The Lead
Monday's season opener against Seattle may not have gone how the Broncos planned, but there were several positives to take away from the game. Jerry Jeudy and Bradley Chubb both performed well and showed promise to have bounce-back seasons, The Denver Post’s Ryan O’Halloran noted.
"After a no-touchdown 2021 season, Jeudy didn't waste any time this year reaching the end zone," O'Halloran wrote. "In the second quarter, Jeudy beat rookie cornerback Coby Bryant, collected quarterback Russell Wilson's underthrown deep pass and raced to a 67-yard touchdown. Jeudy ended with four catches for 102 yards."
On the defensive side, O'Halloran noted that Chubb made his presence known in the second half — already showing improvement over last season.
"Chubb had a quiet first half, but two sacks in the second half," O'Halloran wrote. "He had none last year while battling multiple ankle injuries. 'It was good to see,' [Chubb] said. 'Good to have success. But at the end of the day, I want to do it for all four quarters. I felt like I just did it for two. I want to get back to being the full, dominant type of guy.'"
O'Halloran also pointed to the outside-zone tosses to the running backs as an offensive strength that frequently involved both Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon III.
"The Broncos' outside zone toss plays to Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon were cooking early," O'Halloran wrote. "Well-designed plays accounted for Seattle's edge defenders, part of a Broncos run game that averaged 5.2 yards per carry despite no runs of longer than 13 yards (one apiece by Gordon and Williams). The offense just needs to be more effective on goal-to-go carries."
Below the Fold
After scoring a 67-yard touchdown against the Seahawks, Jeudy has increased his fantasy football stock. SportsLine's advanced computer model ranked Jeudy as a top-10 wide receiver heading into Week 2, CBS Sports reported.
"One player the model is high on this week: Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy," the CBS Sports staff wrote. "It appears Jeudy and Russell Wilson have built a solid rapport in training camp. … Jeudy finished with over 100 receiving yards and a 25.5 yards per reception average against the Seahawks. Now, he'll face a Houston Texans team that gave up 517 yards against the Colts in Week 1, the most of any team in the NFL. SportsLine's model ranks Jeudy as a top-10 wide receiver this week, making him a rock-solid WR1 option against the Texans."
