Advertisement

Broncos name Brett Rypien starting QB for ‘Thursday Night Football’ matchup with Jets

The Denver Broncos will go with their third starting quarterback of the season for their matchup with the New York Jets on Thursday night.

Broncos coach Vic Fangio officially named Brett Rypien the starter for their game at MetLife Stadium, replacing Jeff Driskel.

“We’ve had a year and a second training camp and a couple weeks with Brett here and we think he deserves a chance to see how he can do as the starter, albeit on a short week of preparation,” Fangio said, via the Denver Post.

Drew Lock suffered a shoulder injury in Week 2, and has been sidelined ever since. Driskel started in Denver’s 28-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, but was replaced by Rypien in the fourth quarter.

The Broncos also signed former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles last week, but Fangio said it’s “unrealistic” that he’d be ready to start by Thursday.

Rypien, the former Boise State standout, finished 8-of-9 for 53 yards with an interception on Sunday — which marked his first NFL action.

“It was good to get in there for a drive and get some experience, and hopefully that can carry over to Thursday,” he said, via the Denver Post.

Rypien: ‘We definitely need a win’

Both the Broncos and the Jets are still looking for a win this season after their respective slow starts — though the Jets are likely more desperate. The team is coming off back-to-back blowout losses, and coach Adam Gase is sitting on perhaps the hottest seat in the league.

Still, it’ll be up to Rypien — who has just nine passes under his belt — to lead the Broncos to a road win.

“We definitely need a win so that’s the main focus,” Rypien said, via the Denver Post. “The focus for me is to try and get better these next two days. We won’t be able to get many reps full speed with the guys, but it’s making sure I’m dialed in on the protections and different things like that. If we can do that, we can go out there and get the ball moving.”

Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur sounds confident that Rypien has what it takes to get that job done, too.

“He executes well, he’s quick-minded and he gets the ball out quickly, which is important,” Shurmur said, via the Denver Post. “He went in and did some good things. … He has a pretty good idea of what we want to get done, he knows what he’s looking for and when he sees it, he’s willing to pull the trigger.”

Denver Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien
Denver quarterback Brett Rypien will be the Broncos' third starting quarterback when he takes the field on Thursday night. (AP/Jack Dempsey)

More from Yahoo Sports: