The Broncos left Arizona with a 30-16 win, but the final stretch came with two injury scares that could shape the week ahead.
Receiver Jaylen Waddle appeared to take the worst of it late Sunday after Denver dialed up a reverse and quarterback Bo Nix flipped him the ball. Waddle got thumped on the play, stayed down, then got back to his feet with his right arm helping support his left.
The reaction on the field pointed to a possible shoulder injury, and Sean Payton didn’t hide his frustration afterward. He called the play “awful.”
That was the kind of gamble Denver could afford to avoid. The Broncos were up by two scores, and their defense was already doing the work necessary to keep Arizona from finding the kind of explosive play it needed to claw back into the game. Instead, the high-risk call failed and left Waddle’s status worth monitoring closely during the week.
The other issue came on the defensive side, where Zach Allen exited late in the fourth quarter with a hamstring strain. It looked rough in the moment, but Allen was able to walk off on his own, and he said after the game that he’d be fine.
Before leaving, Allen was everywhere. He finished with three tackles and three quarterback hits on Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett, and a couple of those shots came with a bit of a yellow-flag feel as Brissett absorbed plenty of punishment, especially after halftime when Denver’s defense tightened the screws.
Allen entered the game with 21 tackles, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble, and his impact keeps growing. He’s become a steadying presence for a defense dealing with multiple injuries in the secondary. The Broncos now turn their attention to Kansas City, with the Chiefs coming to Denver on Sunday in what will be their biggest game of the year so far.
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