The Denver Broncos sustained two injuries to their defense during Thursday night's matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Denver entered the matchup with a strong 7-2 record, including an ongoing six-game win streak. They looked to continue their excellent form in front of their home crowd as they were 4-0 at Empower Field, hoping to prevent Las Vegas from attempting an upset.
However, injuries occurred to two of their defenders. Those players happened to be linebacker Karene Reid and outside linebacker Jonah Elliss, per reporter Chris Tomasson.
“#Broncos LB Karene Reid out with hamstring and OLB Jonah Elliss questionable to return with hamstring,” Tomasson wrote.
How Broncos played against Raiders despite injuries
It was a defensive game as the Broncos used that to their advantage with a 10-7 win over the Raiders. This allowed them to improve to an 8-2 record, jumping over the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts for the top spot of the AFC standings.
Las Vegas were the ones to get on the board first, scoring a rushing touchdown thanks to Ashton Jeanty. However, Denver did not let this faze them as they responded with 10 unanswered points in the second and third quarters.
The host's defense proved to be too much for the visitors to handle, going scoreless in the last three periods. Denver recorded six sacks, an interception and a blocked punt throughout the course of the game.
Bo Nix underperformed while the defense did most of the talking for the Bengals. He completed 16 passes out of 28 attempts for 150 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions.
JK Dobbins had a decent showing in the run game with 18 rushes for 77 yards. As for the receivers, four players recorded multiple catches. Troy Franklin led the way with five receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown. Courtland Sutton came next with three catches for 24 yards, Evan Engram had two receptions for 12 yards, while RJ Harvey caught two passes for nine yards.
The Broncos will look forward to their next matchup, being at home. They host the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 16 at 4:25 p.m. ET.
