As if losing wasn't bad enough for the Denver Broncos in Week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers, the team also suffered a few notable injuries they're now having to deal with.
Two players, in particular, suffered concerning injuries during the game with star cornerback Pat Surtain II coming up hobbled on an apparent non-contact injury to his ankle and breakout wide receiver Pat Bryant getting carted off after injuring his ankle on a hip-drop tackle by the 49ers.
The good news for the Broncos -- and both of those players -- is that it appears they have avoided any sort of long-term or season-ending injuries.
Broncos CB Pat Surtain II will miss some time, but has avoided injury disaster
The Broncos will likely be without Surtain for some time, but how much time is yet to be determined (or reported). Everyone in Broncos Country is just grateful that Surtain didn't suffer some sort of Achilles injury that will require surgery and extensive recovery time. That typically seems to be the case when players have non-contact injuries during the course of a game.
Even during the game, it felt like a positive sign that Surtain wasn't immediately ruled out. The Broncos should have him back at some point here in the near future, but how near are we talking?
That is, as Sean Payton might say, the $6 million question. In the meantime, it will be one of Jahdae Barron or Kris Abrams-Draine on the outside, and it might even be both of them. Riley Moss also suffered a rib injury that knocked him out of the 49ers game, and he didn't return.
Those two young corners were thrust into a tough situation against the 49ers and actually both played quite well, all things considered. The Broncos will obviously miss a player like Surtain, but they like those other corners and will have plenty of confidence and faith in them to play well in Surtain's absence.
Pat Bryant injury is a huge setback for struggling Broncos offense
The good news regarding Pat Bryant's injury is that it's not as bad as it appeared during the game. When Bryant went down with the injury, Courtland Sutton came over and immediately went to a knee and took off his helmet. It seemed like he was reacting to something really bad on the field, and then the Broncos took Bryant off the field on a cart.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Bryant will miss "a few weeks", but he's also avoided anything long-term or season-ending.
Still, losing Bryant right now feels like a huge setback for the offense. Bryant had one of the best training camps of any player on the team, and has already been looking like one of the offense's only consistent weapons so far this season.
He was injured on a big catch and run against the 49ers as the Broncos were trying to climb back into the game.
The Broncos are going to need more out of Courtland Sutton, who has been a major disappointment so far this season. They're also going to need to get more out of Jaylen Waddle, who they seemingly refuse to incorporate into the offensive gameplan.
Thankfully, both of these players will be back at some point in the near future, but the Broncos will have to make some adjustments in the meantime.
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