Jerry Jeudy Breaks Silence on Courtland Sutton's Big-Play Production

Sean Payton's Denver Broncos are in bona-fide playoff contention. With only four juicy bites at the apple left on the Broncos' schedule, they're well-positioned to make the postseason with a strong finish.

Perhaps the Broncos are becoming overly demanding of themselves these days, but I can't help but think they should have blown the doors off the listing Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. Alas, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy somehow dug himself into an even deeper hole of internal self-doubt, and just like his failure to get both feet inbounds in the corner of the end zone, a blowout didn't quite materialize.

Ultimately, veteran go-to receiver Courtland Sutton made another touchdown grab for the ages to give the Broncos just enough of the turbo boost required to fly past the Chargers.

Sutton's phenomenal 46-yard grab put the Broncos 17 points ahead and has garnered plenty of shine on the highlight reels, even though the man himself played it down by suggesting he was just doing his job.

"For me, honestly, it's just however I can catch it, I've got to catch it," Sutton said post-game. "In that situation, I felt him where I was, and once he got into the spot where he had to panic a little bit. I was like, 'I've got to put a hand on it.' If I can put a hand on it, then who knows what can happen after that. And I was able to come down with it."

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

On the flip side, one might have thought Jeudy would find it hard to join in with the post-game frivolity on account of his own struggles, but he was happy to be happy for Sutton.

"That ain't nothing new," Jeudy said of Sutton's abilities. "That's what he [does], day in and day out. You see the best in practice. I'm not surprised [by] him making that catch, because I always see him do that."

For as long as Sutton carries the load, Jeudy's lapses in concentration can be mitigated, but it's far from ideal. If Jeudy were to only start finishing his groundwork, quarterback Russell Wilson would have a serious additional weapon for the stretch run and the Broncos' hopeful playoff mission beyond that.

In the cutthroat, results-driven business of the NFL, it often boils down to the mysterious chemistry established between quarterback and receiver. Without question, that's what's separating Wilson and Sutton from the mere mortals right now, and it's also what's powering the Broncos' passing game.

"Courtland, obviously, has been special all year. He has a tremendous work ethic, great leader, great teammate, has great hands, can catch everything," Wilson said post-game. "He did a good job because he was going deep, kind of came back for a second and then went deep again, which was a really great play by him. [The] one-handed [catch] in front of our fans was pretty special."

Payton might be frustrated with Jeudy's continued faux pas — as his in-game impromptu sideline coaching session with his struggling receiver suggests.

Since some of y'all need to hear it ...

🗣️This is not a "heated discussion."

🗣️ This is not a sign of bad blood.

🗣️ This is not out of the ordinary.

🗣️ This is a coach doing his job.pic.twitter.com/QFx8JgvQfL
— Zack Kelberman (@KelbermanNFL) December 12, 2023

Fortunately, Payton can tap into the powerful force field that is Wilson-Sutton connection when big plays are needed.

"Man, it was something," Payton raved of Sutton's diving grab. "He's like that big power forward... If you notice one thing on that play, though, I think Russ had seven, eight seconds—we had great protection. Obviously, that was the second part of a broken play. There's a lot of confidence that Russ has in Cortland, and it's earned... He gets the penalty, and he still makes the play. It's impressive."

Micromanaging Jeudy's state of mind will remain a work in progress for Payton because he desperately needs him to make a much bigger contribution. It's no secret that the Broncos' forthcoming opponents will try to take the very real threat Sutton posses away as a matter of urgency. Consequently, Payton must have a viable contingency plan, but in the meantime, it's Sutton time.

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!