The Denver Broncos face a classic trap game tonight against the Kansas City Chiefs, and they’ll do it without one of their best defensive players, along with their center.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw will miss tonight’s game due to a hamstring injury he sustained in Sunday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, while center Luke Wattenberg will sit this one out due to shoulder issues. Lineman Alex Forsyth is listed as Wattenberg’s backup on the Broncos’ depth chart.
Several other players have also been ruled out. Receiver Pat Bryant will miss the game due to a concussion, while Nate Adkins (knee) and linebacker Karene Reid (hamstring) have also been ruled out, according to a story by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.
On the plus side, there’s a chance the Broncos could welcome back linebacker Justin Strnad, who missed the Jaguars game due to a foot injury. He has no injury designation this week, which means he could be subbed in for Greenlaw, who will miss his eighth game this season. Greenlaw was one of the Broncos' major three-agent signings during the offseason, and at this point it's safe to say he's been a major disappointment.
While this game may look like a cakewalk on paper for Denver, there are multiple reasons to watch. The Broncos will be on the road on Christmas night during a short week, and it you wanted to design the ultimate version of a trap game, that set of circumstances would probably do the trick.
In addition, the Broncos saw their 11-game win streak come to an end against Jacksonville, and Denver got dominated in the second half of their 34-20 loss.
The Broncos defense has gone from being one of the best in the league to one of the worst in some important statistical categories, and while Chiefs backup quarterback Chris Oladokun doesn’t pose much of a threat statistically, he did lead four drives that put Kansas City in field goal position before things fell apart in the Chiefs' 26-9 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
The Broncos did struggle during a stretch of midseason games where they let bad teams hang around. Their 13-11 win over the New York Jets in London was the best example of this, and Denver followed that game with a 33-32 win over the New York Giants when quarterback Bo Nix had to play Houdini with a 33-point fourth quarter to get the victory.