If Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson does not clear the NFL’s concussion protocol before Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, backup Brett Rypien will start in his place.
Rypien replaced an injured Wilson in the fourth quarter of last week’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Just a few plays after entering the game, Rypien threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy that made it a six-point game.
“When he comes in there and we call a pass right out the gate, he made a smart decision by throwing it out of bounds,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said. “Then he comes back on a 4th-and-7 situation and that was a dime. That was an unbelievable throw. We talked about tight windows in that area — throwing it over a linebacker and delivering it to Jerry. That is one of the hardest things to do in that situation. I thought that was great by him.”
Rypien unfortunately wasn’t able to complete the comeback effort that Wilson started, but Hackett was pleased with his overall performance.
“From an improvement standpoint, let’s get him out in practice and let’s get him back in the groove so that he can go out there and execute,” Hackett said. “He did a good job against the Jets. There are things that he can correct, and he knows that. We’ll see where he goes.”
Rypien completed 52.17% of his passes for 225 yards with no touchdowns and one interception when he started in the place of an injured Wilson against New York in Week 7. If he starts again on Sunday, the QB will undoubtedly be looking to improve on those totals.
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