ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Say this for Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy: He put the blame for the missed opportunities last Sunday on himself.
“Just finishing the plays, you know?” Jeudy said this week when asked what he took film his film review of the Broncos’ 24-7 win last Sunday.
“Like, that one play, the touchdown, I’ve gotta drag the foot. The deep post route, I’ve just gotta secure that catch, make that catch. And that’s it.”
He knows the issue. But it’s also true that drops in particularly have been rare for Jeudy. Per the data compiled by Pro Football Focus, Jeudy has fewer drops in his last three seasons than he did in his rookie season alone. Drop issues are the exception for Jeudy, not the rule.
“If it was a string of 12 games where he’d had a couple of drops, you’d have a concern,” Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said. “But Jerry knows what he’s capable of; we know what he’s capable of.
“You’ve gotta learn from it and put it behind you, play with confidence.
There is also an old maxim about continuing to feed a pass-catching target after a dropped pass — to get them back into a positive frame of mind.
“I think at times. It just depends on how the game’s going and the plays you have on your call sheet,” Lombardi said.
“But Jerry’s a guy that we trust and so, it’s not something that hurts your confidence in him, and you just keep rolling. You just keep calling the game like you were planning on.”
Indeed, Jeudy had just one drop in his first 11 games played this season before having two last week. And that was his first game with multiple dropped passes since the 15th game of his rookie season — coincidentally, at Los Angeles.
A week after that drop-marred performance on Dec. 26, 2020, Jeudy rebounded with a 140-yard effort against Las Vegas, including a 92-yard catch-and-run that remains the longest play of his career. And a Lions defense that ranks 27th in the league in touchdown passes allowed might be exactly what Jeudy needs to find his form again.
For these Broncos are to maximize their potential, they need Jeudy to turn the near-plays into big ones.
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