Broncos quarterback has been playing with a sore shoulder since he sprained it in Tampa on Oct. 2. He’s been healthy enough to play, but lingering soreness increases with every hit.
Sunday at New Orleans, he took a lot of them — 11, actually, with six sacks.
“He’s beat up. He took a lot of shots,” Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak said. “Some of them he has to take responsibility for and we have to make sure he’s stepping up in the pocket and those types of things. He’s sore. We laid it on the line. Everybody did. We played extremely hard as a football team, a lot of great effort plays. He’s just one of the sore guys.”
Kubiak said Siemian received an injection following Sunday’s game, but believes he will return from the bye week OK.
“He’s obviously has a very sore shoulder and we injected it again I think either this morning or yesterday after the game — I’m not sure — but the rest will do him some good,” Kubiak said.
O-line, running woes. Inconsistency with the offensive line and run game has been an issue for Kubiak since he returned to Denver as head coach in 2015. Although the line fared better in the run game Sunday, pass protection was an obvious problem and led to the benching of right tackle Donald Stephenson for second-year player in the third quarter.
“Ty deserves to get on the field some more,” Kubiak. “Donald has to play better, along with other guys up front. And we need to be more consistent up front.”
Asked if he was frustrated by the line and lagging run game, Kubiak said he’s “driven” to correct them.
“I’ve seen us do some good stuff at times,” he said. “I go back three weeks ago against Houston — I watch us come off the ball and run the ball as well as we’ve run it in two years. Then I watch us struggle for a couple of weeks. But I’m driven to find a way to get it more consistent, and there’s a lot of people involved.”
Injury updates. Outside linebacker returned from his forearm injury Oct. 30 against San Diego and has averaged about 28 snaps per game over the last three games for the Broncos. When the Broncos return from the bye to face Kansas City on Nov. 27, Kubiak said he expects Ware to play 50 snaps a game.
Kubiak said he also “feels good” about cornerback (back) and defensive end (elbow) returning after the bye. Talib worked out with trainers on the field Monday. Wolfe, Kubiak said, will likely resume workouts next week.
Game balls. Safeties Justin Simmons and , and receiver were named the Broncos’ players of the game at New Orleans.
