The Denver Broncos beat the San Diego Chargers in overtime, with rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater playing despite a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The 24-year old was injured in practice last week and had not yet been cleared for contact during warmups before the game.
Bridgewater had a great game for the Broncos on Sunday, and he showed toughness in his return from injury. The Chargers lost on Sunday to the Denver Broncos, and this was due to Bridgewater’s performance.
DENVER (AP) — With a lower right leg injury, Denver Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater hobbled back into the huddle Sunday, he helped the Broncos remain in the muddled AFC playoff race.
So much so that the Broncos, who improved to 6-5 with a 28-13 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High, will meet the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium next Sunday night for an opportunity to reclaim first place in the AFC West.
“It doesn’t matter what you’re going through when you win; you feel fantastic,” Bridgewater remarked. “… In the morning, we’ll see how I feel.”
“When you speak about Teddy, his tenacity is unquestionable, and I didn’t doubt it in the broader picture,” said Broncos coach Vic Fangio. “And, as I previously said, some of you have inquired about him; he is our quarterback, and it is as simple as that.”
Bridgewater will be assessed once again on Monday morning.
Bridgewater, who was chastised for failing to tackle Eagles CB Darius Slay on a fumble return for a score in the Broncos’ Nov. 14 defeat to Philadelphia, ended 11-of-18 throwing for 129 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Bridgewater’s burning desire to help his teammates win, not his pedestrian-looking stats, continues to endear him to his teammates.
Bridgewater’s teammates, as well as Fangio, rallied around him after the defeat to the Eagles. Many pointed to Bridgewater’s serious leg injury in 2016 as evidence of his fortitude to return to play — his doctors subsequently openly said that the damage was so bad that amputation was a possibility.
Bridgewater was sacked by Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. with 2 minutes and 13 seconds left in the first quarter on Sunday, injuring him. Bridgewater hobbled to the sidelines, where he was evaluated by the team’s medical staff and had an X-ray taken.
“”It swells up very quickly,” Fangio said, “and he had to perform some tests to make sure nothing was going on below it.” “He toughed it out — he wasn’t even close to 100% in the second half — but he toughed it out and led the offensive.”
“I’m still not sure what occurred; all I know is that Derwin caught me off guard,” Bridgewater remarked. “[Monday], I’ll watch it.”
The Broncos completed the drive in which Bridgewater was hurt with a score eight plays later, while Drew Lock ended the first half. However, in his brief role, Lock was sacked once and threw an interception that led to the Chargers’ opening touchdown.
Fangio simply answered, “No,” when asked whether it would have been simpler to play it safe with Bridgewater and left Lock in the game if he hadn’t thrown the interception into double coverage.
Bridgewater returned in the second half and led the Broncos on a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive with 8:54 remaining in the game, giving Denver a 21-7 lead. On the drive, he completed passes to wide receiver Courtland Sutton and running back Javonte Williams on important third downs (a third-and-7 and a third-and-10, respectively).
Bridgewater accomplished it in a game in which the Broncos’ offensive line suffered two additional injuries: left tackle Calvin Anderson (left knee) and left guard Dalton Risner (back). Anderson had previously taken over for Garett Bolles, who had been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list.
By the conclusion of the game, center Lloyd Cushenberry III was the only offensive line starter from Week 1 still on the field.
“We never doubt [Bridgewater’s] tenacity,” said tight end Eric Saubert. “He does everything, he pushes through a lot, and he’s been doing it all season.”
