DENVER -- Broncos fullback Cecil Sapp is out for the season
after breaking his left leg while returning a kickoff in the fourth
quarter against Seattle on Sunday night.
But Denver got good news Monday on linebacker Al Wilson, who
might return to practice Wednesday, an amazing possibility
considering he was immobilized and carted off the field after
spraining his neck going for a fumble. Coach Mike Shanahan said
Wilson still had some numbness in his shoulders.
Sapp was hurt returning a kickoff with three minutes left in
Denver's 23-20 loss to the Seahawks. He was tackled by
Niko Koutouvides and Lance Laury and was bent backward in the pile.
One of Denver's top special teams players, Sapp was placed on
injured reserve Monday and will have surgery sometime this week.
There wasn't an immediate corresponding roster move.
Sapp is the fifth Denver player lost for the season. The other
four all suffered knee injuries: defensive end Courtney Brown, left
tackle Matt Lepsis and safeties Sam Brandon and Nick Ferguson.
Sapp was one of the Broncos' top special teams player and with
the Broncos' rotation of running backs struggling to find a rhythm,
he sparked Denver's backfield with runs of 28 and 11 yards against
Indianapolis on Oct. 29. On Sunday night, he reeled off a 20-yard
gain on third-and-1 in the third quarter.
Wilson, who was taken to Sky Ridge Medical Center for tests, was
back home but still had tingling in his shoulders and upper arms on
Monday, Shanahan said.
"I was obviously happy to hear the MRIs were negative, the
X-rays were negative. He was released out of the hospital last
night around 11:15. That was a good sign," Shanahan said.
"Hopefully, he feels good Wednesday."
Shanahan said Wilson could practice Wednesday if the numbness
subsides.
After about a 10-minute delay while doctors tended to Wilson,
Keith Burns took his place and the Broncos surrendered three
straight scoring drives.
"Oh, I know it did," Shanahan said when asked if he felt the
defense was affected by the loss of its fiery leader. "You could
feel it on the sideline. I mean, I was affected by it. When a guy
sits there and he's can't feel his fingers and he's got something
that he's never felt before and watching him there for about 10
minutes, yeah, you're concerned for a guy's health."
The Broncos (7-5) have lost three in a row for the first time
since 2003 and made a change at quarterback Sunday night with
rookie Jay Cutler replacing an ineffective Jake Plummer, who served
as a backup for the first time in his 10-year NFL career.