Broncos HC Explains Why Pat Surtain II Didn't Shadow Jerry Jeudy on MNF

The Denver Broncos seemed to really miss the boat on this by not assigning their shutdown corner to Jerry Jeudy.

Dec 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) scores on a two point conversion in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

After spending the bulk of Monday night watching Cleveland Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy streaking off into the far distance, perhaps Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton should be reaching for a Ferris Bueller quote of his own.

"Life moves pretty fast.."

Jeudy's record-breaking evening in a Browns uniform gave Payton some reasons for concern and probably created some stomach problems for Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and the over-matched cornerback Levi Wallace. What's curious is, the Broncos had the NFL's premier shutdown cornerback on the field — Patrick Surtain II — who hardly drew the Jeudy assignment, but shut him down when he did.

Post-game, Payton explained the rationale behind the kid-gloves strategy the Broncos wrongly adopted when attempting to defend Jeudy.

"We were going to match Pat and then the simple slot moving him to the other side. We have to be able to handle that," Payton said post-game. "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. Again, we made enough plays."

Moving forward, you'd hope that Denver learned a valuable lesson. With a supreme counter-attacking weapon like PS2, he must be utilized to maximum effect.

When you consider how blatantly Jeudy had iterated his intentions to "whip" his former team, Joseph's failure to fight fire-with-fire with Surtain has to be one of the most glaring errors of his otherwise great coaching displays of 2024. Indeed, as the dust settled on the Broncos' eighth victory of the season, which keeps them in command of the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoff race, Surtain even sounded a little perplexed that they would have to go back to the drawing board as a unit. After all, he only gave up two catches for 20 yards to Jeudy.

"He definitely had himself a game," Surtain said graciously of Jeudy. "You really can't say much about it. You just have to watch the film and correct it."

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

Only when Joseph finally countered with an opportunistic answer with some of his other defensive personnel did slot corner Ja'Quan McMillian seriously bail his coach out. During the epic back-and-forth Broncos win, it always felt like if Browns quarterback Jameis Winston were going to keep taking substantial risks, the Denver defense would eventually get a chance to make a play to snuff the threat out for good.

"I just kept telling the guys, 'I'm going to make a play,'" McMillian said post-game. "I just felt it all game. When you see your teammate make another play, you want to make a play as well."

Just how badly the Broncos missed their playmaking starting cornerback Riley Moss was brutally exposed, especially when the Browns saw Wallace lining up on an island opposite the dynamic and motivated Jeudy. All told, now is not the time for anyone to lose faith in the Broncos' defensive penchant for pulling irons from the fire. Yes, the Broncos bent significantly, but they stopped inches from snapping, ultimately.

"I saw three turnovers in key parts of the game," quarterback Bo Nix said. "Not only are turnovers hard to get, but to return it for touchdowns, that's even harder. The fact that they did it twice, it was crazy. It was kind of nice. I was over there sitting. The bench has the heaters over there, and I don't even have to move. So it's pretty nice for the offense when they bail us out like that."

Escaping the second part of a trap-game double-header certainly wasn't easy in any shape or form, but on this particular night, a whole heap of the Broncos' wounds were self-inflicted. In the final analysis, the long overdue bye-week comes at the most opportune moment for Coach Payton.

Denver's Week 14 bye is the latest point in the campaign whereby a team can receive its vital period of R&R.

"It was a different game," Payton said. "We have to learn from it. It is good to get the win, which is important because we are at the time of the season into December here where all the things matter. We were able to do that. We are going to rest up during the bye and get ready for an Indianapolis [Colts] team."

---

Follow Denver Broncos On SI/Mile High Huddle on X and Facebook and subscribe on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!