The later into the season a team goes, the more pivotal for contenders is their health. Across the league, this is becoming incredibly apparent for a handful of contenders. Looking at the Indianapolis Colts, the injury bug ravaged their roster for a few weeks, and they are now firmly on the outside, looking in on the playoff picture. Pretty much the opposite has been the case for the Broncos, who have been one of football’s healthiest teams all year.Â
One of the defining characteristics of the Denver Broncos to date this season has been their health. Aside from losing JK Dobbins for the year, starting guard Ben Powers missing a few months, and Pat Surtain missing three weeks, the Broncos have been relatively injury-free for most of the season. This was a significant advantage that Denver held over other teams, and it showed late in games during their winning streak.
Over the last few weeks, this trend has done a complete 180 for the Broncos. Specifically on the defensive side of the ball, injuries are catching up to the Broncos and quickly. If the Broncos are going to make a run through the AFC playoffs, they will need to learn how to manage the injury bug, and quickly.  Injuries are piling up for Sean Payton's team, and they are going to need to manage them into the playoffs.
The injury bug is finally catching up to the Denver Broncos, and it could be enough to derail their season
By the time their loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars ended on Sunday afternoon, the Broncos were now down multiple starters on defense. Starting safety, Brandon Jones is expected to be out for some time with his peck injury, and it should be longer than Surtain missed with his.
As the game was winding down, starting inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw came up hobbling on the sideline and would miss the rest of the fourth quarter. The Broncos started their season without Greenlaw and survived without him, but it obviously tests their depth going into the playoffs.
On the offensive side of the ball, rookie receiver Pat Bryant was concussed at the end of Denver’s loss. He went up for a hospital ball from Bo Nix, got absolutely destroyed in the air, and was carted off the field strapped down with a neck brace on. Bryant’s nagging injuries have become an issue for the Broncos down the stretch after he was seemingly breaking out in their offense.
The Broncos are now looking to go on the road on a short week and win without several key starters, all while still controlling their destiny for the conference's top playoff seed. The Broncos need to figure out solutions to this issue quickly, or else they risk more results like yesterday in Denver.