WR Courtland Sutton Quietly Makes Broncos History in Upset Win in Philly

Courtland Sutton has become one of the most prolific receivers in Denver Broncos history.

Oct 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) makes a first down catch against Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (27) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton is moving up the franchise's all-time record books. With eight receptions for 99 yards in the Broncos' 21-17 upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Sutton became the third-fastest receiver in team annals to reach 400 career receptions, achieving it in 103 games.

Only Demaryius Thomas (76 games) and Rod Smith (95) got to 400 catches faster. With 5,705 career receiving yards, Sutton passed Vance Johnson for sole possession of the eighth-most in Broncos history.

Sutton made some clutch plays for the Broncos late in the game, using his big body and sure grip to move the chains and keep drives alive.

“He's got strong hands in traffic. The play he made to get us into field goal range, that was a huge third -down catch and throw," Broncos head coach Sean Payton said post-game.

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Infectious Confidence, Unwavering Belief

Aug 11, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) and quarterback Bo Nix (10) stand on the field during warm ups before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Sutton dropped a beautiful deep ball thrown by Bo Nix on the Broncos' first possession, pointing at himself as the offense headed to the sideline ahead of an ensuing punt. Clearly, though, Nix wasn't about to lose confidence in his No. 1 target, as the duo manifested some big plays throughout the game, but especially when the chips were down.

"I love his confidence, and Bo and he now have been together for a good year and a half, two years. You can feel it," Payton said of Sutton. "I knew he was throwing that ball to Sutton on that third down and it was a good throw and a good catch by Courtland. So he's a terrific player.”

That third-down play saw Sutton go up and get the ball, coming down with it to keep the Broncos on the field, sucking even more time off the clock. The drive would end in a Wil Lutz field goal, giving the Broncos a four-point lead, and forcing the Eagles to try for a touchdown. A field goal wouldn't do it.

“Yeah, it was a big play. Just a good play that we like, and honestly, our thought was just to get to fourth and manageable probably, and give ourselves a chance to go for it," Nix recalled of the play post-game. "When you complete it with Courtland, good things happen.”

Sutton has hauled in 26 passes for 365 yards and three touchdowns through five games this season. He's on pace for a career year, projecting 88 receptions, 1,241 yards, and 10 touchdowns, extrapolating his numbers through a full 17-game season.

Sutton will turn 30 years old in less than a week. The Broncos' second-round draft pick in 2018, he's garnered just one Pro Bowl nod since entering the league, though he did some heavy lifting for the Broncos during the pre-Payton era, suffering from the quarterback carousel that dragged the team down for so many years.

But Nix's arrival breathed new life into Sutton, and he produced his second 1,000-yard season out of the gates. The Broncos rewarded him this past summer with a four-year, $92 million extension.

Sutton and the Broncos have a lot to look forward to.