finally here! getting ready to steelers today. coverage this belen will be live at the broncos and big been playing without his best weapons. we have live team field. we can expect to see thousands of people at the special. thompson, his mom will be in place for the first time in person. also a deadly crash takes the life of a father with another baby on the way. what caused that tragic accident.

thank you for joining us on this i'm jessica and this is ryan. we're live at sports authority. we're excited about today and broncos taking on the steelers and we have team coverage. we're out here and belinda is handing out those magnets. we have traffic and all of your headlines back at the station. >> we want to get into the broncos coverage because everybody is excited for the big game. we know the steeler was banged up. there's other threats on the field. the steelers waking up in colorado. they got here yesterday afternoon. the big ben is expected to play today, but he's hurt. we're talking about an injured shoulder and he doesn't have his best weapons and brown and williams. >> let's get a check of your forecast. belinda owe-- we have

>> our team spirit is so strong. we're hoping the broncos are going to win. the broncos will be head to head to the new england patriots. it will be another brady verses manning showdown. tom brady looked suburb. that's typical patriots playoff football. the broncos are 14 and 8-1. denver hosts pittsburgh for the postseason meeting between the two clubs. denver leads the playoff 4-3 including a 3-2 record. >> broncos have a record of struggling since the nfl went on its current playoff format, the broncos earned a first round bye. denver lost three of those games including that devastating loss to jacksonville in 1996 and

>> it's going to be a great today regardless of how banged up the steelers are. >> it's cool out. broncos madness. the madness never stops belen. >> no, we've got broncos fever out here, and magnet mania. >> go! >> this guy has got some lungs on him. broncos, broncos, broncos! we're out here at colorado and yell with the king we we hope you can make it down. let's look at the game forecast because we have a pretty but by the time the game starts, it's going to be a dry one with take those orange layers with you because it's going to be a cold one. around kickoff, temperatures around 39 degrees. breezy at time.

to northeast colorado. we have snow falling in the high country. a closer look at what's happening towards sterling where we've had that snow falling since the overnight hours, but we're expecting it to wrap up. accumulation will be from 1 to 3 inches, while the snow will fall in the high country. the travel along i-70 could be difficult. travel afternoon. additional accumulation from 3 to 6 inches for our front range mountains. the eastern plains where there's a cold front that's lined up along that colorado, kansas and nebraska state line, we have a freezing fog advisory in effect until 10:00 a.m. so careful if you're traveling in that area. the temperatures in the teens. in the 20s. 20s closer to the foothills. the afternoon highs will be in the upper 30s, low 40s and we'll have more sunshine by the game time, and temperatures closer to the foothills will be in the 30s. here's the rest of your day, we'll start off with clouds and sunshine will be in full force

the time our broncos take on the steelers broncos, broncos. we're having fun out here. back to you. >> hey, belen, it sounds like you're having a great time. we know those magnets goes so fast. make sure to get out there fast to try and get your hands on one of those magnets. let's talk about the game. specifically ben rossen burger. he took quite a few hits. one significant hit that probably gave him that ac joint sprain, and torn ligament in his shoulder. it happened during that playoff win over the bangles. he came back into the game towards the end, but he had trouble throwing more than 15 years down the field. he hasn't practiced most of the week, but still is expected to play today. >> the steelers receiver antonio brown is out for today's game against the broncos. he suffered a concussion after

the bangles last week. he earned himself a three-game suspension for that hit. >> a suspension on vontez. a win will further cement payton manning's place in nfl history. one more would put him passed roger and ben rossenburger for the most six post wins. 11 of all time. >> he's almost there. sanders might not get the warmest welcome by his opponents today. he spent his four seasons in the field city, so after pittsburgh put him the draft -- in 2014, he struck some controversy when his team manning when he called manning a better leader than rossenburger. >> thomas, one great game away from broncos post game records of his own.

has 46 catches for 699 yards. he needs 4 le exceptions to pass rod smith for most in post broncos history. he needs 162 yards to pass smith. so it could be a big game personally for dt. i'm sure it's focused on the team effort this morning. >> right. a lot of potential for them. this is a special game for dt because his mom is going to be there. this is the first time his mom will watch him play. dt's mother has been in jail for her involvement in a crack cocaine ring. his mother has never played in person as an nfl july. so she's been staying at a georgia halfway house since november. couldn't travel for 60 days. that 60 days is finally up, and thomas's mother has been scheduled to see him

>> jess, there's so much talk in the season. when is dt's mom going to show up. we're in a big playoff game and dt's mom is going to be the crowd and a special moment for him and her although he could break records today. amazing. let's get over to v iat. we're seeing a lot of tailgaters showing up and people getting pumped up. >> i have cupcakes for jessica's birthday and they smell so good. >> you found the cupcakes? >> you did. >> you can't have those cupcakes before i eat those cupcakes. >> i'm going to light the candle. >> there better be 12 when i get there. i want to show you what it looks like in the high country. we've been talking about snow in the high country. snow flakes falling along i-70 and veil. it's causing slowdowns in areas this morning. this is -- things are look jut fine as you're heading up into

get further up there and you get into the high country, eisenhower tunnel, that's where we're running into problems and snow on the ground. in other news, a family who suffered a tragic loss when a father died while driving his pregnant wife to the hospital. >> shoemaker had a medical episode when he lost control and crashed into a tree and flipped over. his two kids were in the car. both parents were unconscious. the son had to call 911. his wife had to undergo a c-section. the two kids -- a go fund me page was set up to help the family financially. a man is dead after getting struck by several cars. he was wanted for stabbing his family in iowa. cheyenne police say -- he stabbed his wife, their two

their home in cheyenne on friday. our partners at the colorado report, says they're expected to recover. van walker fled the scene and drove south on i-25. csp troopers said the suspect veered off into the median near wellington and rolled into the field. they say he got out of his vehicle and then stepped into traffic. a fugitive on the fbi's most thornton last week. he's expected in court. mason is known as the scream robbers because the mask they wore. investigators believes they were in a string police arrested two men that was mason's accomplices. mason is in jail on a half a million dollar's bond.

forecast? meteorologist belen de leon is going to show us how

broncos, broncos. broncos, broncos. >> able is having all the fun handing out those -- belen is having fun handing out those magnets. >>reporter: i've got all these broncos fans behind me. go broncos! [indiscernible]. they've got their magnets out here. we're at colorado and yale at king super. so many magnets left, so come over.

their orange and blue, they're going to have it on their refrigerator and on their car. let's look at the game day forecast. kickoff at 39 degrees. it will be dry. i know we had the clouds in the sky right now, but it will clear up by the time the game starts. doppler 9 is showing snow into northeast colorado. that steady ban of snow has been falling night long, but it's going to be wrapping up by mid-morning. in the high country, the snow continues to fall. your forecast for today, the high of 38 degrees in the city. gradual clearing after a morning of snow and clouds. when those clouds do clear up, it's going to be breezy at times. the temperatures right now are in the teens and lower elevations, but in the high country, still very cold. we've got temperatures that's below zero in the san joaquin valley. your highs for today across the state, in the 20s and 30s and

chillier in northern colorado. we'll see the temperatures in the low 30s. here's a look at your future cast. the snow heavier overnight in the -- it's going to wind down in the high country, but several travel advisories in effect. keep in mind, we still have a freezing fog advisory out towards the eastern plains. around 1:00, a mix of clouds and sun in the city, but it's going to be perfect weather for you tailgaters to wear the sweaters. the afternoon drive from the high country should look better. drive carefully. overnight, a few scattered clouds and through up to sunshine. the overnight low, 20 degrees and patchy fog. windy for the foothills and tomorrow for martin luther king jr. day, it will be cloudy skies. tuesday, a high of 44 degrees. thursday, 45. on friday, a high of 55 degrees. follow me on twitter, if you have question was your weather or you want to know where we're

colorado boulevard giving away broncos magnets. i got a tweet from sam, the denver broncos cheerleader, they're ready and fired up to take the field this afternoon. we have the best cheerleaders in the nfl. i think we have a future cheerleader here as well. what's your name? >> [indiscernible]. >> her name is miracle. >> i don't think we're going to need a miracle to win the game today, but we need miracle to give us a cheer. what does your cheer look like over here? >> [indiscernible]. >> let me see your cheer. >> go broncos, yay! >> a round of applause for her. thank you, miracle. come give me a hug because she likes hugs. come to colorado and yale. we're at the super giving away magnets. go broncos, go. >> she is precious. oh, boy. >> i love that. >> go broncos, go. >> adorable. we need more miracles in this world. we appreciate it. let's get over

to be a wild day in denver. hoping for a big win against the steelers. >> we'll touch bases in a moment. coming up, we have reactions that unfolded online about that deadly and devastating day.

welcome back. to the headlines of the week. two fires played a tragedy. many you shared your comments. plus a tsa -- how can we forget the broncos. here's 9 news alkylation irrelevant chris christianson with our 9 news report. >> someone in the pond in my backyard and they can't get out.

pond. one of the boys died thursday evening. many responses to the story. tragic, every ice over lake or a pond, i worry. teens are too sure they can beat the odds. praying for odd. also this, i was a kid and fell through the ice playing on a bond. luckily it was shallow and went up to my waist, but the freezing temps are unbearable. >> we did lose a family member an individual couldn't save himself. >> a devastating fire in a man in his 40s who was suffering from multi sclerosis died and his parents were hospitalized with injuries. neighbors and friends are doing what they can to help. these were the sweetest and wonderful people. i'm sorry for what happened to your family. my thoughts and prayers go out

>> i've never seen this in my life at the airport wait this long for security. >> one of the longest security lines at dia over the holidays was not related to bad weather. this week, the tsa admitted the agency didn't schedule enough staff to work. one comment, they need new management in denver. the lines were terrible today. you would think they should be able to properly estimate their staff. they need to look at orange county. they process a lot of people quickly, and are pleasant too. go broncos! >> i second that. >> finally, thank you for all of the great photos of your pets, your kids, your homes all decked out in broncos colors. our magnet give away -- one woman drove more than 100 miles to get a magnet for her dad. one message, she obviously loves her dad and wanted to make him happy. i think that's the sweetest thing ever. thanks for

>> and we welcome your comment as well. you can send us an e-mail or message us through facebook. and we look forward to hearing from you each and every week. we're hours away from the big game. we're going to look at who is out and who is

from colorado sports leader, here's rod. good morning, brady, 17 because of payton's injured heel, that didn't happen in november. but it could happen next sunday if payton can get by big ben and the steelers this afternoon. but the best player, he'll play despite the steelers being banged up. he wasn't going to miss this one. big ben and the rest of the steelers arrived yesterday afternoon. i was hoping they

still, how effective can rossenburger. he's without his best, williams and brown have been ruled out. >> with or without the shoulder injury, we went to get to the quarterback and get him on the ground. >> i think they're going to do the same thing. there's techniques to hide pain in this nfl. there's just the way it goes and he's going to get out there and play. >> the patriots punch their ticket to the nfl final four by beating the chief's last night. had been the key word. the patriots a different team come playoff time. rod didn't look that hurt. this 16-yarder from brady. chiefs tried to come back. west, from inclose in the closing moments. this touchdown pulls within 7, but that's how it ended. patriots moving on 27-20. erin with more from folk

>> they beat pittsburgh on sunday and new england will host -- the patriots are in the final for an incredible 5th straight year. >> touchdown, patriots. >> it's great to move onto the championship game. it's an honor be apart of that game, so we're excited about that, we look forward to whoever that opponent is. >> new england will travel to denver or host the pittsburgh steelers. >> whether we play here or there, we have to play well. that's what it comes down to. teams. man. that's what it is. it is what it is , so we go to denver, or they come here, whatever it is. >> i'm happy to be playing next week. a home away, and you saw the first round of playoffs, all the away teams won. it doesn't matter. it's all about executing and going out there and playing good football. >> the pass are familiar with either opponent.

pittsburgh in week won and lost to the broncos in week 12. >> it helps a little, but it's a completely new game. it's a new scenario. they played you too, so they know you. >> broncos and patriots would be a fantastic game and the best news for denver is it wouldn't be played here at gillette stadium. in new england, erin. >> green bay at arizona , the packers tried to avenge a 38 regular season loss to the cardinals. the start of the finish, cards down 3. make it cards up for carson palmer getting lucky. deflected td to michael floyd. that wasn't the only lucky play of this game. packers down 7. 4 seconds to go. hell mary time. worked earlier in the year against the lions. are you kidding me. 20-206789 we've got free football, but roger and the pack

cardinals scored on ot. palmer to larry fitzgerald. arizona will face the seattle carolina winner. final score, 26-20. believe it or not , there's more to sports than the nfl like the nfl. columbia taking -- start this one in the third with a game tied up at one up. not anymore. jack johnson off and out and in off cody mccloud and the back up goalie, back-to-back. it was all for not. beaten by a bad blue jacket's team.

got the wrong bed. she likes the bed soft. you can both adjust the bed for the best sleep of your life. with purchase of sleepiq technology and flexfit3 adjustable base. ends monday. we have team coverage this morning. belen's giving out magnets and we're live at sports will the broncos had a shot we have team coverage and belen is handing out magnets and we're live at sports authority field.

the reason the crowd wasn't too happy with what he had to say. and something goes head to head in high school hoops. taylor has the highlights coming up in pep rally. good morning, thank you so much for starting your sunday morning with us. it is game day, and we're very excited, so excited. ryan and i are live at sports authority field. belen is handing out the broncos magnet. tracy has your traffic and beta has your headlines. >> let's check in with belen de leon. the broncos are ready for this cold. >> i've got the forecast for today because it's going to be a chilly one. we've had games that has been colder. our forecast temperature at kickoff is expected to be around 39 degrees. where did i leave my phone? i have my forecast on my

it's a dry one. although we have cloud z s in -- although we have clouds, the clouds will move out of the way and we'll have sunshine come game time. we have snow in northeast colorado and in the high country. the snow is expected to taper off during mid-morning, and we'll see clear conditions through this afternoon. there's another look at it. a closer look into in the east colorado. at high country, we have several travel advisories in effect. additional accumulation from 3 to 6 inches that's expected a winter storm advisory in the mountains. towards the eastern advisory until 10:00 a.m. and that's because we have cold air that area. it is causing moisture and it's causing freezing fog, so high profile vehicles and any vehicle headed in that way, you need to take it slow. the temperatures in the teens and 20s in the metro area

are going to be in the upper 30s. we could see 40s closer to the foothills. the down sloping winds are getting those temperatures in the 40s. foothills, closer -- ohio springs around 31 degrees. here's a look at your day. clouds early, but sunshine in store for this afternoon. we'll look at your workweek forecast in a few. before i toss it over to tracy, i want to look at our broncos fans. we're excited over here. show us what it looks like into the mountains. go broncos. thanks belen. i did dig out an orange dress. i have a couple of orange dresses i can wear. i hope we keep winning so if you're going to the high country, it's you're going to deal with the snow. here's eisenhower tunnel. we're seeing that traffic ramp up for

sunday mornings are usually smooth sailing, but i think with the long weekend, some people took their time. average speed 36 miles-per-hour. it's going to take you a little bit longer. add 30 minutes to the normal drive. eastbound is slowing down as well. you can tell that the snow and the slick roads out there really impacting the drive westbound and eastbound. ryan, you know, take it slow. be patient this morning, and with this broncos game later on today, we can see the traffic slowing down through the day. >> putting it into low gear -- tracy, thanks. if you're on i-70 you can listen to the radio every weekend for traffic conditions on i-70 between denver and veil. traffic reporters are getting up to the minute road conditions. you can stream from the website or to their app. >> back to our broncos playoff coverage.

oncoming out here, you may want to buy your tickets. >> you haven't gotten tickets already, they don't want you buying them off craigslist. use official websites so you know it's legit. the department warns if you use unofficial sites and the tickets are fake, there's a small chance you'll get your money back. a number of people have fallen victim to these ticket scams. police looking for two suspects in this type of crime. if you recognize those people, you're asked to call that number on your screen. >> hey, if you're planning on driving, parking on stadium lots are she served for season ticket holders. there's single game spacers that goes between $20 and $30. they sell out two hours before kickoff. you may want to get here early. parking lot c opens at 8:00 for early tailgaters and others open at 9:00. there's off site parking

anywhere from $10 to 15 bucks. go broncos! >> with temperatures today at 15 degrees, the wind chill colder. copper mountain fans showing off their orange and blue. the die hards don't seem to mind leaving the jackets at home and showing off their jersey. a busy holiday weekend for ski resorts which means there's fans from slopes. >> boo! >> i went to beavercreek. i will say it's a lot of orange on the slopes. >> that's what we like to here and plenty of orange headed out here for the big game today. >> that's right. >> so rod are going to join us live at 8:55 from inside the stadium for a preview of game day live. plenty to talk about in this game. broncos live starts at noon. kickoff at 2:40. after the game, we have a special edition of 9 news at

we'll have reaction from the team. win or lose. hopefully a big win at sports authority field at mile high. that starts at 5:00 p.m. tonight on 9 news. >> i have a good feeling about this game, ryan. >> it's going to be sweet. let's get back to vita, we're getting excited and you're staying warm. >> i'm wearing short sleeves. >> i'm having a birthday party without jessica. go warm up and we'll do headlines and we'll touch basis with you in a couple of minutes. in news around the world, a missionary from florida died in the terrorist attack on the west african hotel. 45-year-old michael from cooper city was one of 28 people when extremist stormed into the cap chino

he leaves behind four children, two of whom were adopted from that area. in other news, four american prisoners held in iran are free and heading home this morning. hours after the prisoners were freed, the u.s. government lifted -- one is a us pastor saeed and abedini and zion. in exchange for freeing the prisoners, the u.s. agreed to drop charges against iran held in prison. the u.s. and iran could be a hot topic at the democratic debate. presidential candidates will face off for the last time before heading to the iowa caucus. you can watch the debate on 9 news. it starts at 7:00. trump gets reaction from a

happened when he spoke at the tea party -- trump was criticizes cruz for failing to reveal his bank loans and people didn't like what he had to say. >> say whatever you want. he didn't report bank loans. he's got bank loans from gold and sack. >> he's from iran. he talk about the american prisoner's release from iran saying they didn't deserve to be there and he criticized the negotiations of the nuclear deal. 9 news is getting a makeover. we're getting a new set. we're going to be here as we -- the set you've become familiar with, it isn't going far. crews are moving into our temporary studio and then our team is going to be there until early march when we can show off our set. they're going to start building that. we're going to have details as we get closer to

yesterday. >> they've made serious progress. i can't wait to see as news -- going on. we got everything, but saturday are arapahoe those result

one, two, three four. >> welcome to the 9 news trump rally. here's taylor. >> good morning, happy sunday . halfway through the season and we're seeing some shakeup in the high school basketball rankings. valor was a loss last week to golden. trying to get back on track.

number 8, evergreen making the trip to highlands ranch. the eagles got to a hot stop. hill hit the three to put valor ahead. a great -- that helped the eagles keep up the momentum. knuckle, the one bounce spin and bucket. valor led by 12 in the first. evergreen would come back in the second out scoring valor with shots like this from mike dylan. he'll get the put back on his rebound. valor will take this one in the end, 73-54 the final. florida making the -- taking on highlands ranch high school. despite that four-hour bus ride, they came out energized. he helped florida to take an early lead, but ranch would find its stride in the second quarter. williams talking at the top of the key. he'll bring it in for an easy two.

is one. trey comes up with a monster block. highlands ranch would pull away and stay away in the end. brandon sullivan with the put back. your final tonight, ranch 64. fruda 51. with breast cancer a wareness as they host columbine high school, this one went to harding, trying to keep things close, but didn't seem to -- they pull ahead early. price leaving it for thomas to drop it in for 2 in the third. dakota ridge wins this match up and a huge shout out to those kids who organized this evening. they were willing to support this cause which is hard for those our age, but we came together which was great. i - recognizing those people effected realizing they were effected by this -- by breast cancer. >> it was a packed house. on the girl's house, lake wood

wednesday. this game, all lake wood. cura kicks it out to bishop who hits the three from outside earlier in the game. they work around the outside and mckenzie forest hits the jumper. they defeat bear creek. denver looking for its first win of the season as they host denver east. the angels would out score kent denver 5-0 in the first period including this back hander. in the second period, east hernandez won't bar down to beat kent's goalie up high. to make the score 6-0. denver east 8-1. arapahoe hosted lewis palmer in a mini invite on saturday. while the warriors swam away with the win, it was an earlier on. jesse who is a

pull in the end. she finished in 25 points. edging out over 100 of -- remember that freshman, because there's one -- the burrer fly next and the jags owned this race as well. neck and neck with her teammate. that's how they would finish. beck would get lacy. they finished one, two, but says the meet was about the team. >> it's a team aspect to it, which is fun. that's what everyone loves. we have a good group of girls always coming in legacy. >> congrats to the jags. we'll finish with some wrestling. great competition as we're five composition. this was an all day affair, but we'll skip ahead

in the 600-pound weight pound -- the top team looking strong in team and individual competition. 113 weight class didn't end as quickly. this match was finally decided after two over times. we thought it was over when tyson had stephen in a tight position, but tabsaco was able to fight it off. tyson got a win by a couple of points. the 126 championship match was shifty. robinson and thomas valley, maneuver around the mat fighting. kasacot outlined robinson. remember, go to 9news.com for highlights of this

you know what, ryan, it has been chilly, but we've been having a blast. >> belen de leon having all the fun outdoors handing out all those broncos magnets. >> it's a lot of people out there. >> hi, guys. good morning, we've had so many people drop off at colorado and yale. broncos fans. this is ginger and joe joe. they saw a steels fan and they don't like them. they're dressed up in their broncos gear. thank you for coming out and saying hi. let's get to the forecast because everybody is excited about the game for today. you know, kickoff temperature expected to be around 39 degrees. we have clouds in the sky right now. you're waking up. it looks glum gloomy. we're going to have sunshine. the temperatures will remain cool and it will be

the orange layers with you. you're going to need them for the game. drive carefully in the east country and colorado. we have a ban of snow that hasn't stopped. for the front range, out on the plains, that snow is expected to wound down through the morning and in the high country, that snow will continue through the afternoon. the high for the city, 38 degrees. snow in the morning and clouds. $38 degrees. snow in the morning and clouds. gradually clearing, but the winds will remain breezy. teens and 20s. some of our mountain val leys, good morning to you, temperatures below zero. the afternoon highs are expected to northbound the 30s and 20s in the higher elevations and here on the front range, temperatures will be around 35 for fort collins. here's a look at your future cast. the heaviest snow has fallen in the mountain. it has fallen. it's going to taper as we go through the afternoon. around the metro area, our skies

and i think that drive back from the mountains will look better, but still, i see snow packed roads for higher elevation. through this evening, scattered clouds and gusty in the foothills and patchy fogs developing towards well county. the overnight low is 20 degrees and the forecast for tomorrow, for the parade looks great. a high of 50 degrees. the down slope temperatures will help our temperatures be above normal. on tuesday, 44. wednesday, 47. a high of 55 degrees on friday. follow me on twitter atmosphere @belen underscore. we're giving away the magnets or if you have weather question, ma'am, ma'am, ma'am, hi. she wasn't expecting for me to call on her. how many magnets do we have left? >> we have about 50. >> this is it? >> okay. if you're watching right now, head on over so you can get your magnet and you can

magnet, at least you can come out here and cheer on the broncos like these fans. [ cheering ] >> broncos take on the steelers. do a broncos cheer.

welcome back, everybody. i want to show you a live look inside the sports authority field. the field is covered. we have team coverage. jessica and ryan outside getting you ready for the game all morning long, and then we have our sports team inside. they're going to join us in a little bit. john and mike will join us for a preview of game day live. we do want to recap our top stories this morning. a family suffered a horrible loss when the father died. he was driving his pregnant wife to the

ares say tony shoe maker had a medical episode when he lost control of the suv, crashed into car. his two kids were also in the car. both parents were unconscious and one of the boys, he had to call 911. tony was rushed to the hospital, but he later died. his wife had to undergo an emergency c-section. injuries. there was a go fund me page set up to help this family financially. a man was struck dead. police say he was wanted for stabbing his family in cheyenne miami. he stabbed his wife, their sons and his father in-law friday. they're expected to recovery, but police say he fled the scene and he drove south on i-25. chp troopers say the suspect then veered across the

wellington and crossed into the northbound lanes and rolled into a field. they say he got out of the vehicle, and that's when he stepped into traffic. of course, we have lots of team coverage for you this morning at sports authority field. jessica and ryan are ready to give us the latest coverage at 8:00. and we have rod and mike who is going to be

test.

test. we did this last year and we thought we would talk about, beyond the games and the playoffs, these are great they're great color schemes and motives for your gardens. >> so, what was inspiration besides the broncos. >> the horse, the horse was the linchpin here and this is, this is a serious piece. i think this is going to go home with me. >> any other ideas, to build the orange and blue. >> 50 shades of orange, does that have to be orange, we can do any variety red and orange, the orange and blue are great together anyway. >> this used to be one shade of orange, now, tang republican. >> they're sort of.

>> jessica crocheted these and sent these over for us to wear. she is so crafty. she's been working her little fingers to the bone for the past few weeks. thank you jessica. >> for tailgating parties out there, for people having folks over today, this is the last thing you think about. >> yes, it is the last thing. but, remember that if you do something like this, now, it follows you into spring and orange and blue is a great way to start a garden color scheme. a lot of people have no theme whatsoever, it looks like explosion of a paint factory. so, let's start with the theme and you can add another color, you can add yellow or something and sort of make this your theme if you're a die-hard broncos fan or if you want to be chic, get a gaze ball. >> did you bill this? >> yes, we hand blew these last night. you were over at jessica's house.

>> you can put the gaze ball, look at that, and then it sets in place. >> you sit that in your place and it's really pretty. >> you gave me one of these flowers. >> and you killed it. >> within one day. >> more humidity than you got and put it in a tray of pebbles so you get a bit of moisture into it. just because it drops a few leaves doesn't mean it's going to die. >> and we have these prom iliad. >> these are -- bromeliads. >> you can neglect these. that would be ideal for you. >> jessica and i are in the siamang rank. you write wonderful tips. we haven't done it for you. >> i haven't done that but i will.

. good morning, manning, brady 17, because of peyton manning's injured heal. if he can get behind big ben in the steelers this afternoon. the best player will play despite being banged up. they expect to start center. the steelers arrived yesterday afternoon. i was hoping they wouldn't show up. still, how effective can ben roethlisberger be without that shoulder. antonio brown and damage low

>> with or without the shoulder injury, we want to get to the quarterback and on the ground. >> they're going to do the same thing. they're taking and can tolerate high pain. he's going to get out there and play. that's the way it goes. >> they punch their ticket to the nfl final 4. he had won 11 in a row. the patriots are a different team come playoff time. and gronk didn't look that hurt. the chiefs try to come back. in from enclose from the closing moments. this touchdown is within 7. that's how it ended, the patriots moving 27-20. we have more from foxborough. the broncos need to handle theirs this weekend. beat pittsburgh on sunday

the afc championship game. the patriots are in the finals for the incredible fifth straight year. >> it's great to move on to the afc championship game. it's always an honor to be part of that game, so, we're excited about that and look forward to whoever that opponent is. >> new england will travel to denver or host the pittsburgh steelers. >> whether we play here or play there, we'll have to play really well. that's what it comes down to. >> whatever happens, happens man. that's what it is, it is what it is, so, we go to denver, and the thumbs here. >> i'm happy to be playing this week. we saw the first round of playoffs, it doesn't matter, it's about executing and going out and playing good football. >> the pats are familiar with either opponent.

12. >> it hurts a little. scenario. as much as you played they knew it too. >> the game would not be played great news. the nfc green bay at arizona, the packers try to avenge a 38 regular season loss to the cardinals. the cardinals are down 3. they are getting lucky, to deflect a touchdown to michael floyd. that wasn't the only thing in this game. four seconds to go. hail mary time worked against the lions and it works again, aaron rodgers to jeff janis, are you kidding me. they never got the ball back. they scored on their first

arizona will face the seattle carolina winner, 26-20. believe it or not there's more to sports than the nfl, they're taking on columbus last night. the worst team in hockey, but a team that beat the adds earlier this week. they had the game tied up at 1 up. not any more. jackson in and off cody mccloud. and the back up goalie, impressive performances last night it was all for naught as beaten by a bad blue jackets team again. news 9 returns right after

will the broncos have a shot at the oh, my god! >> will the broncos have a shot at the superbowl? we have team coverage and belen

we're live at sports authority field. there wasn't any cheering when trump took the stage and the reason the crowd wasn't happy with what he had to say. taylor has the highlights coming up in the pep rally. good morning, and happy sunday to you, it's game day, we are excited, sports authority is pumping up. we have the tailgaters who are waiting to come in and we're feeling -- >> a big day for jessica. happy birthday. >> oh, wow, it doesn't look like. let's get to belen de leon, you're having fun. the magnets are gone but the spirit is there. >> you may not save me a magnet and call it a birthday present belen. >> happy birthday jessica. we have had fans visit me all morning. we ran out of magnets 40 minutes ago though. we're excited about the game for today. the broncos take on the steelers, finally the big day is here. let's look at what you can

i know we're waking up to some fog and snow in the eastern plains and the high country, but on the front range we're expecting a gradual clearing and sunshine come game time. take the orange layers with you because it's going to be a chilly one, kick off temperature 39 degrees and by the end 33 degrees. the steady band of snow in northeast colorado, the snow started yesterday in the high country, they just kept going, making the roads icy and snowy, blowing snow off the problem and take it slow the travel advisory remains in effect. a freezing fog advisory in effect, the high end of the city 38 degrees, morning snow and clouds, we'll see some clearing and then that sunshine takes over with breezy conditions, the current temperatures are in the teens and the high country, teens, 20s and we got below 0 temperatures in some mountain valleys, the highs today will

collins 35, and the high country temperatures in the 20s, your futurecast shows that snow winding down in the high country through the afternoon, the dry vac should be better -- dry pack should be better. there are areas of patchy fog that could be developing and we'll wake up to sunshine tomorrow. we'll have an overnight low of 20 degrees and the planning forecast shows a high of 55 degrees and tuesday 44 and wednesday 45 and it will get to a high of 54 degrees. let's say you got broncos fever, take two of these and you'll be good. you could go with the flow. the truth is our broncos are stinking good. i say viva la broncos. they've eaten their wheaties

say you're a chunky monkey, because our broncos are going to crush you. chunky monkey. ben roethlisberger is hurt. fun out there. if you're planning to get a ticket. there may be a chance you may warning. >> don't buy your tickets off of craig's list. it's a bad idea, way too many scammers out there. >> use official ticket exchanges online. the department warns if you use unofficial sites and the tickets are fake, there's a small chance you'll get your money back. people fall to these scams. beware. >> don't buy sketchy tickets, again, it happens all the time.

it's too good to be true, it probably is. >> if you're planning on driving, parking on on sight stadium lots, there are single game spaces that go between $20 and $30 those sell out two hours before kick off. you might want get here early. you may be waiting in line. there are a lot of people waiting to tailgate this morning and we're feeling the energy. the parking lot c opens at 8:00 and all of the lots open at 9:30, there's plenty of offset parking, pepsi center and downtown aquarium and the campus has parking. those tickets run from $10 to 15. if you're coming out to tailgate it's a cold one. in a little bit, we're going to be talking to rod mackey and mike glitch and we're going to

day live. the kick off is at 2:40. we have a special edition of news at 5:00 after the game. the coverage will go to 7. we'll be live with the broncos locker room, win or lose, hopefully a big win against the steelers and ben roethlisberger. there are people who are getting their food ready, they're preparing and you can't see it right now because it's behind the camera, but there is a long line of cars just waiting to tailgate. this is an exciting morning. i wish you could be out here even though it is freezing because it's so fun. >> it's starting to snow a bit. >> oh, my goodness, you're the biggest bronco fans, you're so excited out there this morning. you can, you can feel the excitement, hopefully you can go for a couple of minutes, we'll do a couple of headlines for you right now. four american prisoners in iran, they're free heading

this could be a hot topic for the democratic debate tonight. presidential candidates will face off for the last time before the iowa caucus which begins in a couple of weeks. there's no shocker donald trump gets a reaction out of a lot of people. that's what happened when he spoke at the tea party convention in myrtle beach. he was criticizing senator ted cruz for failing to reveal his bank loans and people did to the like what he has to say. >> whatever you want he didn't report bank loans,y that's okay. he didn't report his bank loans. >> he talked about the american prisoners released to iran, they didn't deserve to be there and he criticized the negotiations of the nuclear deal. there is a lot of news going on in the world and in the sports world. we had a very busy week, a little bit of everything. saturdays are great for the multi-team competitions, that's

welcome to the 9 news pep

good morning, everyone. halfway through the season and we're seeing shakeups in the high school basketball rankings, they're now trying to get back on track but it has to do it to face another ranked opponent, number 8 evergreen who is making a trip over to the high country. the eagles are off to a hot start. dillon mccaffrey is hitting it first. the crowd showed the appreciation for the student section. value or led by 12 in the first. they would come back and they dillon. they would use this to take it into the second half.

denver 5-4 in the first period. in the second period, hernandez went down to beat the defense goalie up high 6-0 was the score. 8-1 was the final. a roper hoe hosted highland ranch and lewis palmer in a mini event saturday. the warriors swam around and the underclass man made the big wave early. we will start with the 350-yard free style. jessie is a freshman and she would pull ahead in the pool in the end. she finished in 28.65 seconds. remember that name, she'll make later. the 100 butterfly next and the jags own this race as well. teammate.

they say this meet was all about the team. >> it was a team aspect to it all. it was fun. we have a good group of girls always coming in and finishing. >> that's the jags, finally we'll finish what that wrestling, it's 15, it's a great competition as we're five weeks out from state. this was an all day affair. we'll skip straight ahead to the final rounds, it was the quick pin and the top team is looking strong in team and individual competition. the 113 weight class didn't end as quickly. this match finally decided after two overtimes, we thought it was over when brandon tyson had steven in a tight position, but he was able to escape.

of points. finally the 126th match was shifty. robeson and casekof, and he out lasted robeson for the win. e-mail the information to signing day at 9news.com. we're working on tv coverage as our prep athletes take their next step in the academic and athletic careers. we have extended highlights and interviews from all of our

. welcome back, we'll have so much inside and outside of the moment. the state of the state speech is in the can.

bills into law. the biggest fight at the start is over state spending. right now on balance of power, a shot across the bow, they're trying to avoid budget cuts and refunds over the tax bill of rates known as taker. he wants to change a fee given by hospitals. they same it's a sneaky way to get around taker. if we can't make this reasonable change like benny allowed under taker, than what choice do we have to re-examine taber, those are fighting words. he'll get the last word. >> madam speaker thank you for taking the time. >> it's a pleasure to be here. first impression of the govern's speech, is it in line with the agenda you want to put in the session. >> yes, it is.

da we put forward yesterday. it was a great speech. it's one of the best i've heard him give. >> this budget issue that he's we've talked about it before, he had a tough line on that. he said if we can't make this reasonable change, than what choice do we have than to re- examine his taber, is there anything that we can do to re- examine tabe. >> there's nothing that the legislature can do but refer to a major to the ballot. that takes two-thirds votes of both chambers. that will probably not happen. but, that doesn't prevent us from being very involved with the communities out there who are very interested in a long- term solution to it. aber. >> what are the teeth behind that. does that mean a -- taber --

our budget is pretty much the way it is by cutting $1 million out of education and not able to adequately fund k-12 education and not being able to put money into transportation or very little over the next five years that we need to do unless we find a solution to the hospital provider fee, the money. >> are you saying they don't have an alternative, is that republicans. >> i haven't heard one yet, i think they need to put it on the table. >> the republicans call for a fix, and proposing that it's a problem with taber, will democrats stand for cutting higher education and tuition? >> no, we can't do that. we would be putting our major public universities and our

tuition hikes have been so high over the last few years. >> speaker of the house, thank you for your time. thank you very much. on the senate side the republicans have the balance of power, and thank you for taking the time. >> thanks for having me. >> first thoughts on the governor's speech? >> it's a good speech. it's a speech is that anybody who had been in that room who had aspirations doing it might have given it. maybe the broncos would beat the steelers so we have that going for us. >> one stretch came towards the end when he started talking baseball the taxpayers bill of rights. when you re-examine taber. >> when you talk about reexamining taber, that can go around in a thousand directions, the people are for it and they've defended it for a couple of decades now.

work in this building to do anything about putting a taber reform type measure on the ballot. so, do you think there's substance behind this or do you think it's just posturing. >> i don't believe that there's the will in the state inside or outside of this building to eliminate the taxpayers bill of rights, what you don't hear in the state of the state speeches is by the way we added almost $300 million to a program in health and human service last year. >> we're talking about medicaid and the extensive to medicate. >> do you want to get rid of medicaid? >> no, i'm not suggesting getting rid of medicate. what i am suggesting is that had you have something that is supposed to the be the safety net you should protect that for those who need it the most of the if you're creating a program that is cannibalizing any other program and has no

creating a conflict. as soon as you have that you can promote a crisis. that's what's been happening. >> the governor even with this hospital fee proposal of his would seek to cut higher end funding and would allow tuition to go up at colleges and universities in colorado. is that something that allow? >> you know, everything in this place every year is on the table. governor might have more friends of that specific part than his own? >> again, you're still trying which we always have, we'll have a balanced budget and competing for dollars against every other program. we appreciate it. i think we're going to go ahead and leave you with this shot, rice getting thrown on the governor orchestrated by the

. the need to repair roadways, you can hear the leadership talk about how they can get it down. quick balance of power on the home page to see unedited interviews. the broncos take on the steelers this afternoon, our team coverage continues out of sports authority field with ryan jessica, and you have the

. welcome back, everyone. a few more hours until the broncos take on the steelers. the steelers may be banged up, careful. >> we certainly do, there are serious threats on the field, despite the biggest threats of the steelers. >> we have mike and rod joining us from inside sports authority with a preview of game day live. >> thanks for being with us. how will the broncos fair and how will the steelers do when, and how will they fare when they don't have antonio and

>> this is probably not the team you don't want to may. times have changed and it's going to come down to those two quarterbacks now. >> i think peyton manning has more pressure on him than ben roethlisberger has for this gape. plateoff record is not there, the 9-1 and done. ben roethlisberger has been a big quarterback and ben has a damaged shoulder. no one is expecting anything for him. peyton manning sat out for 6, 7 weeks because of that injury and we'll see how he plays in the first full game since november 17th. >> we know he's far from 100%. the defenses talked about, they know he has an injured shoulder. they're not going to target that shoulder, but ben is going to get hit. >> that's true, he's going to get hit. how can he play, a baseball months.

about a quarterback motion. it's amazing to me that ben roethlisberger is going to be able to play in this game and he probably will play pretty well. >> it feels far different now, than it did a seasoning a at this time. we're getting ready, the broncos were getting ready for the patriots and all in this time around. >> there's a report that john fox if they lost this game they would go to the top of the list of the chicago bears, that didn't help situations, the day before the broncos were getting excited because it looked like the ravens were beating the patriots and the game would be played in the afc championship game. they got all out of sorts. >> we are not looking ahead. the steelers will do that next on game day live, back to you. >> thank you, we have lots to talk about, it's hard to believe big ben will be playing in this game. >> they think there's a chance he could play well and you have some of those threats and we're down the field and it's going to be a good game. >> we will break it down even

>> thanks for being with us on