The Denver Broncos head into their final three games of the season in a place they have not been since 2015: playoff position. The organization has flirted with the playoffs on a few different occasions since but has not been a team with a clinching scenario in some time.
One of the major reasons the team is in this place is because of the incredible bill of health Denver has maintained through the year, despite losing a few key pieces to injury in Week 15.
Denver Broncos Dealing With Mostly Minor Injuries Late in 2024
The Broncos were a little banged up by the end of their major victory over the Colts, highlighted by injuries to defensive lineman John-Franklin Myers, Defensive Player of the Year candidate and corner Pat Surtain II, and guard Quinn Meinerz. Thankfully for the Broncos, the majority of their injuries were minor and do not appear to be lingering into their Thursday Night Football matchup with the Chargers. Surtain, Meinerz, running back Jaleel McLaughlin, and corner Riley Moss were all either limited or full participants in practice on Tuesday, showing optimism that they might be able to give it a go on Thursday.
The only player dealing with an injury who did not practice was Franklin-Myers, who is dealing with a finger injury. He appeared to be in obvious pain leaving the field on Sunday, grabbing at his hand and favoring his fingers.
The health of Moss and Surtain is a major win for the Broncos. For the Broncos, any scenario in which they see the return of Moss is a win. His absence has been felt for multiple weeks now, highlighted by the embarrassing performance of Levi Wallace against Jerry Jeudy on Monday Night Football in week 13. Since then, the Broncos have plugged in rookie Kris Abrams-Draine, who has been much better than Wallace but still has just two games of NFL experience under his belt.
Meinerz did not appear on Tuesday's injury report, pointing to him being good to go for Thursday. Jaleel McLaughlin will be a major piece to a Broncos win on Thursday, so any optimism that he might be able to play is welcomed.
The Broncos are far from perfectly healthy, especially considering that starting inside linebacker and team captain Alex Singleton is out for the year with an ACL injury. However, they are arguably as healthy as any team in football.
Seeing the return of Moss will be a major boost for them heading into a short-week matchup with Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey, but the questions over the health of Franklin-Myers hang heavy. If the Broncos can remain healthy heading into the final stages of the 2024 season and into a potential Wild Card Round matchup, it serves as a major advantage over just about any team.