Sterns, Dulcich drop out
Kareem Jackson knew his team needed the ball back.
Third-and-8 from the Las Vegas 44-yard line, Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo hit Jakobi Meyers over the middle and Jackson laid out to try to stop him short of the first down.
Jackson, though, hit Meyers high and Meyers crumpled to the turf. Players from both teams gathered around before he was able to sit up on his own and walk off the field with help from trainers.
A scary situation and a costly 15-yard penalty on Jackson. A stop the Broncos desperately needed and failed to get — Las Vegas ran the final 2 minutes, 54 seconds off the clock thanks to a Garoppolo firstdown run a minute later to secure a 17-16 victory. But also, hopefully, a serious injury avoided.
“I just want to say I hope he’s alright,” Jackson told reporters afterward. “Obviously we don’t play this game to hurt guys. It’s a tough sport we play. … Unfortunately stuff like that happens. Definitely sending my thoughts and prayers to him.”
Jackson said he wasn’t sure if he made helmet-tohelmet contact or initiated with his shoulder pad, but he sold out on the hit knowing his team needed a stop.
“A lot of times, bangbang plays, it’s just an unfortunate situation. Not really sure if I got him with my shoulder or head-tohead. … Hopefully he can come back healthy.”
Broncos safety Caden Sterns missed the final 12 games of the 2022 season with a hip injury and it showed when he went down awkwardly Sunday against the Raiders.
The third-year safety tried to tackle Josh Jacobs in the backfield on the first play of the second quarter but went to the turf and grabbed his left knee.
Head coach Sean Payton didn’t have an update after the game, but the team almost immediately ruled him out from returning to the game and Sterns was beside himself on the field. He slammed his fists to the turf, buried his head in his hands and wiped away tears once he was loaded into the cart and repeatedly punched the stretcher next to him.
All in all, it did not look good for the promising young defensive back.
“Definitely a tough loss for us,” Jackson said. “Hopefully it’s not anything serious. As his brother, I’ll be there for him for whatever he needs.”
Tight end Greg Dulcich also left the game late in the first half with what the team only described as a leg injury. Dulcich came up limping after running a deep route during Denver’s touchdown drive just before the half.