Payton Sees a Pattern in Russell Wilson Missing a Wide-Open Jerry Jeudy
Coming up short by five points against the Houston Texans, the Denver Broncos' offense left glaring scoring opportunities on the field. If a successful playoff push is indeed going to materialize for Denver, the sight of a wide-open Jerry Jeudy gesticulating wildly downfield to capture his quarterback's attention won't cut the mustard.
The CBS cameras seemed to catch more footage of a crestfallen Jeudy walking off the field with hands on hips than they did of him making plays. The fourth-year wideout is winning his one-on-one battles when running his routes, so it shouldn't be so difficult for Russell Wilson to find him in coverage.
On Sunday, things became far more complex on account of Denver's porous pass protection and several ill-fated snaps due to poor communication. Without question, Wilson's apparent failure to get eyes on Jeudy is holding the Broncos' offense back from being more explosive.
That's a stubborn fact head coach Sean Payton claims is subject to a number of variables when he was asked about a conspicuous fourth-down play in Houston where Jeudy was missed despite being wide-open near the end zone.
"Jerry went through a stretch. I don't want to call it a dry spell, but certainly frustration," Payton said on Monday. "Even when we won, he wanted to be part of it. We want to get his hands on the ball. That was a play, though, where they dropped coverage, and he very easily was a viable target for a big play. Finally, he was able to make a few in that game."
Jeudy finished Week 13 with three receptions on four targets for 51 yards. 41 of those yards came on one reception. Payton went on to reveal that if you study the All-22 film, you'll see that there were multiple plays of Wilson missing Jeudy running open downfield.
"Really, if you look at the tape closely and you watch all of it—I know some of you get to do that," Payton said. "If you watch all of it, holy cow, there are about two or three of those plays."
There's a lot more going on behind the scenes with Jeudy and his limited role on offense. In theory, he should have been buoyed by the Broncos' desire to be aggressive in their approach to get the ball further down the field early on in Houston.
While that was the wider focus, Wilson's trust in Courtland Sutton — his favorite receiver — continues to see Jeudy being relegated to the role of a mere spectator, even when doing his job and getting open. Incorporating Jeudy more into the Broncos' offense might be getting held back by Wilson's dogged preference to target Sutton.
Framed within the Broncos' diminishing room for error relative to the postseason, leaving bullets like Jeudy unspent in the clip is dangerously close to going from being frustrating to infuriating. Perhaps the ultimate solution to the Jeudy conundrum rests in Wilson wholeheartedly believing that his WR2 can step up in the more crucial moments.
Wilson trusting in the process and shifting his eyes to Jeudy in his progressions, particularly when he's really looking for a big play, looks like it's going to require a major leap of faith on the QB's part. It's curious, considering the romping run Jeudy went on with Wilson down the stretch last season, as Sutton faded into the playmaking background.
Payton believes the plays are there for Jeudy to make a difference — even if the chemistry he has with Wilson pales in comparison to the 'bromance' he's cultivated with Sutton. Time and excuses are running out for the Broncos in terms of their playoff aspirations.
The time for action is long overdue when it comes to trusting in Jeudy's abilities.
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