DENVER (AP) -- Denver coach John Fox says the NFL has denied Broncos linebacker Joe Mays' appeal and he will miss Sunday's game against the Raiders.
Mays was fined $50,000 and suspended for one game for his hit on Texans quarterback Matt Schaub last Sunday that sent Schaub's helmet flying and took off a chunk of his left ear.
The Broncos appealed the suspension but the NFL denied the appeal, Fox said, meaning Mays remains barred from the team's facilities until next Monday.
The Broncos are also missing linebacker D.J. Williams, out six games for violating the league's banned-substances policy. Listed behind Mays on the depth chart is rookie Steven Johnson, though Fox did not disclose who would start at middle linebacker Sunday.
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