Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant suffered a scary injury on Sunday on which he stayed down for several minutes, was taken off the field on a stretcher, and put directly on an ambulance. But the news on Bryant Monday morning is good.
Bryant was released from the hospital within hours, according to multiple reports.
Although Bryant was diagnosed with a concussion, he cleared all other testing and does not have a neck or spinal injury, which was an initial concern given his posture when he was knocked to the ground.
Bryant was hit hard by Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown while leaping to catch a high pass over the middle from Bo Nix on the second-to-last play of the Broncos’ 34-20 loss. Brown led with his shoulder, and while one official initially threw a flag, after a discussion Brown was not penalized for the hit.
Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant stayed down for a long time after taking a legal hit from Jaguars defensive back Montaric Brown late in Sunday’s 34-20 home loss and he was eventually placed on a stretcher to be carted off the field.
Reporters at the game noted that Bryant was then taken to an ambulance to leave the stadium.
Head coach Sean Payton said at a postgame press conference that it was “encouraging” that Bryant had movement in his extremities. A league source told PFT that Bryant was taken to a local hospital as a precaution and that he is being evaluated for concussion-like symptoms.
Bryant took a hard hit to the chest and shoulder while trying to catch a pass from Bo Nix as the Broncos tried for a last-ditch rally in the final minute of the game. He had five catches for 42 yards before the injury.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said recently that he doesn’t think his team gets the respect they deserve, but that should change after Sunday’s performance.
Lawrence threw three touchdowns and ran for another to help the Jaguars to a 34-20 win in Denver. The win is the sixth in a row for the Jaguars and it put an end to the Broncos’ 11-game winning streak.
Lawrence had four touchdown passes in last Sunday’s win over the Jets and he has 12 over the last four games. He set a career-high with 26 touchdown passes for the season and also has a career-high seven rushing touchdowns. All in all, he has looked like the franchise quarterback that many in Jacksonville have been aching to see over the last couple of seasons and his ascension could not be coming at a better time for the Jags.
Wide receiver Parker Washington was the chief beneficiary of Lawrence’s accuracy on Sunday. He had six catches for 145 yards and a score to continue his breakout third NFL season.
Denver has been adept at pulling off comebacks this season, but a pair of turnovers dashed those hopes this week. A botched handoff to Jaleel McLaughlin led to a lost fumble and quarterback Bo Nix got picked off by Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones after a Jaguars three-and-out kept the door open for some last-minute heroics.
Wide receiver Pat Bryant was injured late in the game on a big hit by Jaguars defensive back Montaric Brown and he was carted off after extensive attention from the team’s medical staff. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw also left the game with an injury.
The win lifts the Jaguars to 11-4 on the season and they will clinch a playoff spot if the Colts lose on Monday night. The win also opens the door to a run at the top seed in the AFC and opens the door to the Patriots moving back up the pecking order if they can beat the Ravens on Sunday night.
Lawrence got his ankle retaped late in the game, so his practice status will be something to watch heading into the Jags’ Week 17 road game against the Colts. They’ll also be keeping eyes on cornerback Greg Newsome, right guard Patrick Mekari and cornerback Jourdan Lewis after they left the game with injuries.
The 12-3 Broncos have already clinched a playoff berth, but they have not sewn up the AFC West title. They’ll face the ailing Chiefs on Christmas, which should help their chances of righting the ship after their first loss since September. If they can’t, a Week 18 date with the 11-4 Chargers looms as a potential battle for the divisional crown. That keeps things more interesting than Sean Payton and company would have liked as the end of the regular season comes into view.
The Broncos pulled off one of this season’s most improbable comebacks against the Giants and they will need a little more fourth quarter magic to extend their winning streak to 12 games.
A Cam Little field goal with just over a minute off the clock in the fourth quarter put the Jaguars up 34-17 in Denver. The Broncos were down 18 points to the Giants in the fourth quarter before pulling off a win in October.
Broncos rookie running back RJ Harvey tied the game 17-17 with a touchdown run on the Broncos’ first possession of the second half, but the Jaguars scored back-to-back touchdowns before the Broncos lost a fumble on a botched handoff. The defense held for the Little field goal and Denver’s offense came back to life on a 48-yard pass from quarterback Bo Nix to wide receiver Troy Franklin.
Nix couldn’t complete any passes into the end zone, however, and a Wil Lutz field goal cut the Jaguars lead to 34-20 with 10:44 left to play.
The Broncos came back in the second half against the Packers at home last week for their 11th straight win and they’ll need to mount another comeback in Denver to stretch their winning streak to 12.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and then drove for a Cam Little field goal as time expired in the second quarter. The result is a 17-10 lead for the road team.
Lawrence hooked up with wideout Parker Washington and tight end Brenton Strange for the two scores. He is 13-of-21 for 130 yards and now has six touchdown passes over his last six quarters of work.
The Washington touchdown opened the scoring and the Broncos answered with 10 straight points, but they also missed a field goal in the first quarter and punted twice during the first 30 minutes. They will get the ball to open the second half and they’ll need to find a way to put more points on the board given how well the Jaguars have been able to move the ball so far on Sunday.
