LeBron James is just three wins away from his fourth career NBA title, and on Friday night, he and the Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
On Thursday night, though, James was tuned in for the Broncos' prime-time game against the Jets. And when Jerry Jeudy made a highlight-reel touchdown catch in the first half of the game, James certainly noticed.
"JEUDY!!!!!! Moss'd," James tweeted.
Indeed, Jeudy's catch over Pierre Desir was reminiscent of prime Randy Moss. Jeudy beat Desir down the field, but when the pass was underthrown, Jeudy had to reach back and pluck the ball away from the cornerback. The play should have been an easy interception. Instead, Jeudy wound up with the ball and stared at Desir — who wound up on the ground — for a moment before stepping into the end zone.
Jeudy finished with just one other catch — a 13-yarder to go with his 48-yard score — but the play showed his big-play potential.
"I thought Jeudy's touchdown was a tremendous play on his part," Head Coach Vic Fangio said after the game, "and I think we're going to see him grow more and more as this season goes on."
Jeudy didn't have much to say about the details of the catch or whether he or Rypien would get to keep the ball, as they each recorded their first career touchdown on the play. He did, however, have a reaction to James' tweet.
"LeBron James?" Jeudy said. "LeBron James shouted me out? That's next level right there. It's a blessing."
While Jeudy's catch garnered social media acclaim, Tim Patrick stacked several catches that the Broncos desperately needed. He tallied six receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown, and nearly every catch came at a big moment.
In the first quarter, he had a 21-yard catch that set up a Broncos field goal. On the Broncos' true final drive of the second quarter, a 40-yard reception set up a go-ahead touchdown. He caught a 7-yard touchdown in the third quarter to put the Broncos up eight points, and he caught a 31-yard pass on third-and-7 in the fourth quarter to put the Broncos in range for a go-ahead field goal.
"It's huge," Patrick said of reaching the 100-yard mark for the first time. "It's even better because of the timing of the plays. Some people have 100 yards and it's — I don't want to downplay it — but it's just 100 yards. I just felt like the ball came my way in tough situations and I made the plays and it helped us get that win."
The former undrafted receiver now has touchdown catches in consecutive weeks after finding the end zone against the Buccaneers.
After Noah Fant (ankle) and KJ Hamler (hamstring) exited the game with injuries, Patrick and Jeudy may be the Broncos' top options moving foward. Fangio did not immediately have an update on the injured players after the game.
Regardless of which players are in the lineup, both Jeudy and Patrick are both aware of the expectations.
"We've just got to do our jobs and make plays," Jeudy said. "Just focus on the details, during practice get better, and in the games make the plays when our name is called."
