Wilson has sore shoulder, Broncos lose Williams, Gregory

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Broncos standout running back Javonte Williams is out for the year after tearing his right ACL in Denver's 32-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, and pass rusher Randy Gregory needs knee surgery and will miss multiple weeks.

Also, QB Russell Wilson has a sore right throwing shoulder and he was hypothetically listed as limited on the players' day off Monday.

“Yeah, he got dinged up in the game and you know he’s just a little sore today,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said. “We’re just gonna be sure to take care of him and give him treatment throughout the week.”

Hackett said as of now, Wilson will play Thursday night against the Colts.

As for Williams and Gregory, "both of those guys are obviously very important to our team,” Hackett said. “Losing Javonte is so unfortunate, a dynamic player in this league. Randy, same thing. Having to have him miss some time right now is hard because he's been a great force on the team.”

Hackett said Gregory, who got hurt chasing Derek Carr with about six minutes left in the game, will have arthroscopic surgery soon and IR is a possibility. The good news is an MRI showed his ACL was intact.

Williams got hurt on the first play of the third quarter Sunday when he took the handoff from Wilson and was tackled behind the line of scrimmage. He didn’t put any weight on his right leg as he was helped off the field after staying down for an extended time.

Williams earned the starting job this season after sharing backfield duties with Melvin Gordon his rookie year in 2021.

Williams had 202 yards on 47 rushes and 76 yards on 16 catches this season.

Last year, Williams rushed for 903 yards and four TDs and caught 43 passes for 316 yards and three TDs, making him one of the top running backs in the league coming into his second NFL season.

Williams' backups faired poorly Sunday when the Broncos (2-2) lost for the fifth consecutive time to the Raiders. Gordon had a fumble on his first carry that was returned for a long touchdown and Mike Boone had two critical drops and failed to pick up the blitz on a sack.

The Broncos' ability to explore the trade market for a running back is hampered by a lack of 2023 draft picks following the trade for Wilson this spring.

The Broncos' best bet with their next game coming up Thursday night at home against Indianapolis (1-2-1) would be to promote Devine Ozigbo from their practice squad.

Williams is the second key offensive starter the Broncos have lost to a season-ending knee injury. Wide receiver Tim Patrick got hurt in training camp.

“This is part of football; it's a physical game,” Hackett said. “We can't deny there's certain things we can't control. And as a team we're going to band together and we're going to step it up and we're going to get better. And whoever has the opportunity to go in has to embrace it and be excited for it and play the best they've ever played.”

Gordon's butterfingers are getting costly for Denver Broncos

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Melvin Gordon's butterfingers have become a hazard for the Denver Broncos, especially with Javonte Williams' season-ending knee injury and Mike Boone's problems picking up the blitz and holding onto passes.

The Broncos (2-2) have a condensed week to fix their backfield bugaboos ahead of their game Thursday night against Indianapolis (1-2-1).

Gordon's latest flub changed the tenor of the Broncos' game at Las Vegas, where they lost to the league's only 0-3 team and their former coach Josh McDaniels while also losing Williams and Randy Gregory to knee injuries.

Gordon was crestfallen on the sideline after fumbling on his first carry and watching cornerback Amik Robertson return it for a 68-yard touchdown that jump-started the Raiders' 32-23 win.

Gordon drew plenty of kudos from reporters for being a standup guy and taking questions afterward — but he walked off the podium without responding when asked about working on ball security last week following a pair of fumbles against the 49ers.

“In the end, you can’t put the ball on the ground. It’s that simple,” Nathaniel Hackett said after the game.

A day later, Hackett was pumping up his dejected running back ahead of Thursday night's game against the Colts.

“Melvin’s a true pro. I mean, this is a guy that’s been doing this for a long time,” Hackett said Monday. “He’s harder on himself than anybody. And he’s part of our team. We love the guy. I mean, he knows that there was a mishap right there. And it’s a great opportunity for him to get back out in the field and prove himself and we’re excited to be part of it and to put him in great position to be able to make plays, and we’ll watch him do some good things.”

Hackett mentioned Gordon's game-winning touchdown run against San Francisco.

“I thought he ran real hard. I mean, he’s run the ball really well. I mean, he’s going downhill, he’s exploding through the hole,” Hackett said. “And we want to see that continue. And like I said, he’s a true pro. I expect for him to step up and have a great game.”

Gordon has fumbled four times in four games this season, and five times in five games going back to last season. And this was his third fumble since last season that's been returned for a touchdown.

“My job is to go out there and make plays, hold onto the ball and to help put this team in the best position to win,” Gordon said after the game. “I didn’t do that (Sunday). But I’ll be all right.”

Maybe, but his fumble Sunday was his fifth in 44 touches, or once every 8.8 touches.

The Broncos knew this was the flip side of Gordon's tough runs and superb pass protection when GM George Paton re-signed him to a one-year, $2.5 million contract this spring that could go up to $4 million with incentives.

Ever since fumbling a half-dozen times his rookie year in 2015, Gordon has had trouble holding onto the football.

Nobody in the NFL has more fumbles (25) or lost fumbles (18) than Gordon in the past decade.

WHAT'S WORKING

Quarterback Russell Wilson seems to be getting more comfortable in Hackett's offense, or maybe it's the other way around. But after going 11 for 12 for 149 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, Wilson was just 6 for 13 for 88 yards with no TDs after halftime.

WHAT NEEDS HELP

Hackett keeps reminding everyone that he's a rookie head coach with a lot to learn. The latest example came Friday when he downplayed the rivalry with the Raiders, saying: "Can't really hate anybody in this world. That’s too much energy ... It's another game, we’re excited to go against the Raiders.”

STOCK UP

Rookie Montrell Washington, who had 66 yards on three punt returns.

STOCK DOWN

Left tackle Garett Bolles' holding habit is back at a time when he needs to be the stabilizer on a line missing Quinn Meinerz and Billy Turner.

INJURIES

OLB Randy Gregory (right knee) needs surgery and will miss multiple weeks, Hackett said. S P.J. Locke and OLB Aaron Patrick are in concussion protocol and will miss the Colts game.

KEY NUMBER

29 — Number of yards Wilson had on four carries Sunday, when he ran for a touchdown and a key first down, signs he's getting back to being himself.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Broncos host the equally banged-up Colts (1-2-1) on Thursday night.