Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said he is not sure safety John Lynch can play Monday night against Tennessee.
“It’s hard to say until he practices and takes a hit,” Shana- han said. “We didn’t want to take a chance with him taking a hit, until the numbness went away. He would play through any pain, but there has to be some common sense when there is no feeling in your fingers, and obviously no strength.”
Lynch hasn’t played since he left in the first half of Denver’s loss to Green Bay on Oct. 29. He practiced some last week, but the tingling in his neck didn’t subside enough for him to play against the Chiefs.
“It is getting close,” Lynch said Sunday. “There are no long-term worries. I’m getting there.”
Shanahan said there were no significant injuries that came out of the 27-11 win over the Chiefs. He said tight end Tony Scheffler, who suffered a bruised chest, likely will not miss any practice time. Shanahan said quarterback Jay Cutler, who missed three plays with an ankle tweak and who played with a bruised lower left leg, came out of the game fine. Shanahan said kicker Jason Elam (right calf) also is fine.
Stuck in second place
The Broncos had a close eye on San Diego’s 23-21 win over Indianapolis on Sunday night. Had the Colts won, there would have been a three-way tie atop the AFC West between the Broncos, Chiefs and Chargers at 4-5. But now, Denver trails the 5-4 Chargers by a game in the division.
The Colts were poised to take a 24-23 lead with just over a minute to go, but usually reliable Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri missed a chip shot. It was his second missed field goal of the game.
“It showed that everybody is human,” Shanahan said.
Footnotes
The Broncos have nudged their way out of being the No. 32-ranked run defense in the NFL. They are No. 31 after holding Kansas City to 67 yards on the ground. Denver is allowing 151 yards rushing per game. The Jets are allowing 152.2. Newly signed receiver Taylor Jacobs was returning kicks with Andre Hall — replacing Glenn Martinez, who remained the punt returner at Kansas City. Jacobs signed last Tuesday.
