The Denver Broncos had an injury scare during their season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks that could impact Bo Nix’s blindside. Offensive lineman Garett Bolles left on Sunday’s game against the Seahawks in the second half with an ankle injury, and Matt Peart replaced him at left tackle. Denver’s longest-tenured player, Bolles, went to the locker room area for an MRI, head coach Sean Payton said postgame. Then Bolles returned to the sideline, put on his helmet, and tried to run back onto the field several times.
“Yeah, I think he’s going to be fine,” Payton said. “He had an MRI. I think the evaluation was fine. I think he’s got a bruise.”
That’s good news for Denver’s offense because Bolles is the team’s best tackle. Building continuity on the offensive line is key with the Broncos turning to Nix this season. Nix was 26-of-42 passing with 138 yards against the Seahawks and threw two interceptions. Thankfully, Nix, Payton, and the Broncos don’t need to worry much longer. Payton said that X-rays and an MRI on Bolles’ ankle returned negative, and the team’s top lineman was diagnosed with a bruise.
The Broncos selected Bolles 20th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. He played in and started his 100th career game against the Seahawks. Bolles will look to continue his streak in Week 2, when Denver’s home opener is against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Can Bo Nix and the Broncos bounce back against the Steelers?
Denver’s lackluster offensive performance against Seattle could hurt them against Pittsburgh. The Steelers’ defense was phenomenal against the Atlanta Falcons, which is likely the driving force in this matchup. Against the Seahawks, the Broncos’ offense was terrible. The wide receiver could get no separation, Nix was inaccurate under constant pressure, and the running backs couldn’t gain positive yardage. If Pittsburgh repeats what they did to Atlanta, it could be another ugly outing for Denver’s offense.
Thankfully, the Broncos have a stout defense that can handle a familiar face in Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson. Denver linebacker Jonas Griffith said he “for sure” wanted to pick off Wilson, and Wilson will want to beat his former team and try to show the Broncos that they made a mistake moving on from him. This will likely be a low-scoring matchup, and if Nix can bounce back from a wretched debut, then Denver has a chance. Kickoff is set for 4:25 PM ET, and the game will be broadcast on CBS.
