National Football League

Broncos QB Orton misses 2nd half with ankle injury

Published Nov. 15, 2009 11:05 p.m. ET

foxsports

Quarterback Kyle Orton sat out the second half of the Denver Broncos' 27-17 loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday with an injured left ankle and wasn't sure whether he'll be able to play next week. Orton came up hobbling after being tackled on a third-down scramble right before halftime. He was on the sideline during the second half, his ankle heavily taped. "I was hoping to come back out, and I just wasn't able to," said Orton, who was 11 for 18 for 193 yards and two long touchdown passes to Brandon Marshall. Coming out of halftime, Orton said he tried a few practice throws but then told coach Josh McDaniels he wouldn't be able to play. Orton said after the game it was too soon to say whether he would be able to play against the San Diego Chargers next Sunday. "I'm not going to sit here and talk about it," he said. Backup Chris Simms played the second half against Washington, his first action this season. And the rust showed: Simms completed 3 of 13 passes for 13 yards and an interception, which translates to a passer rating of 7.5. For comparison's sake, Orton's passer rating against Washington was 134.7. "We'll see what happens with Kyle. If I get a full week of reps in practice under my belt, I'll be able to go next Sunday," Simms said. While Simms said he didn't know how bad Orton's injury is, he also said, "As of right now, I'm anticipating" playing against San Diego. Simms threw two passes all of last season, when he was with the Tennessee Titans. What was McDaniels saying to Simms during Sunday's rough second half? "Josh is pretty even-keel, no matter what the situation is," Simms said. "He just said: 'I'm going to call the same things I would always call.' And I said, 'Good."' After getting off to a 6-0 start, the Broncos have lost three consecutive games to fall to 6-3.