Only one home win stands between the Denver Broncos and a trip to the Super Bowl, but it won’t be easy for Sean Payton to lead a shorthanded team through the AFC Championship Game. Of course, the quarterback situation in Denver has gotten a lot of attention after Bo Nix suffered a fractured ankle in the Divisional Round, thrusting Jarrett Stidham into the spotlight.
However, one of Denver’s top weapons won’t be out there catching passes for Stidham on Sunday when the Broncos take on the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Wide receiver Troy Franklin is officially inactive due to a hamstring injury, the team announced before the game.
Franklin was the Broncos’ second-leading receiver during the regular season with 709 yards and six touchdowns on 65 catches. Look for Marvin Mims Jr. and Pat Bryant to get a lot of work at receiver with Franklin out of the lineup.
Franklin is a good complementary piece in this Broncos receiver room as someone who can both stretch the field vertically and work over the middle of the field. His chemistry with Nix, which dates back to their time together at Oregon, has been a huge asset to this Broncos offense.
Mims can provide the speed that the Broncos will be missing without Franklin, but he isn’t the same bigger body that the Oregon product is. Bryant, who is back from a concussion he suffered in the Divisional Round against the Bills, is the kind of possession receiver that a backup quarterback can lean on in a big game.
Star receiver Courtland Sutton will have to have a much more productive game than he had against the Bills, when he caught just four balls for 53 yards. Stidham will likely be looking Sutton’s way time and time again in this game, even with the Broncos’ No. 1 lined up against star cornerback Christian Gonzalez, and he will have to make the necessary plays.
The Broncos are relatively healthy outside of this Franklin injury, especially after getting starting center Luke Wattenberg back from injured reserve in this game. That should give Denver a chance against a formidable New England squad on Sunday.
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