The Denver Broncos offense has five games remaining to generate any type of momentum that can carry them into next season. With that said, Jerry Jeudy should be the Broncos’ focal point on offense with five games remaining.
Denver Broncos offense should feature Jerry Jeudy heavily down stretch
The Denver Broncos offense has not lived up to expectations this season, essentially ranking at the bottom of the league in every major category including third down, red zone, and most importantly scoring. Throughout this season, the Broncos’ offense has dealt with a multitude of key injuries.
Jerry Jeudy returned last week against the Baltimore Ravens and produced several big plays despite playing only 38% of the team’s offensive snaps. He had four catches for 65 yards including one reception of over 40 yards. When Russell Wilson and the Broncos offense have utilized Jeudy this season, great things have happened. The problem that Denver has is that they haven’t featured Jeudy nearly enough.
On the season, Jeudy has 34 catches on 59 targets for an astonishing 15.1 yards per reception. 23 of his 34 catches have moved the chains for a first down, something that Denver’s offense has struggled to do this year. Broncos fans have held onto the narrative that all Jeudy does is drop passes based on his rookie season, but he only has four drops this season on 59 total targets while Courtland Sutton leads the team in drops with eight on 89 total targets. As a matter of fact, when Broncos quarterbacks target Jeudy, they perform better. Denver quarterbacks have a passer rating of 103.4 when they target Jeudy on the field.
Despite missing several games this year due to injury, Jeudy needs to become the Broncos’ primary emphasis inside of their offensive game plan through the remaining five games. An argument could be made that Jeudy is the most impactful receiver the Broncos have on the roster, despite being heavily underutilized last season under Pat Shurmur.
Despite being limited this week in practice as he continues to battle his way back from the ankle injury he suffered in Week 10, Jeudy has looked good on the practice field during the media viewing period. Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett touched on how Jeudy has handled this week in practice and what it could mean for them on Sunday against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Every day he’s been in there,” Hackett said on Friday after practice. “He’s been working really hard, we’ve kind of moved him around a little bit, put him all over the field. We’ve already kind of done that a little bit, but now taking some of the stuff Courtland [Sutton]’s done and also doing some of the stuff he’s been doing regularly. It’s been good to see him out there both mentally and watching him physically out there be able to make some plays.”
Denver Broncos game statuses vs Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday
Out:
Linebacker Dakota Allen (hamstring)
Fullback/tight end Andrew Beck (hamstring)
Wide receiver Courtland Sutton (hamstring)
Questionable:
Linebacker Justin Strnad (knee)
Defensive lineman D.J. Jones (shoulder)
Offensive guard Dalton Risner (shoulder/back)
Defensively, the Broncos should receive a boost inside the nickel with K’Waun Williams set to make his return after missing a few weeks after having arthroscopic knee surgery. If Dalton Risner is unable to go, keep an eye on Netane Muti as an option to play at left guard.
The Broncos will host the Chiefs this Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High with kickoff slated for 2:05 p.m. MT