Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy caught three touchdown passes in a 34-28 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. But the former Alabama All-American’s big game also came with fines totaling $36,281.
On Friday, NFL Network and ESPN reported the NFL had imposed a $13,261 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct and a $23,020 fine for making contact with an official after an incident for which Jeudy was not penalized during the game.
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After an incomplete third-down pass with Denver trailing Kansas City 27-0 with 3:45 left in the first half, Jeudy pulled off his helmet and stalked across the field shouting at line judge Tripp Sutter. As the two passed, Jeudy bumped into Sutter, who appeared practically to ignore the whole incident as he brought a football onto the field.
According to the NFL’s schedule of fines for the 2022 season, a first offender for unsportsmanlike conduct can be fined $13,261, as Jeudy was. However, a first offender for physical contact with an official can be fined $37,232 and a first offender for verbal or other non-physical offense against an official can be fined $29,795.
While Jeudy wasn’t penalized, Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said he was made aware of what had happened.
“I didn’t see it happen on the field,” Hackett said on Monday. “I was told by the referee that it had happened, so I went and addressed it right away. Talked with him. He definitely knew that he was wrong. That’s unacceptable. You can’t do that. We addressed that, and I know that he knows he can’t do that. I know he was very frustrated at the time, but that’s just something you can’t do.”
After the game, Jeudy said he let his frustration get the better of him.
“On that certain play, I got held,” Jeudy said, “and I was just frustrated because we didn’t have things going, so I was just out there playing with frustration. Just wanted to make a play for my team, and I feel like at that point I was just held and it should have been a call. But I got to know how to control my anger and move on from there.”
At that point in the game, Jeudy had a 3-yard reception. After his eruption, Jeudy caught seven passes for 70 yards and three touchdowns.
Jeudy caught touchdown passes of 18 yards with 1:35 left in the first half, 5 yards with nine seconds left in the first half and 7 yards with 10:49 left in the game. He did it playing in a different position with Courtland Sutton out of the lineup because of a hamstring injury.
“I give Jerry so much credit,” Hackett said. “When Courtland went down last week, we decided to make a move for our team to put him at the same position that Courtland was playing at that backside X position, as we call it, and we still wanted to put him in the slot, so he had to kind of take even more of a role in the different positions that we wanted him. He embraced it. I think he was really excited for it, and he took advantage of it.”
Jeudy has lined up as a slot receiver 49 percent of the time this season.
“I just think Coach put me in a great position to make plays,” Jeudy said. “I feel like everybody executed on them plays to be able to drive the ball and make them plays.”
Jeudy became the fourth Alabama alumnus with at least three touchdown receptions in an NFL game.
Don Hutson of the Green Bay Packers had three touchdown receptions in a 28-7 victory over the Cleveland Rams on Oct. 30, 1938, and a 22-17 victory over the Washington Redskins on Nov. 30, 1941, and four in a 57-21 victory over the Detroit Lions on Oct. 7, 1945.
Calvin Ridley had three touchdown receptions in the Atlanta Falcons’ 43-37 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 23, 2018, and Amari Cooper had three in the Dallas Cowboys’ 29-23 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 9, 2018. Cooper caught a touchdown pass in overtime. Ridley did not.
Jeudy had three touchdown receptions in his first two seasons combined, and another three TD catches in his first 10 games in the 2022 campaign.
“There’s so much more that I think we can see from Jerry,” Hackett said.
Denver hosts the Arizona Cardinals at 3:05 pm CST Sunday.
Jeudy caught his third touchdown pass against Kansas City from quarterback Brett Rypien, and they’ll be trying to connect again against the Cardinals. The Broncos have announced No. 1 QB Russell Wilson will not play on Sunday because of a concussion.
With a 3-10 record, Denver is playing out the string on another season. The Broncos have posted double-digit losses in five of the past six seasons.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.