Rypien’s NFL debut with the Denver Broncos starts rough but ends with a clutch TD
Brett Rypien’s first pass in the NFL nearly resulted in an interception.
But the former Boise State quarterback eventually redeemed himself by leading a game-winning touchdown drive in the Denver Broncos’ 14-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday in the NFL’s annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
On fourth-and-14 from the Atlanta 15, Rypien threw a pass to fellow rookie Juwann Winfree in the right corner of the end zone. Atlanta corner Ryan Neal tipped the pass, but Winfree came down with the football for the go-ahead score with 1:26 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“That was really Juwann making a play and me trying to let him go up and make one,” Rypien told the Denver Post. “It’s a play we look for our best 1-on-1 matchup, and he did a great job.”
Rypien was the third quarterback to enter the preseason game for Denver. He took the field with 11:49 left in the fourth quarter and the Broncos down 10-7. Rypien went 5-for-10 passing for 41 yards and one touchdown and a QB rating of 94.2. He was sacked once for a loss of 4 yards and ran 6 yards for a first down on his second series.
Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco did not suit up for Thursday’s preseason opener. Fourth-year pro Kevin Hogan got the start for the Broncos and played three series. Hogan connected on 5-of-8 passes for 37 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and a 73.4 QB rating.
Drew Lock, the Broncos’ 2019 second-round pick out of Missouri, took over under center with 13:01 left in the second quarter. Lock played the remainder of the first half but completed only 2-of-5 pass attempts for 18 yards. He also was sacked twice for a loss of 15 yards.
Lock started the second half for the Broncos and played into the fourth quarter. He connected on 7-of-11 pass attempts overall for 34 yards and a QB rating of 68.0.
Rypien’s first pass of the game was nearly intercepted across the middle of the field. His second pass was dropped and the third went for a 6-yard gain to Kelvin McKnight.
Two other Boise State standouts saw playing time in the Hall of Fame Game. Defensive lineman Billy Winn recorded two tackles for the Broncos but sustained an elbow injury and did not return. Rookie DE Durrant Miles batted down a pass and totaled two tackles for the Falcons.
Below is a list of players with Idaho ties currently on an NFL preseason roster:
BOISE STATE
LB, Kamalei Correa, No. 44 Tennessee Titans
DL, Tyrone Crawford, No. 98 Dallas Cowboys
CB, Donte Deayon, No. 27 Los Angeles Rams
QB, Ryan Finley, No. 5 Cincinnati Bengals
C, Marcus Henry, No. 61 New Orleans Saints
S, George Iloka, No. 20 Dallas Cowboys
DE, DeMarcus Lawrence, No. 90 Dallas Cowboys
OL, Charles Leno Jr., No. 72 Chicago Bears
RB, Doug Martin, No. 22 Oakland Raiders
RB, Alexander Mattison, No. 25 Minnesota Vikings
RB, Jeremy McNichols, No. 30 Tennessee Titans
DE, Durrant Miles, No. 48 Atlanta Falcons
WR, Sean Modster, No. 14 Baltimore Ravens
OL, Rees Odhiambo, No. 63 Arizona Cardinals
C, Matt Paradis (Council High), No. 61 Carolina Panthers
WR, A.J. Richardson, No. 83 Arizona Cardinals
QB, Brett Rypien, No. 4 Denver Broncos
CB, Orlando Scandrick, No. 45 Philadelphia Eagles
CB, Jamar Taylor, No. 8 Seattle Seahawks
S, Darian Thompson, No. 23 Dallas Cowboys
ILB, Tanner Vallejo, No. 48 Arizona Cardinals
LB, Leighton Vander Esch (Salmon River High), No. 55 Dallas Cowboys
WR, Cedrick Wilson, No. 16 Dallas Cowboys
DL, Billy Winn, No. 90 Denver Broncos
IDAHO
G/T, Jesse Davis, No. 77 Miami Dolphins
LB, Kaden Elliss, No. 55 New Orleans Saints
G, Mike Iupati, No. 70 Seattle Seahawks
DE, Benson Mayowa, No. 91 Oakland Raiders
RB, Elijhaa Penny, No. 39 New York Giants
IDAHO STATE
T, Brian Fineanganofo, No. 67 Cleveland Browns
TE, Josh Hill (Blackfoot High), No. 89 New Orleans Saints
OL, Evan Smith, No. 62 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
HIGH SCHOOLS
DL, Eric Cotton (Columbia High), No. 59 Green Bay Packers
OLB, Porter Gustin (Emmett High), No. 58 New Orleans Saints
QB, Taysom Hill (Highland High), No. 7 New Orleans Saints
OL, Hugh Thornton (Boise/Mountain View High), No. 69 Washington Redskins
Notes: Running back Jay Ajayi (Boise State) is currently a free agent. … Free agent quarterback Brock Osweiler was born in Coeur d’Alene.
This story was originally published August 1, 2019 at 9:49 PM.
