KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There can be no scarier football injury than the one that causes a player to leave the field immobilized on a stretcher.
Broncos wide receiver Clifford Russell left Arrowhead Stadium that way Sunday. Russell was busting up the wedge on kickoff coverage when he suffered a badly sprained neck that momentarily caused numbness on the right side of his body.
But after he was examined, Russell regained feeling and joined the team on the plane for the flight back to Denver.
“He had some numbness in his arm and down his legs, so better safe than sorry,” Broncos trainer Steve Antonopulos said. “Everything looks good now.”
Elvis still sackless.
Despite putting the pressure on several times, Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil could not get his season’s first sack against the quick- release passing strategy of Chiefs quarterback Damon Huard.
“I felt like on about eight different plays I was close to getting a sack,” Dumervil said. “It was frustrating. I’m feeling a lot better the last two weeks and I need to help the DBs out.”
The other Johnson.
Chiefs running back Larry Johnson was the game’s most recognizable hero, but the best player on the field may have been Chiefs outside linebacker Derrick Johnson.
He had an interception, forced the fumble by Brandon Marshall and contributed six tackles.
“It was one of those days where he felt like he had something to prove,” said Broncos running back Selvin Young, who was held to 49 yards rushing after having two 100-yard games against Kansas City last year and was John- son’s college teammate at Texas. “He’s been getting blasted from his coaches and peers.”
Long range.
Broncos kicker Matt Prater made a 56-yard field goal near the end of the first half, tied for third-longest in team history.
Prater missed his first attempt Sunday, from 28 yards. It was his first miss of the season.
“It was a short field goal and I kind of took it for granted, which you should never do,” Prater said. “Those should be guaranteed.”
Prater rebounded to make the 56-yarder, as well as field goals of 51, 22 and 33 yards.
New nickel.
Rookie Jack Williams was Denver’s nickel cornerback, replacing Karl Paymah.
Williams was frequently matched against Kansas City wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, who finished the game with a team-high seven catches for 85 yards.
“Karl wasn’t making some of the plays in bump coverage, so we were going to give Jack a chance to show us what he could do,” coach Mike Shanahan said. “For the most part, I think he did well.”
Robertson out.
Defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson was inactive because of lingering knee pain. Kenny Peterson started in Robertson’s place against the Chiefs.
It was the first time this season that defensive ends Jarvis Moss (one tackle) and Tim Crowder (no tackles), Denver’s first- and second-round draft picks in 2007, were active for the same game.
The Broncos’ other inactive players Sunday: S Vernon Fox, RB Ryan Torain, LB Louis Green, OT Erik Pears, G Dylan Gandy and WR Darrell Jackson.
Footnotes.
Broncos running back Andre Hall suffered a wrist injury that will be examined again today. . . . Right guard Chris Kuper suffered a deep thigh bruise on the play in which Marshall fumbled the ball away. Kuper momentarily lost feeling in his knee, but the numbness went away and he was back for the first play of the next series. . . . Chiefs rookie offensive tackle Brandon Albert was carted off the field with a hyperextended elbow. . . . The Broncos allowed their first true sack of Jay Cutler in the first quarter when Derrick Johnson broke through. In three previous games, the Broncos had allowed just one team sack when the ball slipped out of Cutler’s hand against San Diego on a controversial fumble- nonrecovery call.
Mike Klis and Lindsay H. Jones, The Denver Post
