Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is inactive for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets and he could be sidelined even longer after suffering a significant hamstring injury on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Midway through a Week 6 matchup against the Chargers, Wilson injured his hamstring but managed to finish the game and play through overtime. However, he made it clear after the game that it caused him significant discomfort. Denver was immediately concerned that its franchise quarterback suffered a fairly significant injury before he even underwent an MRI on Tuesday.
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While the Broncos didn’t rule him out until late in the week, listing him on the NFL injury report as a limited participant in all three days of practice, his availability for Sunday’s game was always in doubt. With Brett Rypien poised to start against the Jets, Denver could be bracing for the multi-week absence of one of the highest-paid NFL players.
According to Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, tests on Tuesday revealed that Wilson suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain. In other words, he is dealing with a partially torn hamstring that typically requires multiple weeks to recover from.
- Russell Wilson stats (2022): 1,442 passing yards, 5-3 TD-INT, 58.6% completion rate, 7.3 ypa, 35.8 ESPN QBR
The 33-year-old quarterback strongly pushed the medical staff and his coaches to let him play through the injury, suggesting he play through significantly more pain at times in Seattle. While he showed some ability in practice to move around and throw, the medical staff believed Wilson couldn’t adequately protect himself enough to avoid further damage.
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Wilson will certainly push the team doctors to clear him for Week 8, an important matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, there are a variety of factors working against him that could result in Rypien making a second consecutive start.
First, the Broncos vs Jaguars game in Week 8 is being played in London and teams usually leave days in advance to acclimate to the time change and adjust to the new environment. The timing is working against Wilson as the medical staff could opt to keep him in Denver, ruling him out days in advance of the matchup with the rehabilitation of the injury prioritized over traveling and then becoming a game-time decision.
There’s another factor at play that might determine the Broncos’ decision. After facing Jacksonville in Week 8, Denver returns home for its bye week. Keeping Wilson inactive for two consecutive games would provide him with three weeks for the injury to heal, reducing the risk of an aggravation that could worsen the strain.
If the Broncos exercise caution and sit Wilson in Week 8, he would likely make his return on Nov. 13 in a Week 10 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. Of course, Denver’s rapid descent down the NFL standings and the possibility of a 2-6 record coming out of the bye week might force a different outcome.
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