The Denver Broncos have made a strong push toward the playoffs over the last few weeks, currently riding a three-game winning streak that has them a game out of the final Wild Card spot.
However, the team suffered a significant blow after star wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders suffered a torn Achilles in practice on Wednesday morning. It is a situation that head coach Vance Joseph has quickly gotten on top of as he voiced that the team can't mope about the loss of Sanders for the season and must focus moving forward, according to Aric DiLalla of DenverBroncos.com.
“We can’t cry about it,” Joseph said. “We have to move on and go play a football game on Sunday.”
There is no getting around the fact that the loss of Sanders is a significant blow to their offense as he has been their top receiving threat in the passing game this season. His role was taken to the next level after the trade of former Pro Bowl wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Houston Texans. He had firmly stepped into that top receiving role as he notched 71 receptions for 868 receiving yards and four touchdowns through the first 12 games played.
In fact, Sanders was on pace to record 95 catches for 1,157 receiving yards and five touchdowns this season.
His absence from the passing game will open up an opportunity for rookie wide receiver Courtland Sutton to step up to be their go-to option for the last month of the season. He has shown promise with 28 receptions for 558 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He is coming off a solid outing with four catches on seven targets for 85 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 24-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Broncos must respond in a strong manner to this huge loss if they hope to reach the playoffs and it will have to start this week against the San Francisco 49ers.
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