Dud No. 3 – Darius Kilgo
Sylvester Williams has been one of the pleasant surprises of the 2015 season. He’s proven more than capable in replacing Terrance Knighton and has helped anchor a Broncos rush defense that ranks No. 3 in the NFL. But that’s only part of what made his departure midway through the first quarter of Sunday night’s game so worrisome.
Losing Williams could be a big blow to a stout rush defense that has really started to jell since the return of Derek Wolfe after a four-game suspension, especially if his backup, Darius Kilgo, can’t step up in a meaningful way.
Kilgo played just seven snaps on Sunday in relief of Williams, who played just eight himself before being carted to the locker room with an ankle injury.
Instead of Kilgo, Denver turned to defensive end Vance Walker, who played surprisingly well in the hybrid end/tackle role. He even got to Tom Brady once, but had his sack negated by a Von Miller late hit penalty.
This time of year, with injuries piling up, Denver can’t afford to have backups who are ineffective, let alone who can’t get on the field. Williams is expected to miss additional time now, so Wade Phillips needs to determine quickly if Kilgo can fill that role as he’s designed to, or if they will move forward with Walker.
