The Broncos made official what’s been clear since the start of the practice week.
Running back J.K. Dobbins will not play Sunday against Kansas City due to a foot injury he sustained last week against Las Vegas.
Now the only question is whether Dobbins, 26, is placed on injured reserve, which would knock him out for a minimum of four games. An injured reserve stint remains a possibility, a source told The Post on Friday.
The Broncos typically make injured reserve placements on Saturdays, and Denver has a player who appears ready to be activated off injured reserve in inside linebacker Garret Wallow (hamstring). Wallow was a full practice participant all week and is listed as questionable to be activated for Sunday.
Dobbins has been a revelation since signing a one-year deal as a free agent this summer. He’s rushed for 772 yards (5.0 per carry) and logged at least 61 yards in every game except one through Denver’s first 10.
The severity of Dobbins’ foot injury wasn’t immediately clear after the Las Vegas game. He came back into the game after it happened and carried the ball six times on the Broncos’ put-away drive to help secure a 10-7 victory. Since then, though, sources have told The Denver Post that he and Denver spent several days gathering opinions and information on the injury and formulating a plan.
If he’s placed on injured reserve Saturday, Dobbins will not be able to return until a Week 16 home game against Jacksonville on Dec. 21 at the earliest.
Surtain out again: Denver ruled out four other players in addition to Dobbins for Sunday, none of them surprises: CB Pat Surtain II (pectoral) and TE Nate Adkins (knee) will miss their third straight game each, while OLB Jonah Elliss (hamstring) is out, too.
None of the five practiced in any capacity this week.
Defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers is off the injury report and ready to play Sunday after he was limited in practice Thursday with a back issue. Franklin-Myers indicated he mostly had a rest day.
Meinerz illness: Right guard Quinn Meinerz missed part of the second half last week with an illness and said in the locker room earlier this week it’s something he’s been dealing with throughout the season. Meinerz popped up on the injury list one time as a DNP for a practice due to an illness before Denver traveled to Philadelphia, but otherwise had not been listed.
“We’re on top of all of our players, so yeah, he’s doing great,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Friday.
Good on good: Denver’s defense ranks No. 1 in the NFL in red zone touchdown percentage allowed so far this season at 37.5%. Kansas City’s offense is humming along at No. 3, finding the end zone on 70.3% of its red zone trips.
That’s the definition of good-on-good.
Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s group in three games against Patrick Mahomes and company the past two seasons has held the Chiefs to 1 of 10 in the red zone. That’s a big part of the reason Denver ended its long losing streak to Kansas City in 2023 and came within a blocked field goal of winning at Arrowhead Stadium last year.
“It’s like cat-and-mouse,” Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones said. “They’ve got so much talent over there. It’s a back-and-forth thing, of course. The 1 for 10, that means nothing. They’re a good offense. They can score on anybody at any moment.
“But it’s cool going against the best and being one of the best.”
The Broncos have done terrific work in scoring territory defensively and have only become more stout with the return of inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw. He’s ramped up to essentially a full workload and has 13 tackles over Denver’s past two games. That includes a sequence against Houston during which Greenlaw was in on three straight tackles from the 1-yard line to help force a field goal.
“You see it. I ain’t got to speak on it,” Jones said of Greenlaw’s impact so far. “You see it. He’s physical. He’s physical all the time.”
Added Payton, “It’s been remarkable. He’s a physical, physical tackler. He’s got that ‘it.’ I’m glad he’s on our team.”
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