AFC Notes: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders

Broncos

Broncos QB Brett Rypien was forced to take over for QB Russell Wilson who sustained a concussion and commented on what it was like to have to enter the game at that point.

“It’s not ideal but the mindset is, ‘Go win the game,’” Rypien said, via BroncosWire.com. “Whatever it takes. Obviously, I’ve never been in a situation like that before, especially when you come in and you’re down on their five-yard line. It’s kind of nice. I wish every drive started like that. I’m just frustrated. Frustrated that I couldn’t get it done. Especially after how hard ‘Russ’ fought. How hard our offense fought. We’ve been through a lot this year and just seeing him battle every single day. I’m just so proud of that [offensive] room. It’s just tough.”

Rypien will get the start in Week 15 against the Cardinals after Denver officially ruled out Wilson on Friday. 

Chiefs

Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy said that he’s telling Patrick Mahomes to move on from his three-interception performance in Week 14 against the Broncos. 

“You know what, it’s not anything different that I’m seeing, it’s making sure that he’s focused and locked in, not talking himself off the edge,” Bieniemy said, via ProFootballTalk. “And you got to understand, Pat’s a very competitive kid and he’s very self-aware of the mistakes that he makes. He’s very self-aware of anything that’s taking place on the field, especially in those critical moments. So, when something like that happens, the only thing that you can do is, ‘Hey, man, listen, it’s time to move on. Ok? We can’t keep killing ourselves over the mistake that we made.”

Bieniemy reiterated that he’s been encouraging Mahomes to move on from last Sunday’s game and focus on what they can control going forward. 

“Yesterday in practice he kept talking about a scenario that came up and how he threw it and he knew exactly what they were doing and he’s kicking himself in the face. I said, ‘Pat, OK, today is Wednesday. Today we play the Houston Texans. Do not worry about that. Ok? The only thing that we need to make sure is that we’re not putting our team in a very vulnerable state because when something like that happens, it tends to take the wind out of everybody. So, let’s make sure we’re controlling the controllables. And the only thing we can control is what we do today.’”

• Chiefs HC Andy Reid said he’s “leaning away” from WR Mecole Hardman (abdomen) playing in Week 15 after he was designated to return from injured reserve this week. (Nate Taylor)
• Reid added that there is currently “no word” on whether WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring) will play. 

Raiders

• Raiders HC Josh McDaniels said they want to observe TE Darren Waller and WR Hunter Renfrow in Friday’s practice before deciding on whether to activate them from injured reserve: “One more day of practice will be good for us…we’ll see how today goes and make a good choice.” (Paul Gutierrez)
• McDaniels said RB Josh Jacobs (quad, hand) has looked good in practice this week and is confident that he’ll be able to play in Week 15: “He’s had a good week. We’ve been smart about him, in general. He’s played a lot of snaps for us. We’ll make a good choice on him as well. Right now he looks like he’s going to be ready to handle that.” (Paul Gutierrez)

• Raiders TE Darren Waller was asked about his mental state as he deals with the injury stint that has plagued him this year: “This time, you don’t really question your value or your worth, just because you’re not out there. It’s up to you to know who you are and to feel good about yourself, whether things are going the way you want them to or whether they’re not. I feel like I’ve grown in that.” (Paul Gutierrez)