Subscribe
Follow Us
Things have gone from bad to worse for the Denver Broncos. Linebacker Aaron Patrick will reportedly be sidelined for the season's remainder after suffering a torn ACL in his team's hard-fought loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night.
#Broncos LB Aaron Patrick, who grabbed his knee after this awkward sideline collision Monday night, suffered a torn ACL and is out for the season, per source. pic.twitter.com/QYJkLiv4vP
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 18, 2022
Patrick is a third-stringer for Denver on the edge, playing a majority of his snaps on special teams. His season ends with just three tackles in three games played.
Don't let Patrick's status as a backup diminish the team-wide significance of his injury, though. Denver has been snake bitten by injuries since training camp kicked off in August, with a league-high number of players on injured reserve. Patrick's injury marks the Broncos' fifth ACL tear, too.
#Broncos LB Aaron Patrick has suffered a torn ACL and is out for the season, source said. Already with a league-high players and money on IR, this is the team’s fifth ACL tear.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 18, 2022
Making this injury especially frustrating for Patrick is that it could've been avoided. His agent, Lamont Smith, told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network that Patrick's cleats got caught in a carpet on the sidelines at SoFi Stadium.
Aaron Patrick’s agent, Lamont Smith, said via text: “I was very disturbed about the way the injury occurred with the carpet being on the sideline like that. His cleat got lodged in the carpet trying to avoid the media person.” https://t.co/PnR8tEEs8z
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 18, 2022
The overtime loss to Los Angeles pushes Denver to 2-4, far behind the Kansas City Chiefs and Chargers at the top of the AFC West.
A third straight defeat is further evidence of a potentially grim reality for the Broncos after expectations for 2022 were sky-high in wake of the team's blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson. Defense hasn't been Denver's problem. The Broncos have allowed fewer than 20 points in five of their six games this season. It's the other side of the ball where they're really struggling, and Wilson is arguably the biggest reason why.
The nine-time Pro Bowler has hardly played like it during his debut campaign in Denver so far, completing just 58.3 of his throws for 1,442 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. Wilson has been sacked 20 times, too, the result of inconsistent offensive line play and his damning penchant for holding onto the ball too long in the backfield.
The Broncos need all the help they can get, but quality reinforcements aren't coming. We'll see if Denver is able to turn around its season regardless beginning with a victory on Sunday over the surging New York Jets.
