Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy returned to Empower Field at Mile High on Monday and he had a huge game against the Denver Broncos, his former team.
Jeudy hauled in nine catches for 235 yards and a touchdown, although his massive performance came in a losing effort.
Surprisingly, Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph opted to not have Pat Surtain follow Jeudy on every play. Instead, with Riley Moss (knee) sidelined, Levi Wallace ended up covering Jeudy more often than expected.
After the game, Denver coach Sean Payton was asked why Surtain did not follow Jeudy on every play.
“We were going to match Pat and then the simple slot moving him to the other side,” Payton said. “We have to be able to handle that. It is too easy offensively for us to do that. I’m sure we will look at the tape. We always ask it of the players. When we come back, the same as the coaches, how would we play that game if we played it again? I think that is coaching. It is us always making sure we put our guys in the best position.”
Not exactly a clear answer. Surtain finally appeared to be following Jeudy on every snap late in the game, but a lot of damage had already been done.
Jeudy ran 57 routes against the Broncos on Monday and Surtain followed him on 34 of those plays. With Surtain in coverage, Jeudy was limited to two receptions for 20 yards, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. In the 23 other plays, Jeudy totaled seven receptions for 215 yards and a touchdown.
“He definitely had himself a game,” Surtain said after a 41-32 win. “You really can’t say much about it. You just have to watch the film and correct it.”
ESPN captured Surtain and Jeudy meeting up after the game and it appeared that PS2 essentially told the receiver he wanted to follow him but it wasn’t the game plan.
Pat Surtain II 🤝 Jerry Jeudy
The Bama boys reunited ❤️ pic.twitter.com/bZDo9L3MQs
— ESPN (@espn) December 3, 2024
“It’s always fun going against Pat,” Jeudy said after the game. “He’s a great corner in this league, I’ve been going against him [dang] near my whole life. He’s always going to give you a challenge. It was fun.”
It’s not exactly clear why the Broncos did not have Surtain trail Jeudy, but it was clearly a mistake. Regardless of where PS2 lines up, Denver will undoubtedly hope that Moss can return after the bye week.
