Broncos: RG Chris Kuper questionable for Thursday's game

Chris Kuper was dealt an apparent setback in his struggles with ankle problems and was downgraded from probable to questionable hours before the Broncos play the Raiders.

On Nov. 4, Broncos guard Chris Kuper re-injured his left ankle but returned three games later. US Presswire!

Broncos RG Chris Kuper was downgraded from probable to questionable on the injury report because of an ankle injury hours before the Broncos face the Oakland Raiders on Thursday night, and that raises all sorts of red flags.

Kuper had played the last two games after missing the previous two because of a left ankle sprain suffered in the third quarter of the Broncos' 31-23 win at Cincinnati on Nov. 4, and appeared to be on the mend. But the ankle is the same one that he injured last Jan. 1, when he tore ligaments and fractured a bone in his leg, necessitating an offseason of rehabilitation.

Because of the ankle problems and a fractured left forearm suffered in training camp, Kuper has started just five of 12 games this season, with backup Manny Ramirez starting the others. That the Broncos are 5-0 when Kuper starts and 4-3 when Ramirez starts can be chalked up mainly to the quality of the opposition, as only one of Kuper's starts came against a team that currently has a winning record, while four of Ramirez's seven starts did.

However, QB Peyton Manning is at further risk of danger when Kuper is not in the lineup. He's been sacked one every 82.5 pass plays with Kuper at right guard; with Ramirez in the lineup, that spikes to one every 21.4.

The Broncos already have ruled another starter, LB Wesley Woodyard, out for the game, as he did not make the trip to Oakland.

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