Denver Broncos Rule Out Wide Receiver Troy Franklin For AFC Championship Game
The football gods can be cruel. For the Denver Broncos, the road to the AFC Championship has been paved with more medical charts than game plans lately. Just when Broncos Country thought they had absorbed the ultimate blow, losing Bo Nix to a broken ankle, the injury report delivered another gut punch.
The team has officially ruled out Wide Receiver Troy Franklin for today’s massive showdown against the New England Patriots. Franklin, who had been nursing a hamstring injury all week, was initially listed as questionable. There was a glimmer of hope, but that evaporated when he wasn’t seen warming up pregame. Now, backup Quarterback Jarrett Stidham, already stepping into the biggest spotlight of his life, has to do it without his second-best weapon.
Why Losing Franklin Changes Everything For Denver
Franklin isn’t just a guy who catches passes. In his second year, the 22-year-old transformed from a rotational rookie into a legitimate problem for opposing defenses. We’re talking about a guy who snagged 65 balls for 709 yards and 6 touchdowns this season. He was the Robin to Courtland Sutton’s Batman, providing that crucial speed option that kept safeties honest.
But the loss stings even more because of the specific chemistry at play. During training camp and the preseason, while Nix was getting the starter reps, Franklin was often running routes for Stidham. They have a rapport. They have timing. In a game where Stidham is essentially trying to fly a plane he hasn’t piloted in months, having a familiar co-pilot like Franklin would have been a massive security blanket.
The injury happened in the second quarter of that wild overtime win against Buffalo. Franklin pulled up lame on a route, grabbing the back of his left leg. It is a non-contact injury, the kind that lingers and nags, and despite limited practice sessions this week, the quick turnaround to Championship Sunday was just too much to ask of the human body.
The Next Man Up: Enter Elijah Moore
To fill the void left by Franklin, the Broncos have elevated Elijah Moore from the practice squad. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Moore has been around the block. A second-round pick in 2021, he had decent stints with the Jets and Browns before things fizzled out in Buffalo.
Moore has wheels, but asking him to replicate Franklin’s production on short notice is a tall order. He’s been on the practice squad for a reason, having signed in early December. He knows the playbook, but does he know the nuances of a scramble drill with Stidham when the Patriots’ pass rush is breathing down their necks? We’re about to find out.
Expect Marvin Mims Jr. and Pat Bryant to also see a significant uptick in targets. Mims, in particular, will need to be the speed demon that Franklin usually is.
A Brutal Injury Report For the Broncos
Alongside Franklin, the Broncos are also down Center Alex Forsyth (ankle) and Safety JL Skinner (quad). Both were questionable; both are out. Losing your center when you have a backup quarterback is less than ideal. Communication on the offensive line is about to get very, very interesting against a vaunted New England defense.
Can Stidham Shock the World?
Here is the narrative the Broncos are clinging to: The underdog story. Stidham has the arm talent. He has the confidence. But he is walking into a blizzard of adversity. He’s facing a New England defense that loves to confuse young or inexperienced quarterbacks, and he’s doing it without the safety valve that Franklin provides.
The Patriots, led by their own young stud Drake Maye, are sitting pretty as the No. 2 seed. They are healthy, they are rested, and they are watching the Broncos limp in looking like a MASH unit.
But that’s why they play the games, right? Maybe Moore has a revenge game in him. Maybe Sutton decides to be Superman. Maybe the defense plays out of its mind, and Stidham just needs to be a game manager.
Whatever happens, the absence of Franklin looms large. It forces Sean Payton to get creative, and shrinks the margin for error from “slim” to “microscopic.”
