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Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett said he was in wait-and-see mode when it came to the status of quarterback Russell Wilson after Wilson suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter Sunday against Kansas City.
Hackett wouldn’t rule out Wilson for Sunday’s home game against Arizona, but also wouldn’t commit to getting the veteran quarterback back on the field this season, even if he clears concussion protocol.
Wilson was knocked out of the game early in the fourth quarter — Hackett said Monday he believes Wilson was briefly unconscious near the Chiefs’ goal line — and must go through the NFL’s standardized concussion protocol before retiring. be allowed to play again in a game. Even then, his return is no guarantee for Denver, which is 3-10 and is eliminated from the playoffs with four games remaining.
“Right now we’re just concerned about his safety and we want to make sure he’s healthy,” Hackett said Monday when asked if the franchise would consider shutting down Wilson even if he was cleared. to play. “We will take this day by day and continually talk to our medical team and Russell.”
Hackett said he saw Wilson on Monday and “he felt good today when we saw him, he looked good, but we’re going to make sure we do everything the right way.”
The NFL’s Concussion Protocol outlines the path to returning to game participation. It starts with a player being allowed to participate in light aerobic activities and daily activities, including attending team meetings and watching movies until concussion symptoms increase. A player then progresses to more intense aerobic activity, then soccer-specific drills, then non-contact soccer-related drills, then full training before being allowed to return to play.
Each phase must be completed without symptoms before moving on to the next.
“We’re going to do everything as the doctors say, the independent doctors say,” Hackett said. “Safety is, by far, the No. 1 most important thing. We will continually talk about it with him and with everyone and make sure we do the right thing.
Wilson and the Broncos’ offense got off to a slow start against the Chiefs, but by the time he suffered the concussion, he was putting on one of his best outings of the season.
Wilson completed 23 of 36 passes for 247 yards and rushed for 57 more, including the scramble that resulted in an injury. He threw for three touchdowns — his first such outing since moving to Denver in March — and crafted 75, 60 and 42-yard runs and took the Broncos to most of the field on their last rush. 75 yards.
On the drive, he picked up a third-and-one keeping the ball on a play option and running for 11 yards.
“It was his game call, one of the best game calls of the night and he called his own number on that one,” Hackett said. “He wants to run and he wants the ball in his hands so he can throw it or run it. I give this guy so much credit. It was a dog yesterday. He wanted to resume this game. He didn’t care about the score.
This ability to use his legs also helped the Broncos out of a bad situation just before his injury. After a negative play and two holding penalties, Denver battled second-and-34 Kansas City 39 before Wilson slammed rookie tight end Greg Dulcich into the middle in traffic for 23 yards. Then he took off and ran the third and 11, breaking a tackle near the line of scrimmage and diving headfirst for the first down, suffering the concussion as his helmet hit the ground.
Replacement Brett Rypien finished that drive with a fourth touchdown pass to receiver Jerry Jeudy.
Rypien would be in line to start Sunday against Arizona if Wilson is not shut out. He also started a Week 7 home game against the New York Jets when Wilson suffered a hamstring injury. In that 16-9 loss, Rypien completed 24 of 46 passes for 225 yards and was intercepted.
Denver’s third quarterback is practice squad member Jarrett Guarantano, the former Washington State and Tennessee quarterback who spent about a month on the Denver practice squad. Arizona earlier this season.
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