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Courtland Sutton found himself again at a time when the Denver Broncos needed him most. With last season’s leading receiver Jerry Jeudy sidelined due to an ankle injury, Sutton showed out for the Broncos having a career day against Jacksonville in Week 2.
The fourth-year wide receiver had a career-high for catches and yards, hauling in nine receptions for 159 yards – averaging 17.67 yards per catch. Sutton didn’t make it into the end zone but made several catches crucial to the Broncos’ second win of the season, including a beautiful 55-yard reception.
Sutton Is All the Way Back
“No he’s back. He’s back.”
Those were the words of Denver’s head coach Vic Fangio post-game, September 19. Almost immediately the sentiment was echoed by stud linebacker Von Miller who agreed Sutton’s “back,” via Broncos.com.
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It may have come as a surprise to Broncos’ fans after No. 14’s one reception, 14-yard performance a week earlier in the Meadowlands. Though Fangio had far more faith, illuminating why Sutton’s first game back wasn’t as impressive as his last.
“Last week, it wasn’t like we weren’t looking for him or he wasn’t open or anything like that,” Fangio said, via Broncos.com. “It’s just the way the plays went last week with the reach for Teddy [Bridgewater] and the play design. I knew he (Sutton) was ready for a big game. I didn’t know if it’d be today or next week or the following week, but I knew he was ready for a big game.”
Sutton himself explained just how he was able to pick the Jaguars’ defense apart time and time again, in what proved one the defining matchups in the Broncos’ 23-13 win.
“You get into a rhythm,” Sutton said post-game, via Broncos.com. “You kind of just take each play as it comes to you. And that’s the stats and everything, they take care of themselves, at the end of the day if you go out there take each play as it comes to you, my coach always says each play has a life of its own. If you have that mentality, that mindset, at the end of the day you look up and like I said the stats will take care of themselves.”
It Takes a Village to Raise a Man
Rather than dwell on his sublime individual performance, Sutton preferred to take stock in the small mercies, acknowledging the display was far bigger than his own skill and will.
“Man, you know, to even just be able to go out and practice is a blessing,” Sutton said. “I thank God every day that I’m in the position I am in right now because there’s a lot of hard work that went into it. And a lot of support staff from the trainers, my family, my friends.
“I’ve had a lot of people in my corner supporting me throughout the whole process. And to be able to go out there and compete in games, it’s just a blessing. I take each play as opportunity to go be me and just grateful.”
Mindfulness seems to be a focus of the centered Sutton who once more repeated how indebted he is to those around him.
“I’m grateful for my teammates,” he said. “They’re some of the ones who push me, continue to push me as we have been to practices, going into the game, just having confidence and faith in me that I can go out there and be who I am and play at a high level.”
Sutton was more than ‘high level’ in Week 2. If he can have similar output in the coming weeks and months there will be more than a few Broncos fans grateful for No.14.
Follow Patrick Djordjevic on Twitter: @Patdjordjevic
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