The Denver Broncos will travel this Sunday to take on AFC West division rival Kansas City Chiefs, led by Patrick Mahomes. With nothing but pride to play for in the remaining two games of the season, can the Broncos find a way to end their losing streak against the Chiefs on the road? Watch Sunday’s game.

Denver Broncos practice report from Friday

The Denver Broncos were back at it Friday afternoon at the UCHealth Training Center ahead of Sunday’s AFC West showdown against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Denver, having lost 14 straight games against the Chiefs, is looking to secure a road win as Kansas City fights for the number one seed in the AFC playoff picture.

Heading into Sunday’s game, the Broncos’ will be without rookie tight end Greg Dulcich who was placed on season-ending injured reserve, outside linebacker Randy Gregory, and offensive tackle Calvin Anderson. Dulcich suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams while the Broncos want to be smart with Gregory’s knee. Anderson suffered an ankle injury last Friday in practice and missed Sunday’s game against the Rams.

D.J. Jones, Baron Browning, Jerry Jeudy, and Kendall Hinton are listed as questionable on Sunday. Despite dealing with an ankle injury, the belief is that Jeudy will play on Sunday.

Interim head coach Jerry Rosburg addressed the media on Friday following practice and touched on a multitude of topics including players standing up for Russell Wilson and the message he wants his team to send on Sunday against the Chiefs amidst national criticism.

“Our jobs as coaches and teammates if you really want to make a statement, we’ll make it on Sunday,” Rosburg said. “We’ll play well and we’ll coach well and we’ll give [Russell Wilson] the opportunities that he deserves to show what a great quarterback he is. That’s action. All the other things that we may say, they’ll have no value unless we go out there and play that way.”

This will be Rosburg’s first game serving in a head coach capacity. Will he experience any nerves before kickoff on Sunday? How does he feel about the direction of the franchise despite only having two guaranteed games to make an impression?

“I ain’t scared,” Rosburg said with conviction. “I want to say this though. These fans in this area are tired of watching what they’ve been watching, especially with the team that we’re playing this week. They’re frustrated and they’re expressing their frustration and I understand that. I understand it to the core. Here’s what I want to say to the fans: you can’t pick your owners, the owners pick you. I want all fans of the Broncos to understand without sounding gratuitous. I want all the fans to understand what good hands this franchise is in. Greg Penner, Carrie Penner, and Mr. Rob Walton are brilliant people with great vision for what this organization is going to be.”

KJ Hamler named as 2022 Ed Block Courage Award recipient

This season has not gone how Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler had hoped for. After suffering two major injuries last year that required him to have his ACL reconstructed and his hip surgically repaired, Hamler went through a dark time during his physical rehabilitation. On top of a grueling recovery, Hamler experienced the loss of his grandmother, a strong source of light in his life and his journey.

During training camp, Hamler opened up about his journey and struggles of the past year.

“It’s been a tough journey [back from injury], to be honest,” Hamler said early in training camp. “There was such much stuff I was dealing with and being piled up on top of each other. At one point, just dealing with the ACL and then some more things [with] family situations. The love of my life passed, my grandmother, so that was the toughest thing. That was on my back for a while. I wish I never did it by myself. I wish I would have asked for help, because it was at one point in my life—and I’m going to just be honest with you all because I’m more vulnerable and more confident in myself by just saying it. At one point, I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to be in this world. There was one point where I didn’t want to be heard from anymore because I lost my granny and that really hurt me. God gave me the strength to just get out of that hole because he knew I was strong enough to get through [it]. I didn’t feel like I was at the time. Just getting out of that hole was very hard, very tough. Just having all of these things going on and piling on top of each other, it was a hard process. Just to see where I am at from where I started and where I’m at now, [it’s] been a big change. I’m proud of myself and I know my grandmother is proud.”

On Friday, it was announced that Hamler was the Broncos 2022 recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award. The Ed Block Courage Award honors players who exemplify commitments to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. Hamler was chosen by his teammates for this award for his approach and dedication to the rehab process after his injuries. As noted in the Denver Broncos official press release, recipients are selected by their teammates for exceptional courage, great character and inspiring effort.

Hamler’s season ended after he was placed on injured reserve with the goal in mind being that the Broncos want the electric wide receiver to get back to 100% for training camp in 2023. Courtland Sutton was the 2021 recipient of this award.