex Palczewski.

Every time Palczewski entered the Denver huddle as an extra blocker in a jumbo offensive package, the crowd at Empower Field went wild when an official announced No. 63 as an eligible receiver.

“It’s pretty cool,” Palczewski said. “But I try to ignore (the cheers), because I want to hear the play call, so I don’t mess up.”

Quiet? Please, no. Pump up the volume on this madness.

“I love it!” Dobbins said. “The first time I heard that, I was like: ‘Am I tripping?’ And then (the crowd) kept doing it, and I was like: ‘This is great!’ Broncos Country is the best.”

While the cheering for Palczewski doesn’t enjoy the long, storied tradition of the “IN-COM-PLETE” chant, it’s crazy, good fun and another indication that no city in the NFL has a hipper fan base.

“I swear I didn’t pay anybody in the audience,” joked Palczewski.

He added that “I’m getting a lot of slack” in a Denver offensive line room where anonymity is celebrated by big dudes quietly doing the grunt work.

After a solid month of fooling around, maybe the Broncos figured out who they are during an impressive performance on Monday Night Football.

In the first of four prime-time games this year, Denver finally played like a team ready for its close-up.

Dobbins rumbled for 101 yards on the ground, becoming the first Broncos ballcarrier to surpass the century mark since Latavius Murray did it way back on Jan. 8, 2023.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Dobbins.

With his first 100-yard rushing game to his name since joining Denver as a free agent, Dobbins ain’t done yet. He’s getting greedy. In a good way.

“Maybe I can go back-to-back,” Dobbins said.

Denver edge-rusher Nik Bonitto, who already has recorded 4.5 sacks in this young NFL season, made life for Cincinnati reserve quarterback Jake Browning miserable, with more than a little help from his friends on the Broncos defense.

“The pass rush is killer,” said Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, thanking his lucky stars that he doesn’t have to face that kind of heat on a weekly basis.

This was precisely the sort of pound-the-rock, wear-em-down and grind-it-out victory that should be the trademark of this Denver team.

While coach Sean Payton has re-introduced competent football to Broncos Country, he is still looking for a signature win.

Next up: A big chance to change all that. 

Fresh off a bye week against the Joe Burrow-less Bungles, we’re going to get our first real chance to see if these Broncos are contenders or pretenders.

While beating Cincinnati got Denver back to .500 after four games, Payton was quick to file the “W” away, turn the page and get down to much more serious business at hand.

“We change quickly to (facing) a team that just won the Super Bowl,” he said.

Yes, the defending league champions await in Philadelphia, where Saquon Barkley can make you miss, Uncle Vic will mess ya up and the notoriously ornery crowd is a nonstop yo mama joke.

The man who will make the match-up against the Eagles especially compelling is defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who was run out of Denver as head coach after compiling a 19-30 record in three seasons from 2019-21. He was invited by Payton to come back to town as a top assistant, only to politely decline and wind up guiding a defense that flustered Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City in the most recent Super Bowl.

For a team with new championship aspirations of its own, the Broncos’ physical and mental toughness will be seriously tested by the Eagles.

“By tough I mean, the run game and – of course – defense. But I mean mentally tough,” Dobbins said.

“In this league, more games are lost than won. And what I mean by that is: If you’re not mentally strong enough to have the right technique on a block, you’re going to get a holding call. Or if you’re not focused before the snap, false start. All the tough teams I’ve been a part of, that’s where it’s at. That’s what toughness means. Not only being physically tough, but you have to be mentally sharp.”

If the Broncos aren’t confident in their identity and tough to the bone when the going gets tough in Philly, they’re going to get cracked worse than the Liberty Bell.

Denver area events for Sept. 30

If you have an event taking place in the Denver area, email information to  carlotta.olson@gazette.com  at least two weeks in advance. All events are listed in the calendar on space availability.

Tuesday

Sipping N’ Painting Hampden — “Picasso Selfie,” 6:30-8:30 p.m., Sipping N’ Painting Hampden, 6461 E. Hampden Ave., Denver, $35. Registration required: sippingnpaintinghampden.com.

Adam Ohlson Trio Featuring Jonathan Powell — 7 p.m., Dazzle at Baur’s, 1080 14th St., Denver, go online for prices. Tickets: dazzledenver.com/#/events.

Bruce Dickinson — 7 p.m., Summit Music Hall, 1902 Blake St., Denver, $50 and up. Tickets: summitdenver.com.

Diggy Graves – Crash My Funeral Tour — 7 p.m., Marquis Theater, 2009 Larimer St., Denver, $78 and up. Tickets: marquisdenver.com.

Supernova Oddities — 7 p.m., People’s Building, 9995 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, $25 and up. Tickets: thepeoplesbuilding.com/tickets.

Open Mic Night — Sign-ups start at 7 p.m. with performances at 8 p.m., Goosetown Tavern, 3242 E. Colfax Ave., Denver; goosetowntavern.com.

“Rocky Horror Picture Show” 50th Anniversary — With Barry Bostwick, 7:30 p.m., Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Place, Denver, $39 and up. Tickets: ticketmaster.com.

Royel Otis — With BBY, 8 p.m., Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver, $50 and up. Tickets: axs.com.

Adam Melchor — 8 p.m., Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, $37.34. Tickets: axs.com.

Carter Vail — With Creature Canyon, 8 p.m., Cervantes’ Other Side, 2635 Welton St., Denver, $33.82. Tickets: cervantesmasterpiece.com.

Cafuné — With Crushed, 8 p.m., Globe Hall, 4483 Logan St., Denver, $31.98-$33.33. Tickets: globehall.com. 

Megan Moroney — With Patrick Droney, 8 p.m., Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison, $281 and up. Tickets: axs.com.

Panda Bear — 8 p.m., Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder, $41.45-$44.03. Tickets: axs.com.

Rose City Band — With Prairiewolf, 8 p.m., Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder, $30.63-$32.69. Tickets: axs.com.

CARLOTTA OLSON, The Denver Gazette