ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos players are making a habit of playing nearly entire games with a ruptured knee ligament.
A year ago, it was inside linebacker Alex Singleton, who somehow completed an entire Week 3 contest at Tampa Bay despite suffering what would prove to be a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Sunday in London, fill-in left guard Matt Peart tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee on the third snap of the 13-11 win over the New York Jets.
He’ll miss at least the next four games, leaving the Broncos looking for a second relief option in the wake of Ben Powers’ torn biceps muscle.
Somehow, Peart kept going Sunday, just like Singleton last year.
“I don’t know how you can play with either of those, to be honest,” said tight end Adam Trautman, who still seemed amazed by the feat.
“I know I sprained my MCL. I had, a high-grade [sprain], but not too bad, and I remember how bad that hurt. And I was out for three weeks, I think, my second year, so respect to him for doing that.”
Even Peart’s fellow offensive linemen weren’t completely aware of his discomfort.
“I had no idea. [Peart] didn’t say a word about it,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey recalled. “I think all he did was go and grab a brace, and then he got back in the game.
“That’s tough as nails, man. That’s really tough.
Added Trautman: “All I remember in regards to that was like at halftime, people were like, ‘Oh, yeah, his knee’s kind of bugging him, whatever.’ And then, after the game, it’s like, ‘Oh, my God, like, he’s hurt.’ And then you’re like, ‘When did it happen?’ He’s like, ‘Third play of the game,’ and then you play through.”
“I told him [Tuesday], I was like, ‘I respect the hell out of that. And I know everyone else does, too, because, I mean, that thing’s not — probably not stable. Like, it definitely doesn’t feel right.
“It’s really messed up. So, yeah, I mean, I respect the hell out of it, and I know we all do.”
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BRONCOS WITHOUT PEART
The Broncos promoted veteran Calvin Throckmorton from the practice squad to the 53-player roster on Tuesday when Peart went to injured reserve.
Throckmorton’s last start came on Nov. 9, 2023 for the Carolina Panthers at Chicago, working at left guard. Sixteen of his 27 career starts have been at left guard, so he possesses the requisite experience.
However, Alex Palczewski is at a higher tier than Throckmorton, evidenced by his activation throughout the season.
Further, Palczewski was listed behind Peart on the “unofficial” depth chart issued by the team Tuesday before Peart landed on injured reserve.
Who’ll get the call? In the parlance of Gary Kubiak, the coach of the Super Bowl 50-winning Broncos side that will be honored this weekend, “We’re fixin’ to find out.”
But what helped last Sunday — and what will help again this week — is the Broncos’ liberal shuffling of line combinations during training camp. Peart, Palczewski and Throckmorton were all around during the summer, and all moved around the units, as did other players such as the since-injured Nick Gargiulo.
By testing combinations, the team ensured that they wouldn’t be flying blind when injuries struck as they have in recent weeks.
“It’s huge. You know, anytime you’re able to bank a number of reps like that, especially, you know, putting a Matt Peart at guard in training camp or putting ‘Palcho’ at guard or. Or, Throck can go both ways. Frank [Crum] can kind of slide inside and out.
“So, those guys have had the opportunity to at least see it more than just, ‘Hey, you’re playing the New York Giants this week, go play guard.’ They’ve had the experience, and that’s very valuable as we move forward and wait for Ben to get back.”
