Jerry Jeudy Speaks Out on Controversial Incident vs. Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs extended their winning streak to 14-straight games against the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium, emerging victorious 34-28 on Sunday afternoon.
Despite a valiant effort to come back and steal a game against the Super Bowl favorites, the Broncos didn’t get points for playing hard or competitively. Down 27-0 with over three-and-a-half minutes left in the second quarter, Broncos Country witnessed an enraged Jerry Jeudy yelling at a referee and shaking off teammates trying to console him.
“I was just—on that certain play, I got held,” Jeudy explained when asked about his frustrations post-game.“I was just frustrated because we didn’t have things going, so I was out there playing with frustration wanting to make a play for my team. I feel like, at that point, I was just held, and that should’ve been called, but I have to know how to control my anger and just move on from there.”
Usually, I’d be the first to be critical of an immature response from an athlete with the talent and pedigree of Jeudy, but how can I when he channeled his negative energy into quality production on the next offensive series after Russell Wilson's disastrous 47-yard pick-six to Willie Gay?
Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett revealed that Jeudy was asked to line up in different positions due to the injuries Denver’s receiver room was dealing with, resulting in many double teams with very handsy Chiefs defensive backs.
Wilson delivered an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jeudy with just over a minute left in the first half. Then Jeudy doubled down by catching a five-yard touchdown pass on a seven-play, 60-yard drive. Jeudy's back-to-back touchdowns brought the Broncos to within two scores of the Chiefs headed into halftime.
Broncos running back Marlin Mack capitalized on Wilson’s red-hot momentum and caught a pass that he took 66 yards to the house to start the second half of the game, bringing new excitement to the crowd. Denver's momentum ended as quickly as it began with Wilson's heroic 14-yard rush on a had-to-have-it third down, where he absorbed a hard hit, leading to a concussion with 12:02 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Backup QB Brett Rypien entered the game and found Jeudy for his third touchdown of the day on a seven-yard strike with 10:49 left, giving No. 10 a hattrick for the game. Although the Broncos ultimately took another loss, this game felt different.
“This team—we never finish how we want to, but one thing I can say for sure is that we never quit,” Jeudy explained.
Jeudy’s performance was the first three-touchdown game from a Broncos receiver since Demaryius Thomas, something Jeudy spoke about after the tough loss.
“It means a lot, especially knowing that it’s the anniversary of [the passing of Demaryius Thomas]," Jeudy said. "It just means ‘DT’ was with us today. It means a lot.”
While the jury is still out on Jerry, we witnessed some extreme development in real-time with Jeudy’s performance against the Chiefs. No, it’s not a moral victory, and I’m not too fond of the temper tantrum, but Jeudy’s outburst, backed up by his performance, showed heart.
Moreover, Jeudy's awareness of Broncos Country’s mourning of the one-year anniversary of Thomas' death shows the third-year wideout is a professional. And it showed that Jeudy is human.
The 23-year-old was also quick to credit his coaching staff and Rypien for his career-high success on Sunday. Jeudy finished the game with eight receptions for 73 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 9.1 yards per catch.
“As a receiver, I just keep doing my job. Brett is a great quarterback that’s always prepared when he’s ready to get in," Jeudy said. "So, when ‘Russ’ went down, and Brett came in, it was no doubt—no nothing because we know how much work Brett puts in throughout the week to be able to live up to this moment.”
With Wilson’s concussion, it’s feasible that Rypien could get the starting nod against the Arizona Cardinals in the Mile High City next Sunday. Courtland Sutton’s status (hamstring) will be monitored this week after he was inactive on Sunday. Meanwhile, KJ Hamler and Tim Patrick remain on injured reserve.
Headed into Sunday's game, the Broncos were scoring a league-worst 13.8 points per game, but finished Week 14 with a season-high 28 points despite losing to the Chiefs for the 14th consecutive time. Jeudy was unquestionably a catalyst on offense to finally give Broncos Country some excitement.
Career-high game for Jeudy with three TDs? Check.
Taking responsibility for raw emotions? Check.
Being a better teammate by sharing success? Check.
Despite his outburst, which could lead to NFL discipline, Jeudy matured by leaps and bounds last Sunday vs. the Chiefs. But how the remaining games play out will determine whether he can continue his professional development and production both on the field and in the locker room.
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