Talk about adding injury to insult.
The Denver Broncos were definitely insulted in their 27-14 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football, coming out as a completely underprepared team in all three phases of the game.
Then, during the loss, Phillip Lindsay was injured. Lindsay’s been the shining star of this terrible team which will finish below the .500 mark for the second straight season, the first time a Broncos team has done so in 46 years. Lindsay’s wrist injury at first seemed somewhat severe, but the more information that comes out, the worse it gets:
https://twitter.com/MikeKlis/status/1077960591707320321
Those torn ligaments, which came as a result of a huge hit by Karl Joseph on Monday. That hit was one of the hardest Lindsay’s sustained this year, even with his fearless running approach, and like usual, he bounced up. But, we later learned he was injured and pulled from the contest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2Bq0qn2R3c
Vance Joseph confirmed on the radio Wednesday that Lindsay will indeed have the surgery to fix his wrist:
RB Phillip Lindsay will have surgery, Broncos coach Vance Joseph said on @orangeblue760, describing the injury as “serious."
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 26, 2018
The Broncos were already eliminated from the playoffs before the final game in Oakland for the orange and blue even kicked off. Yes, Lindsay was able to take his season rushing total over the 1,000-yard mark, which is a great achievement, but maybe he shouldn’t have been in the game at all.
Broncos coaches limited the rookie running back in terms of carries all season. He never hit the 20-runs mark in a single game, even when he was clearly excelling and deserved the ball more.
And yet, even after limiting him, they played him against Oakland with nothing to gain.
Now, Lindsay’s likely been lost for the next 4-6 months in all likelihood, which will affect next season. He’ll have to rest and let that wrist heal, meaning he won’t be able to do regular chest and shoulder workouts, which rely on the wrist to be healthy. He won’t be able to take any contact in OTAs in May, but, he should finally be allowed to do so when training camp rolls around in July.
For Lindsay, who tore his ACL as a senior in high school way back in 2012, this is another major injury. Running backs must grip the ball and pin it to their ribs while defenders try to punch it and karate chop it free, meaning that wrist and hand must be in tip-top health to avoid fumbles.
However, it must be noted that he’s still seeking a second opinion. That second doctor could end up determining it’s less severe, and therefore, that he’ll be back sooner.
After a sensational rookie season, this was a big blow to Lindsay. He finished with 1,037 rushing yards, only 68 short of the NFL record for undrafted rookie running backs. He almost certainly would have been able to gain that mark in the final contest of the season against the Chargers. The injury also means he’ll be sidelined from playing in the Pro Bowl, which is not only a bummer for him, but for the NFL fans out there.
Lindsay’s 5.4 yards per carry are tied for No. 1 in the league this year. He was simply one of the most electric runners, utilizing a deadly combination of speed, quickness and that fearlessness to hit the hole at full-go.