The Denver Broncos are headed to London for their Week 6 game against the New York Jets. Spirits are high after the team defeated the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
But there could be a cause for concern. Starting guard Ben Powers will not be making the trip with the team. Instead, he will head back to Denver to have the biceps injury suffered on Sunday further examined. In addition, backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham will not be flying out with the team as he and his wife are expecting the birth of their third child.
If Powers is unable to make the trip at all, the Broncos will need to turn to one of their reserve offensive linemen to start in his place. The top candidate for that role would likely be Alex Palczewski, a rotational lineman the Broncos really like.
Powers is in his third season with the Broncos and he has not missed a single start for the team in that time. The Broncos are following NFL protocol by making these announcements now, but it's not a good sign for the team that Powers is being kept off the initial flight out.
Stidham will still have the chance to join the team later, but if he has to miss the game, Sam Ehlinger — who has been a healthy scratch in each game this season — would become the team's No. 2 quarterback and hold the backup role to Bo Nix in London.
Compared to many teams around the league, the Broncos have been fortunate in terms of injuries this season. Losing Powers for any length of time would force the team to have a new starter on the offensive line for the first time in quite awhile.
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