Cleveland Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy returned to Denver with revenge on his mind. His team fell in a 41-32 contest, but he certainly put on a show for Broncos fans.

Jeudy had nine catches for a career-high 235 yards with a touchdown in his first game against Denver after the former first-round pick spent four seasons with the Broncos.

“High emotions,” Jeudy said. “Like I said, you always want to beat the team you used to play for, but we couldn’t do it. We have to find a way to finish, find a way to win.”

Apparently, every time Jameis Winston needed a big play, he looked Jeudy’s way. When the Broncos took a two-score lead early in the third quarter after a 93-yard play, Jeudy immediately answered with a 70-yard touchdown dash.

Jeudy joins Ja’Marr Chase as the only players with multiple receiving TDs over 70 yards and the only players with more than 200 receiving yards in a game in 2024. Jeudy is the fifth Browns player with more than 200 receiving yards. Yards in a single game all-time.

“He’s a good football player,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We tried to find ways to get him the ball. As we’ve seen, when Jerry is able to line up anywhere, he’s very, very hard to defend after the catch, and I think that really speaks to his intelligence.”

In some ways, it had to be weird for Denver fans to see Jeudy finally put together the kind of performance they wanted from him in the four seasons he wore a Broncos jersey. The home crowd booed the wideout mercilessly every time he touched the ball. And yet it only motivated him more when he taunted the audience after every big play.

Jeudy struggled with injuries early in his career and never had the breakthrough Denver was hoping for when they recruited him ahead of players like Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb. He never reached the 1,000-yard mark in any season and scored just 11 touchdowns in four seasons.

When Sean Payton took over, Jeudy’s end in Denver seemed near as he never seemed to find a spot in the offense. The Broncos ended up shipping him to Cleveland this offseason, where he got a new contract and a ton of targets. He’s exploded since the Browns traded Amari Cooper and acquired Jameis Winston for Deshaun Watson. Over the last five games, Jeudy has generated 614 receiving yards (122.8 YPG) on 33 catches, averaging 18.61 yards per catch.

On Monday, the Broncos tried to slow him down by pitting him against star corner Patrick Surtain II. Denver didn’t move the CB with Jeudy when Clevland moved him into the slot – which Stefanski generously did to free up the wideout.

Jeudy and Surtain competed against each other on 34 of 57 routes. According to Next Gen Stats, Surtain allowed 2 receptions for 20 yards (3 targets) against Jeudy, while the rest of the team allowed 7 receptions for 215 yards (10 targets).

It wasn’t a game plan Payton wanted to repeat.

“We wanted to get (CB) Pat (Surtain II) together and then move him to the other side through an easy slot,” the Broncos coach said. “We have to be able to deal with that. Offensively, it’s too easy for us. I’m sure we’ll watch the footage. We always demand that from the players. When we come back, just like the coaches.” “How would we play this game if we played it again? It’s us making sure we get our guys back in the best position.”

The Broncos won while Jeudy set the record books. His 235 receiving yards broke the record for most receiving yards in NFL history by a player in a game against his former team (previously: Terrell Owens 213 yards vs. 49ers in 2008).