The Denver Broncos’ playoff push just took a giant blow as running back J.K. Dobbins is headed to injured reserve.
The worst part? He might require immediate surgery, which would likely end Dobbins’ season unless the Broncos make it to the Super Bowl in February, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Saturday that Dobbins has a Lisfranc injury in his foot that required a season-ending surgery. The Broncos placed him on IR the same day.
He got the injury blow in the third quarter of last week’s 10-7 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on an illegal hip-drop tackle. He limped off the field but returned and finished the game with 18 carries for 77 yards.
The very next day, he posted an unfiltered rant on X, calling for hip-drop tackles to be penalized and sought a second medical opinion. His outright frustration confirmed the level of injury setback he is dealing with.
Dobbins already had surgery on the foot and was expected to go on IR, which would sideline him for at least four games. But sources say the injury is likely season-ending. He could technically return in Week 16 against Jacksonville, but the more realistic outcome is that he’ll miss the rest of the regular season.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. Dobbins was talking openly late last month about wanting to remain with Denver past this season, saying, “I hope to end my career here and be here for the rest of the time in the NFL”.
The Broncos’ coaches considered Dobbins as the most reliable running back in pass protection and was usually the choice in those situations, especially in tight games. Losing that presence hurts more than just the rushing attack.
Rookie RJ Harvey now assumes the starting role. The second-round pick has 50 carries for 214 yards and two touchdowns this season. However, he contributed most in the passing game, where he has 25 receptions for 175 yards and four receiving scores.
“Definitely excited to showcase my running ability,” he sounded ready for the challenge on Friday. “Whatever coach wants me to do, I’m willing to do on the field and help my team the best way possible.”
The injury streak has followed Dobbins for years. He tore multiple knee ligaments at the end of his 2020 rookie season in Baltimore and missed all of 2021. In 2023, he tore his Achilles in Week 1 and was out for the rest of the year.
Last season with the Chargers, he missed four games late in the year due to a knee injury. History is set to repeat itself this season again.
For a player who said he wanted to finish his career in Denver, this is a heartbreaking way to end his time with the Broncos, potentially. He was having the best season of his career. But one illegal tackle changed everything.
For the Packers, the end result of a 27-20 win over the Giants–no matter how unsightly the quality of play–is especially gratifying because of how close the season was to falling apart completely. That’s because, with 3:20 to play in the first quarter of the game, star quarterback Jordan Love took a particularly hard hit on a short run-scramble.
The hit came from Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles after a four-year jaunt, a play on which Love made no attempt to slide. It was a legal whack from Flannigan-Fowles but it was clear from the moment Love went down that he was injured. He scurried to the medical tent on the sideline, replaced by backup Malik Willis.
For coach Matt LaFleur, the good news is that Love is coping well now that the team is back in Green Bay. “He’s doing good. Obviously, he’s definitely sore,” LaFleur said.
Seeing Love take that kind of hit in service of a four-yard pickup, though, warranted a stern rebuke from LaFleur.
Here’s how the coach saw the play, which was essentially the equivalent of the Packers’ 2025 flashing before his eyes.
“I mean, that was a pretty big hit, one of those that you just say, ‘C’mon, man. You can’t put yourself in those situations,’” LaFleur said with a laugh.
Love, despite the injury, came back and led the Packers to a gritty victory. “I thought he played his (expletive) off yesterday, I really did,” LaFleur said. “I thought he was throwing accurately. He showed a ton of toughness in the pocket. I mean, there were multiple times he was getting hit pretty good in the pocket and he was making throws.
“I was really proud of his ability to come back in the game and just show that, not only physical toughness but the mental toughness to keep fighting.”
The question for LaFleur and other Packers coaches, though, was what the team should–and even could–do to rein in Love in those situations. It was clear that Love thought he had some room to break open a longer run on the play.
“It’s one of those deals where, things happen pretty quickly out there. I think he, as he was scrambling, he did a little pump fake and actually got the guy to leave his feet a little bit,” LaFleur said.
“I don’t know if he thought he is a little more elusive than what he really is, and thought he could get around him or not. Obviously, it didn’t work out. I do think it is a fine line in how you coach a guy in those situations because there is a lot more feel to it, because things happen so quickly.”
In Love’s place, of course, backup quarterback Malik Willis finished the Packers drive with a touchdown. Willis had not played since Week 3 of the 2024 season, but looked like he had gathered no moss.
Said LaFleur: “I can’t say enough great things about Malik. We don’t win that game without Malik. He’s a great competitor and he is so calm, I mean, just, he was in there on some critical situations. We had third downs, we called a zone read and he uses his legs, which was kind of—when your starting quarterback is out and you have your backup in there, and you call the zone read, you’re a little concerned about that because you can’t have anything happen to him.
“But he made a lot of plays in the game.