Overshadowing the loss on Sunday to the San Francisco 49ers, the Denver Broncos lost a great deal more to injury. Pat Surtain II (ankle), Riley Moss (ribs), and Pat Bryant (leg/ankle) all left the game and it looks like all could miss more than a little time, if not the whole season.
While I appreciate the Klis report late Sunday night of Broncos brain-trust optimism regarding the extent of Surtain and Bryant’s injuries, there’s not much of a silver lining.
No matter how you look at it, the Surtain injury has all the hallmarks of what’s tipically a season-ending Achilles injury. Pat Bryant’s ankle was wrenched the wrong way and, while it may not be a season-ender, he will most certainly miss more than a few weeks. Riley Moss’ previous rib injury took him out of action in the preseason for a couple weeks and it’s possible this could be more of the same (best case scenario)… but it’s also possible there is a bone fracture or cartilage damage, which could mean 3-6+ weeks of recovery.
What do you do when you lose both your starting corners and a reliable offensive contributor at wide receiver?
First of all, the defense can no longer be counted on to keep games close. For the first time in Bo Nix’s career, the defense is no longer the security blanket that will allow Davis Webb to fart around with the offense for 3 quarters. The offense now has to lock in when the game starts and get off to fast starts. The run game, and sustaining drives, has never been more important. This affinity for wasting downs in 3 and out possessions is only going to stress a depleted secondary and will most certainly yield horrific results.
Sure, Davis Webb is finding his way as a play caller and it’s been a neat little adventure, watching him wobble and stumble like a toddler learning to walk. With the injuries on Sunday, the time for stumbling is over. The Broncos offense has got to strike first and strike hard to cover for a defense that suddenly finds itself without their starting cornerbacks. Sustaining offensive pressure through 4 quarters of football has never been more crucial than it suddenly is for the Denver Broncos.
While these injuries don’t necessarily signal the end of the Broncos Super Bowl dreams in 2026, they absolutely don’t help. It’s time for the Broncos offense to show up when the game starts and not when they’re behind in the 4th quarter. In order for Bo Nix to ascend to the legendary echelon of Broncos quarterbacks, he’s going to need to put this team on his back and will them to victory, injuries be damned.
…and so begins the next chapter of Bo Nix’s story.
