How Jerry Jeudy powered a comeback attempt with a trio of touchdowns

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Late in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, Jerry Jeudy lost his cool.

The Broncos were trailing 27-0. He’d only been targeted one time, a three-yard catch. The Broncos were leaving the field after their third three-and-out of the game. And Jeudy had just been tripped by a defender while running his route.

So Jeudy ripped off his helmet, stomped over to the ref, bumped into him and yelled. He knows he was wrong.

“You’ve gotta see the bigger picture in that situation,” Jeudy said on Wednesday.

While Jeudy won’t be suspended for the incident, he will be fined by the NFL.

“I know the consequences of the situation, and I’m going to learn from it,” he said.

When Jeudy got to the sideline, he had a conversation with head coach Nathaniel Hackett.

“He just told me to calm down, just keep my head in the game,” Jeudy told DNVR.

The 23-year-old kept his head in the game.

A Josey Jewell interception set the Broncos up on the plus side of the 50-yard line. Jeudy read triangle coverage from the safety, linebacker and corner, so he set his slant up with an outside release then broke back inside behind the corner for an easy 17-yard gain. Hackett noted earlier this week that Jeudy doesn’t get credit for being “very smart.”

A couple of plays later, Jeudy lined up on the boundary, pushed inside then drifted back outside away from his defender to grab a fade at the side of the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown, his favorite touchdown of the day. He’d produced 35 yards on the 42-yard scoring drive.

“Russ just threw a great ball, and I made a great adjustment to make the play,” he said.

After a Pat Surtain pick, the Broncos got the ball again with less than a minute before half and drove down to the five-yard line. Jeudy ran a simple out route from the slot and waived for the ball at the side of the end zone. Russ delivered it.

Then Jeudy, who doesn’t premeditate his celebration, hit the Bobble Walk.

“I do whatever comes to my head, a lot of Florida dances,” he said.

After halftime, the Broncos pulled within one score on a 62-yard screen pass touchdown. But two plays earlier, Jerry Jeudy picked up 14 yards on a slant on 2nd & 15, which allowed Latavius Murray to keep the drive alive.

When the Broncos pulled within six points again early in the fourth quarter, Jeudy was the catalyst again. He set his team up in the red zone by drawing a 40-yard pass interference on fourth down. Then he scored a touchdown in the back of the end zone on a dig on another fourth down.

“It felt good,” Jeudy said. “It’s been a long time coming, a tough three years. That three-touchdown game means a lot to me.”

Jeudy has another feeling, though.

“It would have been way better if we finished with a ‘W.'”

The former first-rounder’s big night came in an altered role. He lined up at the ‘X’ position, Courtland Sutton’s usual spot, much more often than he typically does. Jeudy moved to the slot or his typical ‘Z’ role, occasionally.

The ‘X’ job typically goes to a team’s No. 1 receiver. He is isolated on the backside of the play, where he has more room to work. Two of Jeudy’s three touchdowns came from the ‘X’ spot, while the other was from the slot.

“The difference between the outside and the inside is that inside you’ve gotta beat the linebackers, beat the safeties,” he said. “(Outside), there’s more one-on-one coverage. It’s simpler.”

Jeudy was excited for the opportunity and, obviously, thrived. Two of Jeudy’s three touchdowns came from the ‘X’ spot, while the other was from the slot.

“We’ll probably have him in there a little bit more,” Hackett said. “We’ll still have to move him around some, also. Having him at that backside spot was a good thing for us. I think that both of those guys can do that. We can do that more with Jerry. I think he’s proven he can do it. Courtland does a great job over there, also.”

The Broncos didn’t quite do enough to pick up their fourth win of the season, but it’s tough to fault Jeudy for the loss. He had his best game as a Bronco and, maybe, the best game by a Bronco this season.

“I just wanted to do the best I could to get more involved and score touchdowns.”