Julius Thomas: ankle. Kayvon Webster: shoulder. Montee Ball: groin. Ronnie Hillman: foot. Jacob Tamme: ribs. Quinton Carter: knee. Will Montgomery: knee. Demaryius Thomas: ankle.
The list of bumps and bruises to the Broncos seems to grow by the hour, turning what is usually their toughest practice of the week into a sparse, shells-only workout Wednesday.
“They’re supposed to be sore,” Peyton Manning said. “They’re supposed to be sore coming off a game like Sunday (against the Chiefs).
“I think the effort’s got to be made to take care of yourself physically, to take extra time in the cold tubs and getting treatment. That’s the challenge here late in the season.”
Broncos fans can only hope Manning is right, especially in regards to Julius Thomas. Their star tight end has missed the last two games with an ankle injury and was clearly still favoring it Wednesday after running through some drills.
Playing without him for a third consecutive game, one against the Bills and their elite defense, is not a scenario Manning or the Broncos like to entertain.
“When you have your top players go out, you are going to miss them,” Manning said. “… We hope to get Julius back out there and, no question, when he’s out there he makes a difference.”
Buffalo grades out as the No. 2 overall defense, according to Pro Football Focus, allowing 18.1 points per game (second in the NFL), 312.4 net yards per game (fifth) and totaling 25 takeaways (second).
These aren’t the same Bills we’re used to seeing in recent years.
“They have an excellent defense, and we’re still getting to know them; it’s an unfamiliar opponent, kind of like Miami, and that’s always a challenge,” Manning said. “… They’re playing really well together, creating a lot of problems for teams on the early downs, getting teams into third-and-longs and just seem to be playing really well together as a unit.”
The Broncos’ running game has come into its own in recent weeks, , but Manning says their offense is still lacking in the red zone, despite their 65.2 touchdown percentage in that area.
Before his injury, Julius Thomas scored seven of his 12 touchdowns in the red zone, but Manning refuses to point to Julius Thomas’ absence as the reason for their red-zone shortcomings. Flat out, he said, they just need to improve on finishing and “getting more touchdowns.”
“Somehow I have to find a way to help us get in the end zone,” Manning said, “with Julius or without.”
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or at twitter.com/denverpost
