Brett Rypien's Classy Comment on Russell Wilson Silences Critics
After a clunky start to Sunday's game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, it appeared as if Denver Broncos' QB Russell Wilson was going to turn in another mystifying, disjointed performance. However, despite finding himself in a 27-0 hole in the first half, Wilson battled back with easily his best and most encouraging performance of the season.
Wilson willed the Broncos back to within a stone's throw from making it a one-score game with the Chiefs, before he was knocked from the game with a concussion. The injury was suffered on a had-to-have-it 3rd-&-11 on the Chiefs' 16-yard line, where Wilson turned in a signature off-schedule play, picking up 14 hard-earned yards, and diving head-first to ensure he moved the chains.
Brett Rypien entered in relief of Wilson with 11:45 left in the game. Wilson had set Rypien up with a goal-to-go situation on the Chiefs' 2-yard line. It took all four downs, but Rypien ensured that Wilson's self-sacrifice in Kansas City territory didn't come up empty-handed, finding Jerry Jeudy in the back of the end zone for the receiver's third touchdown of the day.
Denver drew to within six points of Kansas City, but couldn't bridge the gap without Wilson. Afterward, Rypien shared his observations of Wilson's performance before suffering that concussion, and why he'll continue to follow the 11th-year pro.
“He was stepping up and making plays—putting his body on the line," Rypien said of Wilson. "You can say all you want but we’re 3-9 and they’re 9-3. The guy is out there battling his [butt] off to try and win the game. That to me is somebody I want to follow.”
Head coach Nathaniel Hackett concurred with his backup quarterback when it came to Wilson.
“He was fighting the whole game," Hackett said. "I give him so much credit and you see it, day-in and day-out. No matter what the situation is, just watching him there in that third-down situation to be able to break the pocket, and he was using his legs a lot. He obviously ended up getting a concussion... But he played really well.”
Indeed, Wilson did play well for a good stretch of the game. But the pick-six he threw, which saw the Chiefs get to 27-0, ended up being the difference in the game. Willie Gay made one heck of a play, picking off Wilson and rumbling to the house.
From there, though, Wilson was a lit fuse, though it took a little help from the Broncos' defense to get him going. Josey Jewell's first interception proved to be the catalyst to sparking Wilson in the first half.
Wilson showcased his ability to make plays from inside and outside the pocket, using his legs to create opportunities when things went off schedule. He still ran into a few sacks, and appeared a little spooked at times, but he finished the day 23-of-36 for 247 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. Good for a QB rating of 100.1.
Wilson also chipped in a team-high 57 rushing yards on just four attempts, which really put the Chiefs' defense on its heels. This was the version of Wilson Broncos fans thought they were getting when GM George Paton made the blockbuster trade to acquire him from Seattle, mortgaging Denver's future in the process.
For now, Wilson is in concussion protocol and his status for Sunday's tilt vs. Arizona is up in the air. But if he plays, it'll be interesting to see if he can pick up where he left off against the Chiefs.
Wilson's day at the office, leading to 28 points — the most Denver has scored this season — was enough to spark some hope in the fan base that he isn't washed, that the nine-time Pro Bowler is still in there somewhere. He also showed a lot of emotional fire on the field, celebrating with passion as his team made big plays and scored touchdowns. The 'neutral' Wilson of this season was silenced.
The question is, in the off chance that the Broncos opt to play it safe and shut Wilson down for the season, considering that the team has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, was his game against the Chiefs enough to win back some intrigue in the 2023 class of head-coaching candidates, who may have heretofore been rather turned off by the QB's shocking regression?
Time will tell.
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