Nov 17, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas (80) reacts to his touchdown catch with quarterback Peyton Manning (18) in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Talk about a loaded headline. Denver Broncos TE Julius Thomas bent his knee against the Chiefs in a way that no man, woman, or child should ever bend their knee–backwards.
Thomas hyperextended his knee and it looked worse than it was, but he was limited at practice all week for the Broncos and is listed as questionable along with cornerback Champ Bailey. Still, reading the tea leaves, which may be a bit of an overreaction on my part, I think personally that “Orange Julius” is going to play.
Why? Well, Thomas was a featured player in the Broncos’ practice photo collage from Friday. Typically, when a player is questionable it means they are either a game-time decision or they simply were limited all week in practice as a precaution. For Thomas, it could be a mix of both.
The Broncos want to be cautious with rushing Julius back, because he has a history of nagging injuries in his career and the last thing you want is for Thomas to miss significant time down the stretch because he came back when he shouldn’t have, but this is one of the biggest games the Broncos will play all season and they want to have all hands on deck.
Here’s the picture evidence of Julius Thomas catching and running with a pass at Broncos practice, courtesy of my Instagram feed.
Thomas has been a nightmare for opposing defenders this season now that he is finally healthy and had a full offseason to get himself ready with Peyton Manning as the quarterback. He is on pace for one touchdown per game with 10 so far this season.