ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — To beat the Chiefs -- which the Broncos have no clue how to do -- it helps to have some scoring threats.
The Broncos are even greater underdogs today than they were to start the week -- and they were big underdogs to start the week -- as head coach Nathaniel Hackett essentially counted top receiver Courtland Sutton out for the game Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs with a hamstring injury.
"The hamstring is so finicky for each individual guy,'' Hackett said. "I would expect for us to be safe with that one because we don't want to have a setback or something like that so it's not looking good this week for him."
The Broncos, losers of 13 straight games to the Chiefs dating back to week 2 of the 2015 season, are 9.5-point home underdogs Sunday when the AFC West teams meet for the first time this season at Empower Field at Mile High.
The 3-9 Broncos are six games behind the 9-3 Chiefs with six games to play so Denver is already eliminated from the AFC West title for the seventh consecutive season.
Sutton leads the Broncos with 52 catches for 688 yards. He pulled up late in the first half of the Broncos' 10-9 loss at Baltimore on Sunday. He is sidelined as the Broncos' No. 2 receiver, Jerry Jeudy, returned on a limited basis last week against Baltimore because of an ankle injury. Jeudy has 34 catches for 514 yards this season.
The Broncos have lost two other top receivers this year in KJ Hamler (hamstring) and Tim Patrick (ACL).
Sutton, fullback Andrew Beck and linebacker Dakota Allen will not practice Wednesday because hamstring issues. Left guard Dalton Risner (shoulder, back), guard-tackle Tom Compton (illness) and kicker Brandon McManus (quad) also won't practice.
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