Sports Digest, Dec. 18

Every game presents a challenge for the Rockies’ floundering offense. Wednesday night’s 5-2 loss to the Padres presented a unique puzzle the Rockies couldn’t solve. San Diego started knuckleball right-hander Matt Waldron, who had no problems making his pitch dance in the mile-high atmosphere at Coors Field. Over six innings, he gave up one run on four hits and struck out five in his first trip to LoDo. Waldron said the baseball behaved “weird.” “Definitely.

WINNIPEG — The Colorado Avalanche desperately needed a save, and Alexandar Georgiev delivered the biggest one of his season to date. Colorado trailed 2-1 in Game 2 at Canada Life Centre. The Avs had just squandered a four-minute power play, missed on a Grade-A scoring chance and allowed the go-ahead goal on a fantastic one-handed tip-in by Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele. Given the way Game 1 had gone, it’s not that much of a stretch to say that Game 2 and clear control of the series hung breathlessly in the balance Tuesday night when Josh Manson and Jack Johnson had a miscommunication, and Manson’s pass in his own zone went astray.

Michael Malone’s individual film reviews this week keep encountering a distraction at the end. His eyes wander from what’s transpiring on the court and focus instead on his team’s sideline, where the Nuggets are about to erupt into a celebration they’ll someday tell their grandchildren about. His objective, of course, is to leave Jamal Murray’s Game 2 buzzer-beater in the rearview mirror for the time being.

The Rockies still hope Michael Toglia, their 2019 first-round draft choice, will eventually turn the corner. It hasn’t happened yet. Indeed, Toglia has gone in the wrong direction this season. Wednesday, the first baseman/right fielder was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque. The Rockies recalled utility player Hunter Goodman to take Togila’s place on the 26-man roster.

Sean Payton is Rice Krispies. He snaps, crackles and pops. And that’s just at postgame news conferences. But when he sees the right quarterback, the record scratches and he stops. In what is the Broncos’ most important draft since 2018, the answer is simple: trust the coach. He doesn’t make it easy.

Whether the Broncos move up, down or stay at No. 12, they are confident in their ability to land an impact player in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday. The quarterback position has been the central focus of draft talks since the team benched Russell Wilson for the final two games of last season.