Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga is expected to miss multiple weeks with an ankle injury, ESPN reported, citing sources. Pro Football Talk says he finished last Sunday's win over the Chargers on the sideline and that the injury will keep him out beyond Week 6. ESPN described him as a player who has "made several key plays for the Broncos defense in recent wins."
NFL Trade Rumors, relaying Jeremy Fowler's reporting, is the only outlet with a number. One of Fowler's sources estimates 2-3 weeks, "depending on how he recovers." The other reports say only "multiple weeks," so the 2-3 week range comes from a single source and is not confirmed elsewhere. None of the reporting we have says when he was hurt or whether he will have further testing.
The game itself offers little. In Denver's 23-17 win at SoFi Stadium, Hufanga has a line of two solo tackles and one tackle for loss. His season line shows why the club will notice his absence. Through five games he has 23 tackles (12 solo), one sack, one forced fumble, three passes defensed and 2.5 tackles for loss. He also has two interceptions for 66 yards and a defensive touchdown, with a long return of 66. He played 17 games last season and made 106 tackles.
| GP | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
The Broncos are 3-2 and third in the AFC West, with one win in their last two games. They lost 24-14 at the 49ers on Oct. 4, then beat the Chargers, who are 0-5, by six points. That was a low-scoring game. Denver converted 1 of 12 third downs and gained 224 yards, but it forced three Los Angeles turnovers and sacked the Chargers five times. Hufanga's injury came in a game where the defense carried the team.
The Broncos have little time to adjust. They host Seattle on Thursday, Oct. 15, in a short-week game. The Seahawks lost 32-29 to San Francisco last Sunday. The reports do not say whether Hufanga will be ruled out for that game, and no outlet has reported who replaces him. The 2-3 week estimate, if it holds, would cover Seattle and the games after it. The next update to watch is Denver's injury report ahead of Thursday.
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