The Denver Broncos have placed fullback Spencer Larsen on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a sprained MCL.  Larsen played in 16 games (14 starts) for the Broncos this year in which he carried the ball 14 times for 44 yards (3.1 ypc) and he also caught 9 passes for 76 yards (8.4 avg).  He also had five tackles this year.  He has now played in 50 games (15 starts) in his first four years with the Broncos and he has carried the ball 17 times for 62 yards (3.6 ypc).  Larsen has also caught 14 passes for 127 yards (9.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Larsen has also returned 4 kickoffs for 57 yards (14.3 avg) and he has 38 tackles.  The Broncos will miss Larsen’s blocking and special teams work the rest of the season.

The Broncos have placed 29-year old, starting guard Chris Kuper on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season to a broken left leg.  Kuper played in 16 games (all starts) for the Broncos last year.  He has now played in 79 games (73 starts) in his first six years with the Broncos.  This is a big blow for the Broncos heading into the playoffs this weekend.

22-year old rookie LB Von Miller had surgery to repair torn ligaments in this thumb.  He is still going to try to play this weekend against the Vikings, but I think he will miss the game.  Miller has played in 11 games for the Broncos so far this year and he has 58 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 10.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 4 passes defensed.  The Broncos hope that Miller gets well soon, because he’s the one defensive player that they can’t replace.

The Broncos have lost 24-year old cornerback Cassius Vaughn for the rest of the season as he has been placed on I.R. due to a broken fibula.  Vaughn played in 8 games for the Broncos this year and he had 20 tackles, 4 passes defensed, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and a interception that he returned for a TD.  He has now played in 21 games in two years with the Broncos and he has 28 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, 1 interception (TD), 4 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss.  The Broncos are going to miss Vaughn’s work on special teams as well as in the secondary the rest of this year.

The Broncos have placed 24-year old RB Knowshon Moreno on the Injured Reserve List due to a torn right ACL, ending his season.  Moreno played in 7 games for the Broncos this year and he carried the ball 37 times for 179 yards (4.8 ypc).  He also caught 11 passes for 101 yards (9.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Moreno has now played in 36 games in his first three years with the Broncos and he has carried the ball 466 times for 1,905 yards (4.1 ypc) with 12 TD runs.  He has also caught 76 passes for 686 yards (9.0 avg) with 6 TD grabs in his career.  This is a big blow to the Broncos due to the style of offense they are running right now.

Starting RB Willis McGahee has a fractured hand which could cause him to miss some time.  He is the Broncos’ leading rusher so far this year with 460 yards on 103 carries (4.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  McGahee has also caught 11 passes for 49 yards (4.5 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this year.  If McGahee misses some P.T., Knowshon Moreno and Lance Ball will have to step up.  Moreno has carried the ball 17 times for 54 yards (3.2 ypc) and he has caught 8 passes for 92 yards (11.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has the potential to handle a heavier workload than Lance Ball can.  Ball has carried the ball 15 times for 54 yards (3.6 ypc) and he has also caught 5 passes for 26 yards (5.2 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this year.  There is still hope that McGahee might try to gut it out and play with his injury.

UPDATE:  Willis McGahee will miss the next 1-2 weeks as he had surgery to repair his hand earlier today.

The Broncos have placed 28-year old DT Kevin Vickerson on the Injured Reserve List due to a ankle injury.  Vickerson played in 5 games for the Broncos this year and he only had 4 tackles.  Vickerson has now played in 20 games in his first two years with the Broncos and he has 46 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, 3 passes defensed and 2 tackles for a loss.

The Broncos have lost starting WR Eddie Royal for the next 2-4 weeks due to a groin strain.  Royal played in both of the Broncos games this year and he has caught 4 passes for 51 yards (12.8 avg).  Eric Decker will replace Royal and he will now be starting instead of being the #3 receiver.  Decker should be more than up to the challenge as he has caught 8 passes for 166 yards (20.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs in his first 2 games with the Broncos this year.

The Broncos have placed 24-year old cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson on the Injured Reserve List due to a torn Achilles tendon.  Thompson played in 13 games for the Broncos as a rookie last year and he had 18 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  This is a blow to the Broncos’ secondary as Thompson looked decent as a rookie in 2010.

The Broncos will be without 29-year old inside linebacker D.J. Williams for the next 3-4 weeks due to a dislocated elbow.  Williams played in all 16 games for the Broncos last year and he had 119 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 9 passes defensed.  He has now played in 107 games in his first 7 years with the Broncos and he has 720 tackles, 46 tackles for a loss, 15.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, 6 fumble recoveries, 35 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  The Broncos are really going to miss Williams as he is by far the best run defender on the team.