Denver has locked up a playoff spot, but in order to get a much-needed first-round bye, it more than likely needs one more win against San Diego.
The Chargers are sitting in a perfect spot as the play spoiler, and by Sunday, San Diego will have had ten days to recover and get ready.
Meanwhile, the Broncos are coming off a short week, and will hobble into Sunday with guys extremely banged up.
Coach Gary Kubiak said the team will be off from practice until a Wednesday evening walkthrough, in an effort to give the Broncos some time to recover after an overtime game.
“The most important thing is how fresh we can get,” Kubiak said.
The only notable new injury was to linebacker Brandon Marshall, who Kubiak said has a really sore ankle.
Kubiak said Marshall’s injury was the “biggest concern” heading into Sunday’s game.
Marshall hurt his ankle in the fourth quarter against Cincinnati, got it re-taped, but ended up leaving the game again.
Kubiak said they wanted to limit safety T.J. Ward’s snap count to the 30s as he came back from a high ankle sprain.
Ward played 39 of the Broncos’ 72 defensive snaps.
The good news, according to Kubiak, is neither Ward nor safety Darian Stewart, who had a hamstring injury, suffered a setback Monday.
“We’re beat up, but our frame of mind is really good,” Kubiak said.
The Broncos’ timely win over Cincinnati helped clinch a playoff spot, but Sunday’s game against San Diego decides the division.
The defense isn’t the only side banged up either. Receivers Demaryius Thomas (hamstring) and Emmanuel Sanders (ankle) were limited by in-game injuries, but able to finish the game. Kubiak believed they would be OK moving forward.
That first-round bye looks even tastier as the injuries pile up.
Cameron Wolfe: 303-954-1891, cwolfe@denverpost.com or @CameronWolfe
Shooting for the bye
The Broncos clinched a playoff spot Monday with a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, but that doesn’t mean they are popping champagne bottles.
There still are achievable regular-season goals — a fifth consecutive AFC West crown, a first-round bye and an outside shot at the No. 1 seed. First, Denver would need to beat the San Diego Chargers at Sports Authority Field on Sunday. Here’s a look at how the Broncos could rise to the top spot or fall as low as the No. 6 and final AFC seed:
• No. 1 seed — The Broncos victory over San Diego coupled with a Patriots loss to the Dolphins would give Denver the No. 1 seed.
• No. 2 seed — A Denver victory clinches at least No. 2 and a first-round bye no matter what else happens. The Broncos would also get this spot if the Chiefs, Broncos and Bengals all lose.
• No. 3 seed — Broncos and Chiefs losses along with a Bengals victory would give Denver the division, but no bye.
• No. 4 seed — This is the only seed the Broncos can’t get. It’s reserved for the AFC South champion, Houston or Indianapolis.
• No. 5 seed — The Broncos would face this with a loss, a Chiefs victory and a Jets loss.
• No. 6 seed — This would be quite a drop, but Denver could find itself headed to Kansas City with a loss and the Chiefs and Jets win.
Cameron Wolfe, The Denver Post
