Broncos injury report (week 8 vs. Packers)
More than anything, the bye week was a time for the Denver Broncos to get back to full strength.
The offensive line was ailing, receivers were dinged up, and the running back position needed a little break. Until the playoffs, the Broncos won’t have a bye again. They’ll have to play the next 10 games without any extended time off, even though they’ve essentially had two bye weeks already with a short week in week 2 and then their actual bye this past week.
Perhaps the biggest question facing this team all season has been the offensive line (though Peyton Manning has done plenty to raise questions, hasn’t he?) and it appears as though all five of the original starters up front are in line to play again this Sunday against the Packers.
Listed as ‘Limited’, both Evan Mathis and Ty Sambrailo — the left side of the Broncos’ line — are practicing this week and it looks as though both could play, though head coach Gary Kubiak has hinted that they might not play all of the snaps.
If you ask me, that’s a hilariously foolish idea to continually rotate in new linemen, but I’m not an NFL head coach either.
Here’s the official injury report for both teams as of Wednesday:
It’s pretty clear at this point that Shane Ray won’t be playing for probably another month, but the Broncos appear relatively healthy heading into their biggest game of the year, taking on the undefeated Green Bay Packers, who are also very healthy.
Wednesday has typically been a ‘veterans day’ for the Broncos, but they are also easing some players back into the swing of things after some injuries the last couple of weeks. Players like Emmanuel Sanders and Aqib Talib will almost unquestionably play, but they will be given time to get things right in practice before the game.
The question is whether or not Ty Sambrailo will play, and coach Kubiak said Thursday will be a huge determining factor of that.
We’ll update you as we know more.
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