After falling behind 27-0 early, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson threw three touchdown passes against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday to help his team get back into the game.
Trailing 34-21 in the fourth quarter, Wilson was leading another promising drive before being knocked out of the game with a concussion. Denver then turned to backup quarterback Brett Rypien.
Rypien threw a touchdown pass to Jerry Jeudy to make it 34-28, but he wasn’t able to complete the comeback effort that Wilson started.
“It’s not ideal but the mindset is, ‘Go win the game,'” Rypien said of entering a game cold. “Whatever it takes. Obviously, I’ve never been in a situation like that before, especially when you come in and you’re down on their five-yard line. It’s kind of nice. I wish every drive started like that.
“I’m just frustrated. Frustrated that I couldn’t get it done. Especially after how hard ‘Russ’ fought. How hard our offense fought. We’ve been through a lot this year and just seeing him battle every single day. I’m just so proud of that [offensive] room. It’s just tough.”
Before leaving the game, Wilson went 23-of-36 passing for 247 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed four times for 57 yards.
Rypien was hit while throwing in the fourth quarter and that hit ultimately forced an interception that sealed a win for Kansas City. He wasn’t able to complete the comeback, but Rypien’s touchdown pass to Jeudy helped Denver stay in the game after Wilson’s injury.
Rypien might get an opportunity to redeem himself when the Broncos host the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15. Wilson is now in the NFL’s concussion protocol and if he’s not cleared before Sunday, Rypien will start in his place.
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