The Denver Broncos offense suffered some big injuries on Sunday in their loss to the St. Louis Rams. Three of the team's biggest names went down, leaving a number of statuses uncertain for the coming week. However, after a round of MRIs to Emmanuel Sanders, Montee Ball and Julius Thomas, it appears some injuries are less severe than originally assumed, giving the Broncos hope for the coming games.
According the NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, Thomas might not miss any time following an ankle injury against the Rams. The tight end went early in the first half and did not return causing the offense and Peyton Manning to stall out several times. Thomas has battled ankle injuries in the past and many worried that this could be a prolonged issue for the tight end. However, after an MIR revealed the injury was just a mild sprain, the Broncos have hope he will not miss any time on the field. The Denver offense was clearly not the same with Thomas not in the mix and the Broncos would prefer not to repeat the issues.
Sanders is another player that could be back sooner rather than later. The wide receiver was taken out of the game following a concussion suffered after colliding with safety Rodney McLeod while diving for a ball. Many assumed the injury was extremely serious. Someone even doctored his Wikipedia page after the hit, but Sanders stresses that he is healthy and there are no lingering issues.
The injury that could be as bad as assumed is the re-aggravated groin problem suffered by Montee Ball. The running back missed a stretch of games for the injury during the start of the season and was making his comeback against the Rams. However, it was short-lived and now Ball could miss another three weeks with the injury. The Denver Post reports that Broncos will try and remain very cautious when it comes to Ball's injury since the suffered setback.
With Ball still out, CJ Anderson will continue to get the start while Ronnie Hillman gets healthy. The third-string running back did his best to hold down the ground game, but will need the offensive line to improve before he can make an impact. Hillman is still nursing a foot sprain that could keep him out another two weeks at most. Anderson will have to improve quickly while staying healthy.
