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The Denver Broncos were 10.5-point underdogs heading into their game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon, but Denver played a closer game than expected and it was because of wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.
Coming into the game, the former first-round pick had just three receiving touchdowns this season. On Sunday, Jeudy caught three more.
Near the end of the first half, the Broncos found themselves down 27-0 going up against one of the top offenses in the league.
It appeared that things were not going in Denver’s favor and Jeudy even showed his frustration.
“On that certain play, I got held and I was just frustrated because we didn’t have anything going. I was just out there playing with frustrations and wanted to make a play for my team,” Jeudy said after the game. “I got to know how to control my anger and just move on from there.”
During the game, Jeudy was forced to play as the No. 1 wide receiver because Denver’s top pass catcher Courtland Sutton was out due to a hamstring injury.
“I thought Jerry really stepped up,” head coach Nathaniel Hackett said. “With Courtland being down, a lot of guys being down — K.J. [Hamler], Tim [Patrick], all those guys — Jerry’s a guy that had an opportunity. We changed his position this week, and he went out there and he embraced it.”
Hackett also talked about how the Chiefs played Jeudy early on, “It was hard at first because they started doubling him. They were trying to take him away; they knew that we wanted to attack with him. He just kept his head down and kept working, and it showed up with those three touchdowns, which I thought were awesome, especially the one on the fourth-and-goal from the seven-yard line. I thought that was an unbelievably critical time, continually battling back. It was great to see.”
Jeudy played like a true No. 1 receiver should play after scoring two touchdowns within the final two minutes of the first-half.
Heading into halftime, Denver had the momentum and were getting the ball back to start the second-half down just two possessions.
In the fourth-quarter, Denver was in the redzone on fourth-and-goal from the seven-yard line and Jeudy received a hat trick.
“I think Coach [Hackett] put me in a great position to make plays,” Jeudy said. “I feel like everybody’s executing on a play to be able to drive the ball and be able to make those plays.
This was also the first time a Broncos wide receiver caught three touchdowns in a game since Demaryius Thomas did it in 2014 against the Miami Dolphins.
The Offense Finally Scored Points
Entering the game, Denver was averaging just 13.8 points per game on offense. Nothing was working right for the Broncos and quarterback Russell Wilson.
For some reason down 27 points, everything started falling into place for the Denver offense.
“When you’re down 27-0, everybody had a choice on how they wanted to continue that game. I’m so impressed with all those guys — defense, offense, special teams. They didn’t blink, they stayed together,” Hackett said after the game.
Scoring 28 points on Sunday was the most points the Broncos have scored in a game dating back to Week 14 of the 2021 season when Denver scored 38 against the Detroit Lions.
Wilson had one of his best games of the season, throwing for 247 yards and three touchdowns, but threw an interception that went back the other way for a touchdown. This was also Wilson’s second game of the season in which he threw multiple touchdowns.
Wilson had his best game on the ground this season as well. Taking off running four times for 57 yards was the most he’s rushed for this season. Prior to the game, Wilson didn’t rush for 30 yards in a game this year.
Update on Wilson
Early in the fourth-quarter, the Broncos were in the redzone on a third down play needing 11 yards, Wilson felt pressure and took off running before being taken down to the ground hitting his head.
Wilson would not return to the game after he went down.
In his postgame press conference, Hackett mentioned that Wilson is in the concussion protocol.
Quarterback Brett Rypien came into the game to replace Wilson and threw a touchdown pass to Jeudy to bring the Broncos to within one possession of taking the lead against the Chiefs.
Finishing the game, Rypien completed 50 percent of his passes for just 16 yards.
With the season over for the Broncos, it’s likely they’ll shutdown Wilson this week against the Arizona Cardinals, but it won’t be easy for Wilson.
Rypien started in one game this season due to Wilson being injured and it came in Week 7 against the New York Jets. Throwing for 225 yards and one interception, Rypien and the Denver offense found the endzone just once in their 16-9 loss.
If Rypien does start on Sunday, it will be his third start of his career.
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