Lindsay’s 1,000-yard moment spoiled by Broncos loss to Raiders

With 46 yards on the ground Monday against the Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos rookie running back eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season.

However, much like Von Miller’s franchise sack record set last week against the Cleveland Browns, the 27-14 loss to the Raiders seems to have overshadowed Lindsay’s accomplishment.

“He’s had a great year, and, obviously, his story is special. We’re proud of him,” Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said after the game. “We didn’t win the football game, which kind of spoiled it for him, but he’s had a great year.”

With the effort, Lindsay becomes not only the sixth Broncos rookie running back to cross the 1,000-yard threshold but is also just the third undrafted player to achieve the feat in his rookie season in NFL history.

The 46 yards on the ground leapfrogs Lindsay over LeGarrette Blount, who had 1,007 yards as an undrafted rookie in 2010. The Broncos running back now trails just Dominic Rhodes, who put up 1,104 yards in 2001, for the most rushing yards in league history by an undrafted rookie.

After the game, Lindsay called it a “special moment,” deflecting credit to his offensive line.

“The offensive line has played a big part in this whole journey. It is a special moment,” Lindsay said. “It’s unfortunate that it didn’t come with a win, but it is something to build off of. We have a great offensive line. We just have to get our feet back under us. We have to get a grove back.”

Lindsay becomes the second Broncos running back in as many years to run for 1,000 yards in a single season, following C.J. Anderson, who had 1,007 for Denver in 2017. Before that, the last Broncos runner to eclipse the mark was Knowshon Moreno in 2013 with 1,038 yards.

During the game, Anderson tweeted his congratulations to Lindsay on reaching the 1,000-yard mark:

Congrats on the 1k season @I_CU_boy keep balling

— Cj Anderson (@cjandersonb22) December 25, 2018

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.