Tag: offensive line

Broncos release final injury report: Ben Powers status update

Broncos guard Ben Powers (shoulder) has no injury designation for Sunday’s game. He’s good to go.

After sitting out Wednesday’s practice, Denver Broncos left guard Ben Powers (shoulder) was back at practice on Thursday and Friday.

Powers has no injury status designation on the final injury report, so he has been cleared to play against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Powers started all 17 games for the Broncos last season and the first 11 games this fall. He has been penalized four times and allowed one sack in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.

Elsewhere on the injury front, wide receiver Josh Reynolds (finger) and running back Tyler Badie (back) are eligible to return from injured reserve, but Badie has not yet returned to practice. If Reynolds is activated this weekend, Denver would need to make room for him on the 53-man roster.

The Broncos’ final injury report can be seen below. DNP = did not participate.

Player Wed Thur Fri Game Status
DL Zach Allen (NIR – rest) Limited Full Limited Questionable
DB Brandon Jones (abdomen) Limited Full Full
DB P.J. Locke (thumb) Full Full Full
WR Josh Reynolds (hand) Full Full Full Out
LB Drew Sanders (Achilles) Full Full Full Out
G Ben Powers (shoulder) DNP Limited Full

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on Fox (view the TV map). The Broncos are considered the favorite despite playing on the road.

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Broncos release Thursday injury report: Starting guard back at practice

Good news — Broncos guard Ben Powers (shoulder) was back at practice today after sitting out Wednesday’s session.

After sitting out Wednesday’s practice, Denver Broncos left guard Ben Powers (shoulder) was back on the field Thursday on a limited basis.

Powers started all 17 games for the Broncos last season and the first 11 games this fall. He has been penalized four times and allowed one sack in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.

Denver’s depth chart lists Calvin Throckmorton as the backup guard behind Powers. Other backup options include Alex Forsyth, Matt Peart and Alex Palczewski.

Elsewhere on the injury front, wide receiver Josh Reynolds (finger) and running back Tyler Badie (back) are eligible to return from injured reserve, but Badie has not yet returned to practice.

Denver’s complete Thursday injury report can be seen below. DNP = did not participate.

Player Wed Thur Fri Game Status
DB P.J. Locke (thumb) Full Full
LB Drew Sanders (Achilles) Full Full
WR Josh Reynolds (hand) Full Full
DL Zach Allen (NIR – rest) Limited Full
DB Brandon Jones (abdomen) Limited Full
G Ben Powers (shoulder) DNP Limited

The Broncos will practice again on Friday before releasing a final injury report with game statuses for Sunday’s showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders.

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Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz delivered huge blocks vs. Falcons

Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz dominated the Falcons on Sunday.

Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz is a beast.

The 2023 Pro Bowl alternate continues turning heads as he delivers pancake blocks on a near-weekly basis with the Broncos.

Meinerz played a role in running back Javonte Williams’ team-effort touchdown run, and he also delivered two big blocks against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

In the third quarter, Meinerz blocked Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss down field, then he turned his attention toward lighting up Atlanta safety Jessie Bates. Those blocks helped wide receiver Troy Franklin score on a screen play to extend the lead to 28-6.

Here’s the play, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter/X page. Meinerz is the right guard, No. 77:

Meinerz delivered another pancake block on linebacker Nate Landman on a different screen pass:

Former NFL offensive lineman AQ Shipley reacted to Meinerz’s big block on Twitter/X:

Meinerz (6-3, 320 pounds) has clearly established himself as one of the best guards in the NFL, and he should earn his first career Pro Bowl nod this fall.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid reveals the reason Kingsley Suamataia was Inactive in Week 11

Kansas City #Chiefs head coach Andy Reid reveals the reason Kingsley Suamataia was Inactive in Week 11 | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke to the media on Monday for his weekly Zoom press conference. He revealed his reason for keeping rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia inactive for Week 11 against the Buffalo Bills.

“Yeah, Kingsley (Suamataia) is gonna be okay. It’s just sometimes you take a step back, take a step forward,” said Reid. “That’s what we felt we needed to do there. So we’ll go from there and see how things work out here as he continues to work forward.”

Suamataia’s struggles as the starter are noted throughout the early parts of the season, as Wanya Morris has taken the reigns back in recent weeks. Reid addressed his performance and the potential of adding a veteran in free agency.

“So I actually thought Wanya (Morris) got a little bit better. This week, he’s been doing that for the most part every week, but the injury stepped on it last week for a while,” said Reid. “But I felt like he did some good things for a young guy; he improved and will continue to improve with reps there, and then, as far as the veteran player goes, (Brett) Veach is always keeping his eyes so he would be the one that heads that up and, he bird dogs, all that.”

The Chiefs will look to start a new winning streak this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. With a few games left before the postseason, they need victories to remain atop the AFC.

Chiefs star celebrates 32nd birthday ahead of Week 12 matchup vs. Panthers

#Chiefs OL Joe Thuney celebrated his 32nd birthday on Monday ahead of Kansas City’s Week 12 matchup against the Carolina #Panthers.

The Kansas City Chiefs have relied on their offensive line to keep Patrick Mahomes on his feet, and on Monday, one member of the team’s front five celebrated a birthday.

Veteran guard Joe Thuney was the latest player to earn a birthday shoutout from the Chiefs on Twitter after Kansas City’s disappointing loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Thuney turned 32 years old, and he has a lot to celebrate as a four-time Super Bowl champion.

The former NC State Wolfpack star entered the league as a third-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2016 NFL draft and signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in 2021 after Kansas City’s loss in Super Bowl LV.

Expect Thuney to continue making his presence felt in Week 12 when the Chiefs travel down South to face the Carolina Panthers with a chance to earn their tenth win of the regular season and maintain their spot as the AFC’s top team by record.

Chiefs bench struggling rookie OL for Week 11 matchup vs. Bills

#Chiefs rookie Kingsley Suamataia has been benched for Kansas City’s Week 11 matchup against the Buffalo #Bills.

The Kansas City Chiefs decided to bench rookie offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia for their Week 11 matchup against the Buffalo Bills this afternoon.

Suamataia was selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft and made significant strides toward earning the starting left tackle spot on Kansas City’s front five during training camp and thee preseason.

However, the former BYU Cougar has struggled to find his footing during the regular season and put together a disastrous performance against the Denver Broncos in Week 10.

Veteran lineman Wanya Morris is set to start at left tackle for the Chiefs against Buffalo:

The fact that Suamataia has been benched isn’t necessarily an indication that Kansas City’s coaching staff has lost faith in him, but it also doesn’t bode well for the rookie’s chances of seeing significant playing time later this season.

Stay tuned to see how Morris performs against the Bills’ outstanding defensive line with Suamataia out of action.

Raiders to field 6th different starting OL of the season Week 11 vs Dolphins

When the Raiders take the field against the Dolphins week 11, they will have their sixth different starting offensive line combination.

Sunday when the Raiders take the field on offense against the Dolphins in Miami, the offensive line will be almost completely unrecognizable from the one that took the field at the start of the season. Heck, it won’t even resemble the one that took the field for their last game.

Injuries along with poor play from the initial starters has completely transformed the Raiders offensive line. This week they will field their whopping sixth different starting offensive line combination this season.

From left to right, the starting five will be LT Kolton Miller, LG Dylan Parham, C Jackson Powers-Johnson, RG Jordan Meredith, and RT DJ Glaze.

The only position on the line with the same starter from the season opener is left tackle Kolton Miller.

Cody Whitehair started the season at left guard — he’s OUT for this game. Andre James started the season at center — he’s OUT for this game.
Dylan Parham started the season at right guard — he got injured and then supplanted as the starter by Jordan Meredith.
Thayer Munford started the season at right tackle — he got injured and then supplanted as the starter by rookie DJ Glaze.

Here is what the starting lineup has looked like for each game this season:

Week LT LG C RG RT
1 Miller Whitehair James Parham Munford
2 Miller Peat James Parham Munford
3 Miller Whitehair James Parham Munford
4 Miller P-Johnson James Parham Glaze
5 Miller P-Johnson James Parham Glaze
6 Miller P-Johnson James Parham Glaze
7 Miller P-Johnson James Meredith Glaze
8 Miller P-Johnson James Meredith Glaze
9 Miller Whitehair P-Johnson Meredith Glaze
11 Miller Parham P-Johnson Meredith Glaze

“At the end of the day, it’s kind of been like our whole season. Next man up, right? Next man up,” head coach Antonio Pierce said of the shuffling line.

“You just hate that we keep changing all these pieces along the offensive line, because at some point, you’d like just to have five guys there, continuity, chemistry. That’s really the glue to our team, when you can have that. So something we’re working on consistently.”

On one hand, it’s hard to gain any consistency of play without continuity. On the other hand, finding the best five is important and at least two of these guys was replaced by someone who outplayed them.

It’s very possible this lineup is the best five the Raiders have. Parham moves back to left guard where he had played the past two seasons and Andre James didn’t do much to keep Rimington Award Winner Powers-Johnson from getting his shot to take the job. And thus far, JPJ has looked the part.

As for depth, the Raiders may need to dig into their practice squad for that.

PFF: Two Chiefs linemen have earned top pass-blocking grades this season

See which two #Chiefs linemen have earned high marks from the experts at Pro Football Focus this season.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ perfect season remains intact heading into Week 11 and the defending Super Bowl champions are well on their way to a third-straight title.

Though the Chiefs’ playmakers have struggled for most of the season, Kansas City’s offensive line has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise lackluster offensive attack.

Led by star center Creed Humphrey and veteran guard Joe Thuney, the Chiefs’ interior line has been among the best in the league this season, ranking first in run-block win rate and fifth in pass-block win rate.

On Wednesday, Pro Football Focus released their highest-graded pass-blocking offensive lineman this season, with Thuney and Humphrey leading the league at their respective positions entering Week 11.

 

As Kansas City looks to keep its undefeated season alive against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, expect the Chiefs’ stellar offensive line to continue providing perfect protection for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Wil Lutz and Ben Kotwica give the final word on Alex Forsyth

“Alex [Forsyth] just wants to get better and we’ve gotta do a better job as coaches giving them tools to be successful,” Ben Kotwica said.

The Denver Broncos lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday when their last-second field goal attempt was blocked.

Broncos lineman Alex Forsyth has faced heavy criticism from fans and pundits following the block because the Chiefs penetrated the line by knocking Forsyth down and jumping over him.

Many Denver players — including quarterback Bo Nix — have come to Forsyth’s defense, as has coach Sean Payton. Even former players have defended the lineman and his tough task on field goal protection.

After practice on Thursday, Broncos special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica was asked about Forsyth during his weekly media session.

“First off, Alex is a tremendous football player,” Kotwica said. “Love having him, he’s a great teammate. We’re all part of that. So even though that might be the isolated spotlight, we’re all part of that.

“We’ve had those conversations and mostly it’s been ball. Alex just wants to get better and we’ve gotta do a better job as coaches at giving them tools to be successful. So I think putting that all together, I think I’m excited about the product we’ll see moving forward.”

Denver kicker Wil Lutz also chimed in this week on Twitter/X.

“Team game, we’re all in this together,” Lutz tweeted. “We can all be better. Excited for the challenge this field goal unit has in front of us this week!”

The Broncos’ field goal unit will aim to bounce back when the team hosts the Atlanta Falcons at Empower Field at Mile High in Week 11.

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Broncos coach Sean Payton ‘felt sick’ watching film of blocked field goal

“I felt sick watching it,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of the blocked field goal. “I felt like, ‘Hey that’s on us [coaches].’”

After the Kansas City Chiefs broke through Alex Forsyth’s protection to block a field goal and beat the Denver Broncos on Sunday, the offensive lineman faced intense criticism from both fans and pundits.

Broncos coach Sean Payton came to Forsyth’s defense by saying the block was on the coaching staff, not a single player. Denver quarterback Bo Nix also gave a passionate response to the Forsyth backlash on Wednesday, and other teammates (and even ex-Broncos) have had the lineman’s back.

Payton reiterated on Wednesday that it was primarily a coaching mistake.

“I think it’s just — I felt sick watching it,” Payton said. “I felt like, ‘Hey that’s on us.’ In other words, technique and then also, “Are we asking the right players to do the right things?’ [Offensive line coach] Zach Strief played forever in that position and he’s someone after watching it — every one of us felt as coaches that we let the players down and we needed to see that and correct that. That’s difficult when that happens. You as a coach … that’s how we felt.”

Forsyth and Denver’s field goal unit will look to play a clean game when the Broncos host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11. There’s no doubt that all eyes will be on Forsyth the next time Denver lines up to attempt a field goal.

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