Russell Wilson Shares True Thoughts on Rypien's Week 15 Start

Wins have been scarce for the 2022 Denver Broncos. Without Russell Wilson at the helm of the offense, the Broncos notched their fourth win of the season last week, defeating the Arizona Cardinals, 24-15.

With Brett Rypien at quarterback.

Rypien went 21-of-26 for 197 yards and a touchdown, with one interception. He earned a QB rating of 95.0.

With three-quarters of the season in the books, Rypien is now responsible for 25% of Denver's wins. Wilson couldn't play because of the concussion he suffered the week prior vs. Kansas City, but he was on the sideline to support Rypien and his teammates as the Cardinals were dispatched.

“I thought we had a great team effort across the board," Wilson said on Wednesday of his team's Week 15 performance. "I thought guys really made some great plays. I thought ‘Ryp’ played really well. I thought he got the ball out quick on those bubbles and stuff like that. Guys were able to catch—[WR] Jerry [Jeudy] was able to make some plays. I thought the line battled. In the first half, it wasn't the way we wanted it to [go], but they really adjusted really well."

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Rypien, when cast into the limelight in relief of Wilson at three different junctures this season, has always remained supportive of Denver's QB1. After Wilson's heroic performance in a losing effort (albeit) vs. the Chiefs, Rypien complimented the 10th-year veteran's grit and leadership.

It's good that Wilson is magnanimous enough to reciprocate his backup's positivity. Let's face it, though: in the minds of many Broncos fans, Rypien gets the credit for last week's win, but were it not for Latavius Murray and the Broncos' offensive line doing a 180 in the second half, the outcome could have been quite different.

"You have to give them credit about how great they did upfront," Wilson said of the Cardinals. "For us to be able to run the ball that well, that's a tough defense. They play physical, and we were able to wear them out throughout the game."

As always, Wilson, a team captain, was focused on leading his squad from the sidelines and offering what help he could as a non-participant on the field.

"For me, I was able to help lead in whatever way I could on the sideline—communicating with guys, talking to guys in the locker room at halftime or whatever it may be," Wilson said. "Also, just staying engaged throughout the game and just trying to find a way to win. We did a great job."

Rypien and Murray don't get a chance to atone for an atrocity of a first-half performance were it not for the Broncos' defense forcing multiple turnovers in the second. Broncos safety Justin Simmons picked off two passes while Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Surtain II snagged one. Wilson understands how the bread got buttered that day.

"Defense got some huge turnovers," Wilson said. "How about Justin Simmons? I've always said that he's one of the best safeties to play this game. He's been special all year and in his whole career. It’s his ability to make plays and get two interceptions. Obviously, ‘PS2’ getting an interception to close the game out. That was just a great team effort. The fans were great, too. [They were] super supportive of us and that means a lot.”

Indeed, Broncos Country still mostly showed out for its team in Week 15 amid a relatively meaningless December football game. Although there were 18,000 no-shows in the stands, the third-most in franchise history, the fans that were there stayed patient and faithful to the Broncos.

While this season is yet another destined to be relegated to the dustbin of franchise history, Broncos fans want to see more from Wilson to see if there's any hint that his mystifyingly inconsistent body of work this year is simply an outlier — a temporary bump in the road. There would arguably be wisdom in sitting Wilson for the rest of this season, considering the team's investment in him, but that's not what the Broncos are going to do.

Wilson will play, and, health willing, he'll get three more swings at the plate to begin earning back the belief in the fan base that his best days as a Bronco are in the future. At age 34, there's no doubt that Father Time has slowed the QB down somewhat, but it remains to be seen whether the Broncos invested nearly a quarter-billion dollars in a washed-up player.

I'm optimistic that Wilson has a lot of gas left in the tank. But I'm pessimistic that the current coaching staff, led by Nathaniel Hackett, has the competency to extract that remaining fuel, and bring the best out of Wilson.

Stay tuned.

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