Getty OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Vic Fangio of the Denver Broncos looks on from the sidelines against the Oakland Raiders during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game at RingCentral Coliseum on September 9, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Denver Broncos did not escape their Week 1 matchup against the Oakland Raiders without injury.
Following the Broncos’ 24-16 loss in Oakland on Monday night, Tim Patrick was seen in a hard cast on his left hand, as reported by The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala. Now, his injury has been officially diagnosed — the second-year receiver has a broken hand and will be out for awhile.
Via Mike Klis of 9 Sports:
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A Broken Hand Injury Should Sideline Tim Patrick at Least 3 Weeks
A hand injury typically takes at least three weeks to recover. Considering that means Patrick will miss at least the next three Broncos games, the team could consider putting the 25-year-old receiver on injured reserve-return designation list — a list that is currently occupied by quarterback Drew Lock, running back Theo Riddick and tight end Jake Butt.
That would mean Patrick would have to be on the list for at least eight weeks, by NFL rule.
However, if the Broncos elect to go that route, they can only bring back two of those four players. We all know the Broncos will likely bring Lock back barring a setback in his thumb injury. As far as Riddick is concerned, the team had high hopes for the receiving back when they signed him during the preseason.
Placing Patrick on the list likely means that his season will be over.
Patrick failed to record a statistic in the season opener as DaeSean Hamilton saw the majority of snaps at the slot receiver position, with Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton occupying the snaps on the outside.
The 6-foot-4, 212-pound receiver had a bright rookie campaign, being promoted to the Broncos’ active roster prior to the 2018 season. The undrafted free agent emerged as a rotational receiver, catching 23 passes for 315 yards and a touchdown while starting four games.
The Broncos’ only healthy receivers at this point are Sanders, Sutton, Hamilton and reserves Juwonn Free and Diontae Spencer — with the latter two having never recorded a reception during their NFL careers.
Broncos Lay a Dud in Season Opening-Loss to Raiders
The Broncos entered the season with decent expectations following the firing of Vance Joseph and the trade of former quarterback Case Keenum. However, the 2019 version featuring Vic Fangio-Joe Flacco looked like a carbon copy of the 2018 version.
Denver looked like a lost team as they frequently moved the ball in Raiders territory — only to squander opportunity after opportunity. In fact, they advanced into Raiders territory on three different occasions in the first half — only to come out with zero points.
Two drives stalled due to sacks and fumbles while the final one stalled due to a 10-yard holding penalty by Noah Fant that resulted in a missed 64-yard field goal attempt by Brandon McManus.
To illustrate just bad the Broncos’ woes were in the red zone, Denver ran 14 plays in Oakland’s red zone and gained 25 yards (15 on a catch by Sutton). Furthermore, Hamilton dropped a touchdown pass that would have cut Oakland’s lead to 14-10.
If the Broncos want to re-instill hope just four years removed from a Super Bowl trophy, they’re simply going to have to coach and execute a lot better.
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