Second-year wide receiver Courtland Sutton was a bright spot for the Denver Broncos in their Week 1 24-16 loss to the Oakland Raiders. The 6-foot-4 pass-catcher looked ready to take over the No. 1 option spot, recording seven receptions for 120 yards on the night.
Known for his ability to catch the deep-ball whether it be go-routes or 50/50 catches, Sutton appeared to have a few new tricks up his sleeve against Oakland.
On multiple occasions, quarterback Joe Flacco targetted Sutton in the middle of the field while he showed toughness to make physical catches. He worked in all three areas of the field too.
Being more than a deep-ball ace is all part of the plan for Sutton, as he said after the game, via 9News' Mike Klis:
“Like I said in the beginning of training camp, I want to be something more than just a deep-ball guy. I’m pretty sure you guys could see I didn’t go deep too many times today. It was all the intermediate stuff working down the field.”
Sutton's ability to play more than one facet of the game helped his new quarterback, Flacco. However, the Broncos offense failed to produce outside of him and fellow receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who caught five passes for 86 yards and a score.
The Broncos offense failed to take advantage of the red zone, scoring on just one of their four attempts. On third down, the team connected on six of their 13 attempts. Utilization of Sutton helped, but they'll need to get something else going for next week against the feisty Chicago Bears defense.
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