Denver Broncos: Emmanuel Sanders should be OK for Chiefs game
Denver Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders hurt his knee in Sunday’s victory over the Titans but the expectation is that he will be fine.
The Denver Broncos were without wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders went down with a knee injury in Sunday’s game but keeping him out of the game for the entire second half may have been strictly precautionary.
There is optimism that Sanders, who has been the leader of the wide receiver group since his arrival, should be able to play despite a short week.
The Broncos host the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football.
Although this report came out from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said he had no update on Sanders’ status at Monday’s press conference.
From @gmfb: For the Thursday night game, the #Broncos are optimistic that WR Emmanuel Sanders (knee) will play, while the #Chiefs have a good shot at having WR Sammy Watkins back, too. He tweaked his hamstring late last week and missed Sunday's game. pic.twitter.com/eroFRJfHYf
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 14, 2019
Sanders has caught 25 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns this season. He caught one pass against the Titans but it gained no yardage.
His best game of the season came against the Jacksonville Jaguars when he caught five passes for 104 yards, including a 39-yard gain.
It would be great news if the expectation of Sanders playing on Thursday becomes reality. The Chiefs defense is by no means very good, but the Denver Broncos will have to try and match Kansas City’s offense with their own great performance on offense.
It is no surprise that Sanders has been one of Joe Flacco’s favorite targets. It is also no surprise that Courtland Sutton has emerged as Flacco’s go-to guy.
In Sanders’ absence, Sutton was heavily involved, has he caught four passes for 76 yards. Running back Royce Freeman was also helpful in the run game, catching five passes for 42 yards.
Sutton has shown that he has grown from his rookie season, where he caught 50 percent of his targets. Through six games, he has a 65.2 catch percentage.
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I expect Sutton to continue being Flacco’s go-to receiver, but if Sanders is able to be full-go on Thursday Night Football, the Denver Broncos need to take advantage of his talents.