DENVER — It didn't take long for Broncos Country to feel Jaylen Waddle's impact.
Early in the second quarter of Denver's home opener against the Jaguars, the Broncos had not yet put points on the board and found themselves in need of an offensive spark. After picking up a first down near midfield to keep Denver's drive alive, quarterback Bo Nix avoided being chased down and launched a pass nearly 50 yards down the field.
At the 1-yard line, Waddle was waiting.
The star receiver leaped up in the air with a defender on his back and made an impressive grab near the goal line. The 49-yard completion, which led to a Denver field goal and the team's first points in the win, was Denver's longest offensive play of the day.
"That sort of got him going," Nix said.
Waddle went on to record one of the best home debuts in franchise history, posting 138 receiving yards — the second-most ever totaled by a Bronco in their first appearance in front of a home crowd. Waddle hauled in eight of his 10 targets, and five of his catches resulted in gains of more than 10 yards. Three of Waddle's receptions also resulted in successful third-down conversions.
"It was significant," Head Coach Sean Payton said of Waddle's impact following the game. "… You can see the explosiveness, the run after the catch, all of those things. I'm glad he's ours."
Payton, who said it was "great to see" Waddle have what he described as a breakout game, shared that Waddle was awarded a game ball following Sunday's win.
"He's kind of infectious," Payton said. "… He doesn't have bad days. He likes football. He's a real good teammate. We needed it. It was good for our offense."
Waddle said of the recognition: "It means a lot. Since I came here, they've treated me like a brother since day one. Not knowing too many people on the team, they just allow me to be myself each and every day. I love going to war with them, love grinding in the dog days we had in camp so, it means a lot."
For cornerback Pat Surtain II, who has had a front row seat to Waddle's impact since the duo played together in college, the impressive showing was nothing new. Surtain, however, acknowledged the significance of explosive play after explosive play in a game in which the Broncos scored 17 unanswered points to secure the win.
"Crazy," Surtain said of Waddle's performance. "That's what he brings to the table. That's expected each and every week. He had a huge game, making huge plays for us late in the game that we needed. He came through in the clutch, and it was big time from him, for sure."
And for players like wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who have only just begun to see Waddle's impact up close, Sunday's breakout performance was just the beginning.
"Watching him go out there and have the success that he had and seeing the competitive nature that he brings to the sideline and to our room and to our offense, to our locker room … he has that same desire to want to be successful," Sutton said. "And to watch him go out there and be able to put together plays and having a day like that — I think that's only the tip of the iceberg for him. We have more plays in our back pocket that we didn't even get to get to. And for him to be able go out there and do what he did and us be able to have the success, and him being able to go and put together a very efficient day today, it was very promising. And I look forward to seeing where that goes the rest of the season."
