Filling in for Russell Wilson (concussion) on Sunday, Denver Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien had a nearly-perfect performance outside of one interception in the third quarter.
Besides that interception, Rypien went 21-of-25 passing for 197 yards with one touchdown, helping the Broncos defeat the Arizona Cardinals 24-15.
So what happened on the turnover?
Cardinals defensive lineman J.J. Watt jumped early, but he was onside when the ball was snapped. Rypien assumed Watt was going to be penalized, so he forced a pass into coverage in the end zone believing he had a “free play” with a looming penalty against Arizona.
“He was trying to be aggressive,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said after the win. “He thought they jumped offsides.”
Rypien said he will use the turnover as a learning moment.
“I thought I had a free play,” the QB explained. “It’s an unfortunate situation there. I think it’s a great learning moment for me and practicing those types of scenarios because we do work on that a lot where we get free plays. We are trying to take a shot out on the field. We also have to make sure they call it. It was a good learning moment, but also very unfortunate.”
Hackett appreciated the way Rypien bounced back after the interception, and he liked how the QB kept fighting on despite his struggling, banged-up offensive line allowing seven sacks.
“I thought Brett did a really good job. … He had a choice on how he was going to react [to the interception], and he was great,” Hackett said. “He just put it right aside, went out there, executed and put us in a good position to win the football game. He did a good job there.
“I thought Brett was really good, especially after taking some of those sacks. He was not fazed. He was ready to go and wanted to keep throwing the ball.”
Wilson is expected to be back in the lineup this week, so it’s possible that Rypien played his final snaps of the 2022 season on Sunday. Rypien is scheduled to become a free agent in 2023, so it’s also possible that he has played his final snaps as a Bronco. If Sunday was his final appearance in orange and blue, Rypien is ending his time in Denver on a high note.
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