"It's a tough loss," Jonathon Cooper said. "A very tough loss. But we've just got to learn from it and come back next week stronger and focus on getting our 10th win."

After being elevated to the game-day roster earlier Thursday, running back Blake Watson is active for the second time in his young career.

Denver's elevation of Watson comes after ruling out running back Jaleel McLaughlin on Wednesday.

Here are five questions — it is a big game, after all — that will decide if the Broncos can come away from "Thursday Night Football" with a 10th win and a spot in the postseason.

Denver heads into a "Thursday Night Football" matchup with the Chargers with a chance to clinch the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2015.

Defensive tackle D.J. Jones (finger) and running back Jaleel McLaughlin (quad) were also estimated as limited participants after being estimated as nonparticipants on the team's first practice report ahead of "Thursday Night Football."

Denver's matchup with Cincinnati will mark the Broncos' fourth standalone game of the season, as they will have played prime-time games against the Saints, Browns and Chargers before the Week 17 matchup.

"He's so tough," Mike McGlinchey said of Nix. "He's so smart [and] put [together]. He's everything you want. Him in that moment, he didn't even blink."

The Broncos listed defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers (foot), defensive tackle D.J. Jones (finger), running back Jaleel McLaughlin (quad) and cornerback Riley Moss (knee) as nonparticipants on the estimated report.

With a 31-13 win over the Colts — and a concurrent Chargers loss to the Buccaneers — Denver jumped up to the No. 6 seed in the wild-card race ahead of a Thursday night showdown in LA.

All Mims did was to change the game and give Denver's offense another crucial opportunity.

These are the players and plays that led to the Broncos' Week 15 win over the Indianapolis Colts.