Jerry Jeudy had an unforgettable game against his former team on “Monday Night Football.” Jeudy, the Browns wide receiver who was traded from Denver last offseason, torched the Broncos defense to the tune of 235 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions.
Jeudy broke Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens’ 16-year record for most receiving yards gained against his former team. Owens, who was playing for the Cowboys at the time, had 213 yards against the 49ers, the team with which he broke into the NFL in 1996.
Browns fans loved his performance, but the Mile High crowd, filled with fans who used to chant his name, now echoed with “boos.” The 25-year-old fired up his former home crowd after his series of big plays, urging opposing fans on.
Jeudy’s efforts may have made history and been a form of revenge against his former team, but the wide receiver didn’t get the ultimate revenge of a victory. The Browns lost 41-32 in an offensive shootout that went down to the wire.
After the loss, Jeudy was asked about the noise coming from the crowd and shook it off, reminding everyone of what he produced on the field.
“I heard it. It was a lot of booing, huh? … It was a lot of catches, too,” Jeudy said matter-of-factly, later adding that he would trade all his catches and yards for a win.
He said that playing against his team gave him “big emotions” and noted that “you always want to beat the team you used to play for.”
Jeudy said the Browns “came up short” and need to find ways to finish games and win. The loss doesn’t eliminate them from the playoffs, but it certainly makes the road much more difficult, as they are the 12th seed right now in the AFC, with only the top seven making the cut. Their current playoff chances are less than one percent.
Playoff chances are something Jeudy mentioned after the loss as a reason why he would have preferred to check off the win column instead of putting individual stats in the history books.
Jeudy’s signature play on Monday night was his 70-yard touchdown pass that occurred moments after the Broncos took a 10-point lead on a 93-yard touchdown pass from Bo Nix to Marvin Mims.
After the long touchdown, Jeudy added a two-point conversion and then had fun with his old hobby:
Jeudy, a 2020 first-round pick, didn’t realize his potential in Denver, but the former Alabama standout has enjoyed a career renaissance with the Browns since Jameis Winston entered the starting lineup at quarterback.
In Cleveland’s previous four games, Jeudy caught 25 passes for 379 yards for the Browns, who split those games after losing their previous five games. Not bad for a player the Broncos had previously considered expendable.
On Monday night, two pick-sixes thrown by Winston (who also made history by throwing for a Browns single-game record 497 yards) were the difference in what was an exciting way to cap off Week 13.
