Broncos rule out quarterback Russell Wilson vs. Cardinals

Denver Broncos Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett met with the media today and told reporters that quarterback Russell Wilson has been ruled OUT for this Sunday’s game vs. the Cardinals. As we know, Wilson suffered a scary concussion last Sunday where he was knocked out, shaky, and has a visible lump on his forehead. He entered the league’s concussion protocol and even passed per 9NEWS Denver’s Mike Klis, but in the end, the team decided to put Wilson’s health and safety first.

So, with Wilson ruled out, the Broncos will turn to backup quarterback Brett Rypien this Sunday. This will be his second start this season in place of an injured Wilson. He started earlier this year vs. the Jets and the team lost by the score of 16-9. In that game, Rypien completed 24 of 46 pass attempts for 225 yards and 1 interception.

He did take over for an injured Wilson during last Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs and completed 50% of his passes, but did throw 1 touchdown and 1 game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter. Now he will look to lead the Broncos' offense and the team to victory as the Cardinals, who will also be starting a backup quarterback, travel to Denver this Sunday.

As I said earlier this week, I think the Broncos need to rest Wilson for the rest of the year. They have been eliminated from the postseason, have a 3-10 record currently, and really have no good reason to put him back out there to risk further injury. Wilson is already dealing with shoulder and hamstring injuries before suffering this concussion. Putting him out there in an already lost season and behind a banged-up offensive line does not make much sense, at least to me. Rest him. let him heal up, and get him healthy for an offseason where we look to hopefully fix Russ and the offense and get back going in 2023.

If the Broncos' “number one priority” is Wilson’s health, as the bewildered Nathaniel Hackett told reporters, they would shut Wilson down for the year.