Leaked Video Shows Dalton Risner Shoving Broncos QB
If Sunday's 51-14 final score at SoFi Stadium didn't telegraph that the Denver Broncos are splintering, the sideline dust-up between starting left guard Dalton Risner, and backup quarterback Brett Rypien certainly did.
On the heels of a failed offensive series wherein Russell Wilson was sent to the turf multiple times by the Los Angeles Rams, while no Broncos offensive lineman could be troubled to help him up, Rypien walked over to Risner and company and gave him a piece of his mind.
From the sideline, Mitchell Reiter caught the Bronco-on-Bronco altercation, and the immediate aftermath, on video.
As you can see, following Risner's shoving of Rypien, Denver's starting running back Latavius Murray pushed the big lineman back. Risner appeared to take umbrage with Murray's retaliation before hollering in Rypien's direction, "Do something, Ryp!"
Over, and over. It's unclear exactly what Rypien said to trigger Risner's wrath. Adding insult to injury, it occurred under the limelight of a nationally televised game on Christmas Day.
At the podium post-game, head coach Nathaniel Hackett didn't delve too deeply into his team's friendly fire situation on the sideline.
"Everybody’s frustrated," Hackett said. "It was a bad game, an embarrassing game.”
Where Hackett got it wrong is when he followed that up with, "That's the first game that we've had like that."
Anyone who's paid attention to the Broncos knows that this Christmas Day debacle wasn't the first of its kind. The Broncos continue to take 'rock bottom' to new depths.
If we're talking rock bottom, getting swept by Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders, the home overtime loss to the impotent Indianapolis Colts, and falling at Empower Field at Mile High to Zach Wilson and the New York Jets qualified at the time.
Rypien took a stand for whatever he saw happening out there at SoFi Stadium, and let's face it: you get the most flak when you're over the target. Risner's explosive, violent retort showed that whatever Rypien said cut close to the bone.
The Broncos are a mess. Wilson played like an in-over-his-head rookie after missing last week's action with a concussion. He tossed three interceptions in his first 17 attempts.
Wilson was bad enough, and the Broncos were getting whooped so pathetically that Hackett pulled him in the fourth quarter. The Broncos had $245 million sitting on the bench.
The day of reckoning soon approaches, though, as the Broncos have two games left before this shocking failure of a season comes to an end. 'Black Monday' can't get here soon enough.
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