Former Ute Tim Patrick shines in 28-10 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday

It hasn't been the start Tim Patrick and the Denver Broncos envisioned this year following what was deemed a very successful 2020 NFL draft.

Expecting to challenge for a wildcard spot, the Broncos now have a better chance at getting the No. 1 overall pick than they do of making the playoffs.

But for Patrick, while the team has struggled, he has started to thrive and it emerging as the No. 1 receiver for the team with Courtland Sutton out indefinitely.

Originally, when Denver drafted Jerry Jeudy, it was expected that Jeudy was going to make a perfect compliment to Sutton to make a formidable 1-2 combination — and Patrick was going to be the team's No. 3 guy.

But Sutton is out and Jeudy, despite the repeated targets week in and week out, has struggled to turn them into stats.

Meanwhile, Patrick continues to catch everything thrown his way, including his first touchdown of the season this past weekend. It was the only touchdown scored by the Broncos this past week and the first touchdown by a Denver receiver this season.

TIMMMMMMMYYYYY! @Tpstreets | #ProUtes https://t.co/m1GjbqCyFp
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 27, 2020

On the season, Patrick has 10 catches for 98 yards and one score on 14 targets — all despite playing with two quarterbacks thus far. He's about to catch balls from his third quarterback on the season after Denver announced that Brett Rypien would start on Thursday night against the New York Jets.

How Patrick goes from here on out will depend on who's throwing him the ball, but he's clearly making his presence known and emerging as a bright spot in what's been a rough start to the season.

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