The Denver Broncos rattled off 30 unanswered points and beat the San Francisco 49ers in their first preseason matchup. Payton, after the first half of the contest, admitted he wasn't happy with both the offense and defense.
While he expressed his frustrations after the contest when speaking to the media, Payton was all smiles toward the end of the contest when the team was buzzing.
Unfortunately, while there was a lot to celebrate and a little to complain about, Payton gave a devastating injury update that will surely impact the regular season. Matt Henningsen tore his Achilles and will miss the entire season.
Heningsen was cut last summer and spent the season on the practice squad before the team ultimately brought him back on a futures deal this year. As Sean Payton expressed, the team will be without Henningsen for the entire season. Henningsen will undergo surgery with hopes of bouncing back and contributing in 2026.
Mike Klis from 9News had previously reported on the injury sustained by DL Matt Henningsen during the Broncos' joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers on Friday. As Klis reported, "Doctors need to further evaluate the MRI exams before the Achilles injury is confirmed."
Henningsen was going to compete for a reserve role on an already impressive unit. The 2022 sixth-round selection has appeared in all 34 games with a few QB hits, 40 combined tackles, and a sack to boot.
Here's hoping for a speedy recovery and to get to see him back in a Broncos uniform this time next season.
Despite the horrible update, there were more than enough positive notes from the team's performance after the smoke settles and the dust clears after preseason Week 1 has wrapped. Sean Payton is hoping to bring a Lombardi trophy back to Denver. In order to do that, the first step is to stay healthy.
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