The Denver Broncos are already playing without their expensive 2023 free-agent addition, right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who is on the injured reserve. On Friday, when the final injury report for the Los Angeles Chargers game was released, it revealed that the offensive line was going to be missing more pieces.
Can The Chargers Take Advantage of a Battered Broncos Offensive Line
The Broncos will be without their starting center Luke Wattenburg and Alex Palczewski, the player who stepped in when McGlinchey was injured, were both officially ruled out. Sophomore Alex Forsyth will likely get the nod to fill in for Wattenburg. He has played 10 snaps at the position. Those came just last week when Wattenburg injured his ankle. Five-year veteran, Matt Peart will fill in for Palczewski. Peart has spent most of his career as a backup.
Their offense wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire behind the previous iteration of the offensive line. Their running game was leading the way with the ninth-best success rate in the league. When passing the ball they have the 29th success rate.
They now face the Chargers defense which has been the stingiest against the run, allowing just 3.9 yards per carry and is stopping the run at the second-best success rate in the NFL.
Despite having some of the league’s most high-profile pass rushers, the team has struggled to get to quarterbacks. They have just 11 sacks, tied for ninth fewest and they are tied for the 4th worst pressure percentage — just 15.9 percent.
The Chargers move their pass rushers around a lot, so there isn’t a matchup to watch, but they will likely test Peart with Khalil Mack, the team’s leading pass rusher. Morgan Fox is their top interior pass rusher, but he rarely lines up on the center.
They will also be without their second-most-productive receiver, Josh Reynolds.
