Broncos Reveal Final Injury Report for Week 16 at Chargers: Phillip Lindsay Ruled Out
The Denver Broncos are hitting the road this week to do battle with the Los Angeles Chargers in hopes of sweeping their division rival for the second straight year. The Broncos have swept the Chargers 18 times over the years — the most sweeps of any individual opponent in team history.
Although both AFC West teams sit at 5-9, the overall tenor or tone of each team is markedly different. In L.A., despite the record, the feeling in the fanbase is one of excitement and relief as it appears on the surface that the Chargers quickly transitioned from a decade-plus starter to another franchise quarterback in the matter of one season.
Justin Herbert seems to be the real deal as he has already broken the NFL rookie passing touchdown record (27) and is well on his way to a historic finish north of 4,000 passing yards. He's got clout and momentum to boot.
Meanwhile, the Broncos hoped they'd solved the quarterback position but aren't any surer of the issue today than they were a year ago because Drew Lock hasn't taken that quantum leap forward in his first full season as the starter. The fans have some serious misgivings about Lock, and so does the media at large (just ask them) but the Broncos remain in a holding pattern at the quarterback position as the team brass hopes the second-year pro can put a stranglehold on the position by providing two statement wins to close the season.
It starts this week in L.A. for Lock but with the Broncos unveiling their final injury report for Week 16, we learned that he'll be without one of his playmakers in the backfield.
Broncos Takeaways
Running back Phillip Lindsay has been ruled out as he continues to nurse that knee injury he suffered back in Week 12 as a Wildcat quarterback. He also has a hip injury but it might be wise for the Broncos to shut him down for the year as he hasn't been the same player since the knee injury.
Pro Bowl rush linebacker Bradley Chubb is officially questionable and was listed as a non-participant the first two days of practice this week with an ankle. But sitting at 7.5 sacks on the year and riding high off his first NFL all-star nod, it would be an upset if he didn't suit up on Sunday. Getting to double-digit sacks this year would go a long way toward justifying his Pro Bowl nod.
Three other Broncos are listed as questionable, including running back Royce Freeman, defensive tackle DeShawn Williams, and newly-arrived cornerback Nate Hairston. Of the trio, Williams factors in most to the Broncos' on-field outlook as the starting nose tackle but with Lindsay out and the decimated cornerback depth chart, Freeman and Hairston become significantly more important this week.
READ: How Broncos Stop Justin Herbert Hype Train Dead in its Tracks
If Freeman can't go, the Broncos will still have Melvin Gordon to lead the way against his old team and practice-squad rookie LeVante Bellamy would be the next man up for carries (the only man). At corner, if Hairston can't go, it would put more pressure on the already stressed De'Vante Bausby, Michael Ojemudia, and Will Parks with newcomer Parnell Motley serving as the fail-safe.
Alijah Holder can play corner, though, and so can Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson in a pinch. Holder was signed as a college free agent last year out of Stanford as a corner but was converted to safety this year by Vic Fangio and Ed Donatell. Simmons has played some emergency corner for Denver in the days of yore and Jackson was a first-round pick back in 2010 who spent most of his career playing the position before converting to safety full-time.
UPDATE: Chubb has been downgraded to out.
Chargers Takeaways
Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa and his 7.5 sacks won't be on the field on Sunday, which is a mercy, although Garett Bolles still hasn't been credited with relinquishing a sack this year. Fellow defensive end Uchenna Nwosu has also been X-ed from the proceedings, with inside linebacker Denzel Perryman — who picked off Lock in Week 8 — listed as questionable.
Pro Bowl wideout Keenan Allen is questionable, too, though I'd be surprised if he didn't play. He only caught one pass last week vs. the Las Vegas Raiders before the Chargers opted to limit his snap count. If Allen doesn't play, it would be another mercy to an injury-ravaged Broncos secondary.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
