Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson emerges from loss with concussion

DENVER — In a season that has had next to nothing on offense as expected, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson will now deal with a concussion that could impact whether, or how much, he plays over the next few years. the team’s final four games of the season.

Wilson was forced out of Sunday’s 34-28 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field in Mile High after being knocked to the turf at the end of a 13-yard run with 11 minutes and 45 seconds left. .

He was checked for a possible concussion and soon after was ruled out.

“(He) was putting his body on the line, man. We can say whatever we want – we’re 3-9, they’re 9-3 and the guy is over there fighting, trying to win the game “Broncos backup quarterback Brett Rypien said. “For me, he’s someone I want to follow.”

Coach Nathaniel Hackett said after the game that Wilson was officially part of the league’s concussion protocol.

The Broncos, who had trailed 27-0 in the second quarter, were trying to make it a one-scored game when Wilson was injured. On a third-and-11 from the Chiefs 16-yard line, Wilson fired the ball down and raced to the 2.

On the tackle by Kansas City cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, Wilson’s helmet hit the ground with his face down. He stood there for a few moments and looked dazed as team medical staff helped him to the sidelines. He was taken to the injured tent on the sideline, then to the Broncos locker room.

“He fought the whole game,” Hackett said.

Wilson, who was 23 of 36 passing for 247 yards and three touchdowns, had found much-needed production as he helped power a Broncos comeback that started just before halftime. Down 27-0, Denver intercepted Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on back-to-back drives in the final two minutes of the first half and turned both turnovers into touchdowns — with Wilson hitting Jerry Jeudy on each.

Wilson threw his third TD pass on the Broncos’ first possession in the second half when a screen from running back Marlon Mack turned into a 66-yard catch-up score. It was Wilson’s first game with three passing touchdowns for the Broncos in a season in which he and the offense struggled mightily to build scoring drives.

The Broncos entered the game with the league’s weakest offense at 13.8 points per game. Sunday scored their highest point total of the season as Wilson entered the game with eight touchdown passes in the Broncos’ first 12 games. But it still marked Denver’s eighth loss of the season by seven points or less, as the team was officially eliminated from the playoffs.

“Everyone had a choice on how they wanted to continue this game,” Hackett said. “…And they didn’t blink. … We have to finish, we had opportunities to continuously win this game… We want to win this game and we were lucky.

Rypien threw a touchdown pass to Jeudy to close out the drive that Wilson was injured on but later intercepted in the fourth quarter. He finished the game 4 of 8 passing for 16 yards and scoring as the Broncos have now lost 14 straight games to the Chiefs since September 2015, when Peyton Manning was their quarterback.

“Yeah, man, frustrating, frustrated that I didn’t,” Rypien said. “Seeing how hard Russ has fought, how hard our offense has fought.”

Because he’s within the league’s concussion protocol, Wilson will need to hit several milestones to first return to practice and then play in a game, including reviews from an independent doctor. With four games left in the season, starting with next Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals in Denver, the question will be how much time Wilson might miss.