Russell Wilson was cleared in the concussion protocol after he took a brutal hit last week that left him unconscious on the ground. However, he will still not play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals after coach Nathaniel Hackett said the Denver Broncos decided to sit the quarterback for one game.
Hackett informed reporters that Wilson will start Christmas Day against the Los Angeles Rams. Brett Rypien will start against the Cardinals.
“As an organization, we decided to give [Wilson] another week to get ready so he’s ready to go for the Los Angeles Rams,” Hackett said after practice Friday. “We informed him of the decision. He’s not happy with it. He wants to be out there and play. … But we as an organization, after talking and discussing for this entire week, have decided it’s best for our organization, best for Russell. And we talked about this all the way from top all the way to the bottom.”
Following practice on Friday, Wilson addressed him basically being benched despite his health status changing.
“Obviously, for me, I always want to be out on the field. I believe in competing and being out there on the field no matter what the circumstances are,” Wilson said. “I’m an old school quarterback in that sense, that you have to be out there. I think at the same time it was a collective decision by the organization. They wanted to let me get some extra rest. I think Ryp’s [Rypien] going to be ready to rock and roll and our team. Guys had a great week at practice.”
Rypien earned one start in place of an injured Wilson in a Week 7 loss to the New York Jets. Rypien completed 24-of-46 passes for 225 yards and one interception in the 16-9 defeat.
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“I’m just excited for the opportunity. … My only focus is trying to get win a Sunday,” Rypien said. “Obviously, we want to take care of [Wilson]. That’s your franchise quarterback. That’s a guy everybody cares about in this building. … I know Russ probably doesn’t like it, he wants to be out there whenever he can, but you’ve got to think safety first.”
The Broncos, who own a 3-10 record, have already been eliminated from postseason contention, so it was much easier for the team to mnake this decision since they are paying him so much money.
Wilson had his best game of the year last week when he posted his first three-touchdown game with the Broncos on Sunday as an attempted comeback from a 27-0 deficit in the second quarter. However, the team fell just short in the 34-28 loss.
