The Denver Broncos have Super Bowl aspirations as the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but Josh Allen and the Bills stand in the way right now. The road won’t be easy, especially if Allen is the first hurdle, and it’s getting even harder with injuries piling up among their wide receivers after Denver lost two players in the first half against Buffalo.
Here’s who the Broncos have left on the receiver depth chart to finish this one.
Broncos WR Depth
The Broncos are down Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant. Bryant suffered a concussion in the first quarter, and Franklin is dealing with a hamstring problem. Denver has three active wide receivers left on their depth chart. It’s Pro Bowler Courtland Sutton, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Marvin Mims Jr.
The Broncos are going to be shorthanded, but they have their top guy. Sutton is going to have to play a pivotal role on this offense to help this team get where they want to be. He is the 37th-ranked wide receiver in PFSN’s WR Impact Metric with an impact score of 76.6.
Humphrey was playing over Franklin early, much to the concern of many fans. It turned out Franklin was struggling with the hamstring. Humphrey dropped a wide-open touchdown to kick off the first drive. It cost them four points and could prove to be very costly against a dangerous Bills team.
But everyone loves a redemption story, and Humphrey redeemed himself with a massive touchdown late in the first half. This capitalized on a great two-minute drill to prevent the Bills from having the chance to take the lead coming out of the half. Not only was this a big score, but the Broncos also got a field goal on a disastrous Josh Allen fumble with less than 10 seconds remaining.
Sutton, Franklin, and Humphrey will have to do it themselves. They’ve managed to get through the first half up 10 points. It’s going to be hard to navigate the entire postseason like this, but if their defense can play at the level they’ve played all season, it will be much easier.
Bo Nix has looked great today, finding the right reads and windows to deliver the ball on time. He’s getting the ball to the open receivers and using his legs when the opportunity presents itself to punish the Buffalo defense.
It’s been a committee of players getting receptions, with seven different players recording receptions. Sutton doesn’t even have a catch, while OL Frank Crum caught a touchdown pass on a wild play. The Broncos are going to have to spread it around and utilize their running backs and tight ends to pitch in. Evan Engram’s role becomes pivotal as a key receiving threat that will have to become more involved.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
