Davis suffers high ankle sprain in loss
The Broncos’ lone reported injury in Sunday’s 21-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers came at a position that has suddenly become thin.
Inside linebacker Todd Davis, second on the team with 35 tackles, suffered a high ankle sprain Sunday and was set to have further evaluation Monday afternoon.
“I’ll know more (Tuesday),” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said of Davis, who was in a walking boot and using crutches in the locker room Monday.
Losing Davis would be a blow to the inside linebacker group, which is already dealing with the loss for the season of Corey Nelson, who was placed on injured reserve last week after suffering a torn biceps. The Broncos signed Jerrol Garcia-Williams from the practice squad Saturday to replace Nelson. Joseph did not know Monday whether the Broncos would need to make another move to bolster the position.
“We’re not sure,” Joseph said. “Todd is still being evaluated. If it’s a couple weeks, we have to make a move. Zaire (Anderson) came in yesterday and played 10 snaps and had five tackles. He’s a guy that’s played in the past. I’m comfortable with him as a starter for us if it has to be that.”
Return unclear.
After suffering their first shutout in Denver at Kansas City, 6:30 p.m. Monday, ESPN.
For the record: The firm grip Kansas City had on the AFC West standings has been loosened by back-to-back losses, including a last-second defeat at Oakland on Thursday. The Chiefs began the season 5-0 and still have a 1K-game lead over the Broncos.
Who’s hot: Kareem Hunt. The rookie running back, a thirdround pick from Toledo, leads the NFL in rushing with 717 yards. He has scored six touchdowns and accumulated at least 100 total yards in every game he has played. Hunt is averaging 5.8 yards per rush.
Who’s not: Pass defense. The Chiefs were torched last week by Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who threw for 417 yards on 52 attempts without throwing an interception. The unit also showed cracks a week earlier in a home loss to the Steelers. Overall, the Chiefs rank 28th in the NFL against the pass (271.7 yards per game).
Key stat: 4. The number of touchdowns do-it-all offensive standout Tyreke Hill scored in two games against the Broncos last season. During a 30-27 victory at Denver, Hill scored a touchdown on a reception, a rush and a kickoff return while gaining 169 all-purpose yards.
FYI: The Chiefs’ Alex Smith leads all NFL quarterbacks with a 72.4 percent completion percentage. He’s also first in yards per attempt (8.68), passer rating (120.5) and game-winning drives (three). He’s second behind Tom Brady in yards passing with 1,979.
Streaking: The Chiefs have scored at least 24 points in all but one of their seven games. They are second in the NFL in scoring (29.6) and third in total offense (392.4 yards). Kansas City is the only team in the NFL that hasn’t thrown an interception. Every other team has thrown at least two. Coachspeak: “It’s hard right now, because you went 5-0 and then you have two losses; it seems like the whole world is falling apart. But in reality, that’s not the case.”
— Chiefs coach Andy Reid 25 years Sunday, the Broncos could use any reinforcements they could get on offense. It remains to be seen whether that will happen.
Wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Isaiah McKenzie, both of whom missed Sunday’s game with ankle injuries, and right tackle Menelik Watson,
Tale of two offenses
who was held out because of a calf injury, are listed as day to day, Joseph said. All three players were injured during the Broncos 23-10 loss to the New York Giants on Oct. 15.