Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph spoke with Bay Area media via a conference call on Wednesday to discuss facing the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
The big news out of Denver is the probable loss of wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders for the remainder of the season. The Broncos fear that their leading receiver suffered a torn Achilles during Wednesday's practice.
Joesph also discussed preparing for several 49ers players, including quarterback Nick Mullens, running back Jeff Wilson, and wide receiver Marquise Goodwin.
Joseph on losing wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders during practice:
"We had routes on air, and he just went down. He's having an MRI here in the next hour, so we'll know if it's torn or not, but obviously, that's huge for us. We lost (cornerback) Chris Harris last week with a break in his lower leg, and now with Emmanuel, that's two Pro-Bowl-caliber players and two leaders for our football team. But you know something? Everyone has injuries, and obviously next man up. We have to move on quickly. The best teams win, not the best collection of players. So we have to move on and go play a game on Sunday."
Joseph on 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens:
"He is a really good young quarterback. This guy, in his first start, he didn't flinch at all. He plays with great poise. He's got a quick release. He's got a presence about him that goes beyond his age. So when you watch this guy play, you don't see a young guy playing for the first time. You see a seasoned quarterback that's making every throw. He's come out of adversity, and he's playing well. He's definitely a guy that we have to prepare for and have a great plan for. And if we don't contain him, it could be a long day."
Joseph on 49ers running back Jeff Wilson:
"I'll tell you what, he's a hard runner. To watch him run downhill on that Seattle defense was impressive. That's a physical defense that's a run-and-hit defense. He did a great job running the football downhill. He takes care of the football. There's a lot of guys in this league just waiting for their chance to break out, and he's one of those guys. When you watch him again, it's not too big for him. He plays like he belongs. That's so important for young guys to understand. When you get your chance to play, you have to play like you belong, and he does that."
Joseph on 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin:
"He has true speed. When you have a guy like that on the field, it definitely affects the play caller. It affects your secondary; how they play him and what calls they make. It takes one play for a guy with his speed to make a big play. So it definitely affects your game plan. It affects your play caller, and it also affects the players on the field when you have a guy with that kind of speed on the field."
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