The Broncos must turn the page quickly on their loss to the Chargers.
It’s a short week of preparation for Thursday night football against the Saints — and coach Sean Payton’s homecoming in New Orleans — after the Broncos fell to the Chargers, 23-16 , on Sunday at Empower Field.
“One of the most important things in preparing for a Thursday night game is the recovery process,” Payton said on his Monday teleconference call with local media. “We had recovery stations even after the game yesterday, all day today. ... Guys coming in to get a lift. Get some film work done. Obviously, the practices get altered greatly. So, trying to be as physically and mentally fresh for the game.”
Broncos in the postgame locker room Sunday were grateful for a chance to play again quickly after a deflating loss.
“You want to get that nastiness out of your mouth and just focus,” left tackle Garett Bolles said. “We’re going to recover as best we can. Come up with our game plan that coach Payton and the coaching staff have for us and go down to Louisiana and take care of business.”
Quarterback Bo Nix added: “Everybody had their heads up like they were focused for the next week. It looked like they want to get back out there as soon as possible. So, it’s good that we get to play in four days. It’s going to be tough on us, but we have a quick turnaround. I think we’re going to handle it well, and we don’t have a choice. We have to get back moving forward, and we have to grow and get better.”
Estime returns
The Broncos activated rookie running back Audric Estime from short-term injured reserve (knee) against the Chargers. He rushed twice for 13 yards.
Payton explained on Monday why Estime did not get a heavier workload with Denver unable to establish the run against Los Angeles.
"That’s his first week back off of the short-term IR," Payton said. “Working with two backs and feeding two backs is easy, and kind of what I’m used to and what a lot of teams do. I think it’s hard with three. But we did want to get him some work and get him some reps. Obviously, we would have liked more (if) we had more snaps.”
Opponent watch: Olave in concussion protocol
Cornerback Pat Surtain is unlikely to play in New Orleans after suffering a concussion on Sunday.
The Saints will probably be missing one of their top wide receivers, too.
Chris Olave also endured a concussion in a Week 6 loss to the Buccaneers. The third-year wideout posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to begin his NFL career. He’s logged 23 catches for 280 yards for one touchdown so far this season.
Injury report
The Broncos did not practice Monday but released an estimated injury report.
Three players were limited: cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian (ankle), cornerback Riley Moss (hip) and right tackle Alex Palczewski (ankle).
Cornerback Pat Surtain did not practice with a concussion.
Full participants on the injury report were cornerback Damarri Mathis (ankle) and linebacker Justin Strnad (ribs).
Newsome signed to practice squad
The Broncos signed cornerback Quinton Newsome to their practice squad, the team announced Monday. They also released wide receiver Kaden Davis in a corresponding move.
Newsome returns to the Broncos after spending the first five weeks of this NFL season on their practice squad. He was released last week. Newsome played collegiately at Nebraska (2019-23).
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