Tonight, the 1-4 Broncos will be on the road to face the 4-1 Chiefs. Denver has lost 15-straight games to Kansas City and they’ll be looking to break that streak. Coming into this contest, the Broncos were dealing with a few lingering injuries. Javonte Williams injured his quad in Week 4 vs. the Bears.
The 23-year-old missed their Week 5 loss to the Jets but was limited in Denver’s short week of practice. Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network said that Williams is officially off the injury report and will be active tonight vs. the Chiefs. It’s been a slow start to the season for Williams, averaging (34.5) rushing yards per game. Can they get the young RB going tonight vs. the reigning Super Bowl champs?
Denver will be on the road tonight to face the Chiefs on TNF in Week 6
#Broncos RB Javonte Williams is off the injury report and good to go Thursday night vs. the #Chiefs.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 11, 2023
When speaking to the media, head coach Sean Payton gave his thoughts on Williams’ injury last week. The young RB did not play but Payton said if it were a playoff game, Williams likely would have played. He was adamant about not wanting to set back Williams any further in his quad injury. Over the last year, the former second-round pick has had non-stop injuries.
In 2022, Williams only played in four games for the Broncos. Sadly, he tore his ACL, LCL, and posterolateral corner. A genuinely devastating injury that he surprisingly came back so quickly from. He was ready for the start of the 2023 season, which surprised many people around the league. Even if Williams isn’t 100 percent tonight vs. the Chiefs, Denver does have talented RB depth.
From @gmfb: #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (ankle) is trending upwards and should play tonight barring a setback. Meanwhile, RB Javonte Williams (quad) is set to return for the #Broncos. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/hVTg5rwaeF
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 12, 2023
If Javonte Williams struggles vs. the Chiefs, the Broncos could turn their undrafted rookie RB, Jaleel McLaughlin. He had a breakout game in Week 5 vs. the Jets. The rookie carried the ball nine times and had 68 rushing yards. He added three catches for 21 yards and his second career receiving touchdown. Additionally, the Broncos have Samaje Perine who’s used primarily as a pass catcher out of the backfield. He has 15 catches for 156 reeing yards this season. Denver has the ability to split the carries out of the backfield between these three running backs. It’s something they’ve done in almost all their games in 2023.
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