Denver may only be without its starting quarterback for one game.
Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett said he thought Russell Wilson could return from a hamstring injury when they take on Jacksonville in London next week.
“He’s trending in that direction,” Hackett said after Sunday’s 16-9 loss to the Jets. “He did everything he could to try to be there, but it was just a little early with that short week. Hopefully, we’ll see him out there and if not, we’ll be smart with him, too.”
Wilson pushed hard to play against the Jets despite injuring his hamstring, a notoriously finicky muscle, just six days earlier. In the end, Hackett, general manager George Paton and the Broncos decided the quarterback needed to miss just the fourth start of his 10-plus year career despite the quarterback’s lobbying.
Simmons’ view of review: Denver safety Justin Simmons said he thought the officiating crew should have allowed D.J. Jones to return a fumble for a touchdown and then review the play rather than ruling that Jets quarterback Zach Wilson had been sacked late in the first quarter.
Bill Vinovich’s crew ruled that Denver defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones touched Wilson as he spun to the ground, making him down by contact when his forearm touched the ground. Wilson lost control of the ball at that point, and D.J. Jones picked it up and ran it into the end zone for what would have been a 13-7 lead.
Instead of a scoop-and-score, though, the Jets punted two plays later.
“In my opinion, I thought when a play like that happens, you rule it a touchdown and then you go back and review it,” Simmons said. “But I don’t exactly know. I was just talking with the ref and I think he said only half of the forearm has to be down in order for him to be down. It’s so hard to say in real time.”
Simmons also took issue with a 19-yard pass interference call on K’Waun Williams in the fourth quarter that set up the Jets’ final field goal — “That was huge. I have to look at it, but I don’t know about that one, either” — though he was quick to add, “you can’t blame (a loss) on calls.”
From the infirmary: Denver lost a pair of starters and its most productive running back of the game.
“More guys getting banged up,” Hackett lamented. “We’ve got to stay healthy.”
Outside linebacker Baron Browning, who is in the midst of a breakout season, exited the game with a hip strain sustained pursuing Wilson in the second half and will have an MRI Monday, a source told The Denver Post.
Left tackle Cam Fleming suffered a quad injury late in the game. Running back Mike Boone suffered a right ankle injury. He was using a crutch and wearing a walking boot in the locker room after the game but a source said an initial x-ray was negative. He’ll undergo further testing Monday to determine the severity of the injury.
Hackett said the team’s Monday afternoon flight to London could impact the status of injured players this week.
“I think so, we’re going to have to talk about it,” Hackett said. “We’ll have to get a feel for it. When you have three guys that are injured, you want to see the severity of that because of the long trip and see if they’ll be available as we move forward.”
