WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

Notes, Quotes

The Sports Xchange

December 06, 2018 at 1:12 am.

–The Broncos tried to bolster their depth and experience level at wide receiver by claiming eighth-year pro Andre Holmes off waivers from Buffalo after the mid-week loss of Emmanuel Sanders to a season-ending Achilles’ tendon injury suffered during a practice. With the loss of Sanders and the trading away of Demaryius Thomas to Houston in late October, the Broncos receiving room is full of young players. Rookie Courtland Sutton and second-year pro Tim Patrick form the starting receiving tandem and DaeSean Hamilton figures to see increased playing time when Denver goes into a three-wide receiver formation. Holmes has appeared in 91 games, including 25 starts, during stints with Buffalo, Oakland and Dallas.

–The secondary was another area that the Broncos addressed due to an injury. Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. is out at least one month after suffering a fractured fibula in the win last Sunday at Cincinnati. The Broncos signed veteran cornerback Jamar Taylor earlier this week but are expected to go with rookie cornerback Isaac Yiadom in the place of Harris. Yiadom stepped in for the injured Harris last week and played in his absence. Meanwhile, backup cornerback Tramaine Brock missed practice time with a rib injury and his playing status for Sunday remained questionable.

–Rookie linebacker Josey Jewell was practicing without restrictions after missing part of last Sunday’s game at Cincinnati with an ankle injury. Jewell has been filling in at the inside linebacker position held by Brandon Marshall who has missed the last month with a knee injury. Marshall resumed practicing in a limited fashion this week but his playing status for the San Francisco game remains uncertain.

–“You adjust every week based on game plan and what type of guys you want on different routes. That’s what we’re doing right there after practice and during practice today. Getting used to those guys running different routes and that’s the name of this game. It’s that time of year and heck, this is the 2018 Denver Broncos. Nothing’s been handed to us, so we’re going to earn everything we get.” — Broncos quarterback Case Keenum, who has lost his top two wide receivers, the first to a trade and the second due to injury.

–Through Week 13, rookie Phillip Lindsay is ranked fifth in rushing (937 yards), first in average (6.1 yards), and tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns (8). He’s the only player in the league to rank in the top five in all three of those categories.

–Safety Justin Simmmons has taken part in every defensive snap for the Broncos this season. He is one of four players league-wide to do so.

–With 96 career sacks, Von Miller is 1.5 sacks away from tying Simon Fletcher, the Broncos’ franchise leader in the category.

BY THE NUMBERS: It is an obscure statistic but also a meaningful one and something that can swing a game one way or another just like that — the blocked kick. The Broncos have four of them this season and that’s the most in the NFL. So far this season, the Broncos have blocked two field goals, a punt and an extra-point attempt. Safety Justin Simmons has been at the center of those efforts. He blocked a field-goal attempt in a narrow victory over Pittsburgh on Nov. 25 and also blocked a field-goal attempt against Baltimore in Week 3, though Denver wound up losing to the Ravens, their first loss of the season. During his rookie season in 2016, Simmons blocked an extra-point attempt and fellow safety Will Parks scooped it up and returned it 84 yards for a defensive two-point conversion that carried the Broncos to a win over the New Orleans Saints.

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