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"We're walking into Denver and it's a darn good opponent,"
Detroit coach Dan Campbell said. "They're in the playoff hunt.
For them it's basically a playoff game. They can't lose anymore,
(that's) the way they're looking at it. This isn't some slouch
we're playing."
Losses in two of their last three games dropped the Broncos'
record to 6-6. Their offense stalled against Kansas City on
Sunday in a 22-9 loss. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw for
257 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown but he was also picked
off twice.
Bridgewater's yardage total was his highest in six games. He's
thrown only four touchdown passes in the last five games.
"Our whole passing game needs to improve a little bit," Denver
coach Vic Fangio said. "We never got into a rhythm in our last
game and the week before we didn't have a lot of yards, either."
With Melvin Gordon sidelined with a hip injury, rookie running
back Javonte Williams had his best overall performance this
season. He rushed for 102 yards and also caught six passes for
76 yards. Gordon returned to practice on Wednesday.
Gordon rushed for 83 yards in Denver's last home game, a 28-13
win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Denver's defense has remained
stout, regardless of the offense's effectiveness. The Broncos
rank third in the NFL in fewest points allowed per game (18.2).
That gives them hope they can get hot in the last five games.
"We haven't had seven playoff berths, we've never had 17 games
before," Fangio said. "There's still a lot of football to be
played between the teams that are in contention."
"You want to be playing your best football during this time of
the year," Bridgewater said. "We have the ability to do that."
The Lions finally got into the win column on Sunday with a
last-second, 29-27 victory over Minnesota. Jared Goff threw on a
11-yard scoring strike to Amon-Ra St. Brown on the last play.
Goff threw for 296 yards and three touchdowns and was
intercepted once.
"He had some outstanding throws in that game, really top-notch
throws, particularly early in the game," Campbell said. "And
then there was about a three or four play sequence where it was
tough. For him to come back and get out of that and be able to
drive us down the field was crucial. It's great for us and
speaks volumes and that will help his confidence moving
forward."
Fangio doesn't expect an easy time of it on Sunday.
"Throughout the entire season, they've lost a lot of tough
games," he said. "The last four games, they tied one, they won
one and they lost two by two points. They're playing really good
football right now."
A flu bug hit the Lions' locker room this week and several
players sat out Wednesday's practice because of it, including
Goff. While Goff returned to practice Thursday, 21 players did
not participate just three days before the game, with nine of
those marked as "illness." A total of 13 of those 21 were either
not listed Wednesday or were a limited practice participant.
The biggest injury concern is running back D'Andre Swift. He
missed Sunday's game due to a shoulder injury and did not
practice on Wednesday.
Linebacker Bradley Chubb (shoulder, ankle) and defensive end
Shelby Harris (ankle) were among the Broncos who sat out
Wednesday's practice.
-Field Level Media
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