Noah Fant Says it's Broncos' 'Job' to Find Ways to Get Ball to Jeudy, Hamler More Often

It’s hard to identify a silver lining coming out of the Denver Broncos’ embarrassing 48-19 blowout to the Buffalo Bills. The Saturday loss means the Broncos will endure their fourth-straight losing season and are now the only NFL franchise to win a championship and not make the playoffs for the next five seasons.

If we're searching for a silver lining, tight end Noah Fant was the only one for the Broncos as the second-year ex-Hawkeye led the team with eight receptions for 68 yards and one touchdown. All season Fant has battled injuries and illness to stay on the field and has been a consistent presence for Denver’s offense.

Late in the second quarter, the Broncos orchestrated a drive that resulted in Fant catching a six-yard touchdown pass on an out-route from QB Drew Lock with 0:05 remaining that cut Buffalo’s lead to 21-13.

On Monday, the 23-year-old Fant joined 104.3 The Fan’s “Stokley and Zach,” for his weekly appearance on The Noah Fant Show and spoke about his touchdown and chemistry with Lock.

“It was a great play by Drew, he was able to put it on the outside,” Fant told guest-hosts Cecil Lammey and Nick Ferguson. “I definitely thought there should’ve been a flag there, but I was able to fight though contact and lay out for it and go get it. It was a great feeling to get a drive like that at the end of the half in a two-minute situation. I feel like that was a big step for us.”

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But Fant was the only Broncos receiver to get involved in the passing attack. 2020 first-round wideout Jerry Jeudy was targeted five times but only caught one pass for a mere 19 yards. Fellow rookie wideout KJ Hamler found little success, which stood in glaring contrast to his career-high two-touchdown game the week prior vs. the Carolina Panthers. Against the Bills, Hamler was targeted four times, only securing one catch for a total of four yards.

Fant was asked about taking on a leadership role, specifically with the Broncos young receivers amid the offensive struggles and the tight end revealed his determination to keep them focused.

“I went up to Jerry and KJ during the game,” Fant said. “I told them 'Yo, I know we’re not getting the ball to you guys, but we’re going to count on you guys.' I went up to those guys and said, 'I know you’re not getting the balls that you want but everybody is going to get their opportunity. It’s going to come when you least expect it.'”

Rather than focusing on his individual success on Saturday, Fant instead chose to put the spotlight on his rookie teammates and distributing the wealth among Broncos pass-catchers.

“We’re going to need our receivers to get the ball,” Fant said. “Obviously I was able to have a good game. But I love those games where everybody is getting fed, and everybody’s scoring. We have the potential to do that. Those guys have done great things for us throughout the season. It’s everybody’s job, coaches, and our job to be able to find ways to get them the ball and get everyone involved together.”

Based on Jeudy's public gripes coming out of the Broncos' Week 13 loss to Kansas City, the first-rounder from Alabama would concur with Fant's call to action for more balls to go his way. As the playmakers they are, Jeudy and Hamler should never exit a game with two catches combined.

Fant got fed, though. Thus far, Fant has amassed 52 receptions for 560 yards and three touchdowns. He’s currently averaging 10.8 yards per catch and has undoubtedly become a security blanket for the struggling Lock.

Expect to see Fant continually utilized in check-down passes on high-low reads against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16’s matchup. Maybe Fant's embracing of a leadership role is another silver lining of the Buffalo blowout, which is desperately needed on a losing football team without an identity.

When asked about facing former teammate and current Chargers cornerback Chris Harris, Jr., Denver's first-round tight end kept it short and simple.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it, its going to be fun.”

Follow Luke on Twitter @LukePattersonLP and @MileHighHuddle.