NFL Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos Loss Hurts in More Ways Than One

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Jeff Curry -- USA TODAY Sports

Jeff Curry — USA TODAY Sports

It was not a great day to be a Denver Broncos fan.

The injuries began to pile up as tight end Julius Thomas, running back Montee Ball and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders all exited with injuries.

Oh, and the Broncos lost the game to the St. Louis Rams. Who saw this one coming?

In the latest example of why football is such a bizarre sport to follow, the Broncos coughed up a golden opportunity to solidify their position atop the AFC West when they fell victim to a revitalized Rams offense led by quarterback Shaun Hill.

Maybe putting Hill back in at quarterback in place of Austin Davis was the right move after all. Who knew?

Peyton Manning threw for 374 yards and a touchdown, but he was picked off two times. Typically when Manning isn’t on his game, the Broncos struggle.

But here is the bigger problem. Without Ball in the lineup, the Broncos’ running game became stagnant. The Broncos only rushed for 28 yards in this contest, which could prove problematic if Ball and Ronnie Hillman remain out of the lineup for extended periods of time.

There’s no question that this loss hurt for Denver. The Kansas City Chiefs held off the Seattle Seahawks 24-20, which elevated the Chiefs into a tie for first place in the AFC West. This makes the big Sunday night showdown on Nov. 30 huge for both teams’ chances to win the division.

What went wrong Sunday? Who knows? The injuries didn’t help, but Manning’s ineffectiveness wasn’t blameless either. The loss can be chalked up to any combination of issues. Whatever the case, Denver finds itself in a world of hurt right now, in more ways than one. And the Rams may be a better team than many people thought.

The Broncos better hope the Monday injury report has some good news. There certainly wasn’t any on the field on Sunday.

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