Can the Broncos’ defense start fast as Denver…

CAN THE BRONCOS GET THEIR WIDE RECEIVERS MORE INVOLVED?

The Broncos made it clear during the bye week that Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick are a big part of this team’s future, as they signed the two players to a four-year and three-year contract extension, respectively. Both players, though, haven’t quite made the impact in recent weeks that Broncos fans have become accustomed to seeing.

In the last five games, Sutton has caught just nine passes for 110 yards, and he’s been held out of the end zone since Week 6 against the Raiders. Patrick, meanwhile, had productive games against Washington and Dallas, but he has just six catches for 49 yards in the last three weeks. Sutton’s drop in production happens to line up with Jerry Jeudy’s return to the field, but Head Coach Vic Fangio said there wasn’t a connection between the two events.

“I think it’s coincidental more so than by design, for sure,” Fangio said Monday. “We’d like to get the ball to Courtland as much as we can. Courtland is a playmaker for us, and we’ve got to find a way to get him the ball.”

Jeudy has found a bit more production — he’s Denver’s leading receiver since he returned from injury in Week 8 — but he has yet to score a touchdown in his six games this season. That drought is not unique to Jeudy; Broncos receivers have scored just one touchdown since Week 6.

As the Broncos look to get Sutton and Patrick more involved and get all three players into the end zone, Fangio said play-action passes and formations will be a focus.

“Our whole passing game needs to improve a little bit,” Fangio said this week. “We never got into a rhythm last week in our last game. The week before, we didn’t have a lot of the yards either. We just need to get our passing game, as a whole, in a better rhythm.”

The Broncos will need their trio of receivers to be at their best down the stretch, and Sunday’s game against Detroit would be a perfect time to get back on track.

HOW WILL THE BRONCOS HANDLE THE EMOTION OF SUNDAY’S GAME?

The Broncos will wear No. 88 helmet stickers to honor Thomas, and they’ll have both a pregame video tribute and a moment of silence. Simply put, there will be some emotional moments on Sunday as the team remembers one of the franchise’s all-time greats.

There’s no real way to quantify how this could impact Sunday’s game, but it’s also impossible to ignore. The grief that Broncos players are feeling is real — and it will likely be a difficult afternoon for many.

“Obviously, the people that knew him and were around him — they’re sad and depressed, and down a little bit,” Fangio said on Friday. “I think everybody handled the day well. We had a good practice, and we’re ready to pay tribute to him on Sunday.”

Tackle Garett Bolles echoed that sentiment, saying that the Broncos hoped to honor Thomas through their play on both Sunday and through the rest of the season.

“His legacy will live on,” Bolles said. “The one thing he always said was his name was going to be in these rafters, and everyone’s going to know who he is for so many years. We’ve got to put 88 in our hearts, and hopefully he gives us that juice, he gives us that desire to go make the playoffs. That’s what I feel like we need to do for him, and hopefully we do that.”