Right now, there are two things on the Denver Broncos’ mind: Winning games and getting healthy. And so far, the winning seems to be the easier of the two, as more and more Broncos are falling to the injury bug each week.
The first two dominos to fall were Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware, but the Broncos have since lost T.J. Ward, Sylvester Williams, Danny Trevathan, Omar Bolden, Vernon Davis and C.J. Anderson, along with many more who are dealing with nagging aches and pains. And while the Broncos are 3-0 in their last three games, and 10-2 overall, they’re definitely feeling the losses.
And as Denver reaches the homestretch of the season, and as the games get tougher and the hits come harder, injuries are only going to become more relevant in the AFC Playoff picture.
Luckily, the Broncos expect to get a few guys back this week, most notably Ware, but injuries will continue to factor into how Gary Kubiak prepares his team.
Here’s what he had to say after practice on Wednesday:
On Peyton Manning getting some work in:
“Yeah, he worked out briefly this morning, did about a half hour of throwing and went through some drill work and stuff. We’ll see. We’re going day-to-day with that and see how he comes out of each day. Yes, there was some work done—field work.”
On Vernon Davis’ and Danny Trevathan’s concussion status:
“They’re still both in protocol—day-to-day issues with that. They’re both doing fine today but still in the protocol. I couldn’t tell you what step.”
On the difficulty of balancing a roster with injuries:
“Really, when you just look at our roster, normally when you’re getting guys beat up or something, somebody may be going to IR and creating spots. We’ve got a lot of guys beat up right now that we’re expecting back. There are not a lot of places for us to pull from right now as a football team each week. We’ve just got to take it week by week, try to get to each Sunday and find a way to be successful.”
On the extent of the team’s injuries:
“Yeah, it’s extensive. It was a little extensive last week and it’s gotten a little worse. I think our guys have done a really good job. First off, they understand where we’re at. I think we know if we’re missing some of these guys exactly where we’re going as we started today in practice. I also think we’ve had some guys do a great job of making their way to Sunday and being able to do it. I’m still hopeful that some of these guys in this list will get there. We’ll see.”
On C.J. Anderson’s and Ronnie Hillman‘s status for the game:
“Yeah, I’m hopeful for both of them, but [RB] Juwan [Thompson], we’ve got a lot of confidence in him. I thought he played well the other day. We always have [RB] Kapri [Bibbs] available, but it also gets back to the same situation we’re talking about. There are not a lot of places for us to pull from right now.”
On DeMarcus Ware’s return:
“He worked harder than anybody today, I can tell you that. Some of the players worked harder than others depending on who they were, but DeMarcus worked early and he stayed out and worked late. We’ll continue that process with him. We think we have a chance this week, but we’re going to listen to him as he goes through the week. He’s pushing hard. He’s had a good two weeks, really good.”
On whether Ware will face a reduced workload:
“Yeah, I think that’s a good point. There’s a plan in place. He’s not going back to playing 60 plays when he comes back. We have to work him through that. What is that? Is that playing third-downs? Is that 20 plays the first time he goes out? There will definitely be a process in place as we get him toward the end of the season and back to himself.”
On if Emmanuel Sanders will have to step in at punt returner:
“Yes and actually Shiloh can return and go back there, too, so he’s another option for us to go back there. There’s [WR] Jordan [Norwood]. Of course, Jordan hasn’t suited here for a couple of weeks, but that’s always an option for us.”