It was not the biggest game of the career of Cleveland Browns former Pro Bowl receiver Jerry Jeudy, but it was an interesting one nonetheless. In a stretch of 10 quarters over NFL three games, Jeudy found himself not only having a hard time registering any stats at all in terms of catches and yardage, he was struggling just to get open enough to warrant a target, a truth brought especially to light by the fact that the Browns had two young receivers–Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion, both rookie–who were making an immediate impact for a new-look offense.
Jeudy had one target in the Week 2 win over Tampa Bay, and did not catch it. He had no targets at all in the Week 3 win over Carolina when the Browns returned home to Huntington Bank Field. In the first half of Thursday night’s win over the Steelers, Jeudy was also silent, without a target.
Jerry Jeudy Finally Hits the Stats Sheet
This was especially strange because the feeling was that Jeudy and quarterback Deshaun Watson had a good rapport, and Watson returning as the starting quarterback for the Browns would mean good things for Jeudy’s production. It did not work out that way … until the second half of Thursday’s game.
Jeudy had a third-quarter catch for nine yards and a first down during the drive in which the offense pushed into Pittsburgh territory and looked bound to score before Watson fumbled. But his real heroics came in the final two-minute, game-winning drive after Pittsburgh had tied the score, 24-24. Watson found Jeudy on a 17-yard crossing route that got the drive started.
Then he hit Jeudy for 10 yards no a play that brought the ball to the Pittsburgh 40-yard line and essentially set up the game-winner from kicker Andre Szmyt.
Browns Tired of Losing
After the game, Jeudy was asked about this Browns team, even as he has lost his WR1 status.
He said: “I just feel like everybody just wants to win. That’s it. Everybody is just doing what it takes to win, nobody don’t want to lose no more. If you’re tired of losing, everybody is just doing what it takes to win.”
Asked about not getting the ball for the past two weeks, Jeudy admitted it was not easy, “As a receiver, it is always tough not getting the ball, but I just got to do what I got to do. It is what it is.”
The Browns will be off now for 10 days, returning to play the Jets in New York in Week 5.
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