Sutton makes noise vs. Vikings, silences crowd with big plays

Miles

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Mar 18, 2019
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MINNEAPOLIS — After Courtland Sutton beat the Vikings for much of Sunday’s game, Minnesota wasn’t going to let him beat them on the final plays.


As the Broncos tried to complete a comeback — one that was surprisingly necessary after leading 20-0 at halftime — they had three chances from the 4-yard line in the final minute.


On first down, Brandon Allen targeted Tim Patrick. On second down, he searched for Noah Fant. On third down — the final snap of the game — Allen again went back to Fant.


Sutton, who finished the game with five catches for 113 yards, was not targeted.


After the Broncos left the field with another last-second loss, Sutton confirmed he was double-teamed on each of the final three snaps.


“Coach knows what he’s doing,” Sutton said. “We all trust Brandon’s decision-making. He was throwing the ball where we had the best opportunity to score.”


After the way Sutton played, it’s clear the Vikings made the right decision to swarm the SMU product.


In addition to Sutton’s five catches, he also drew a 24-yard pass interference call against Xavier Rhodes. The cornerback is a two-time Pro Bowler and former first-team All-Pro, and Sutton still recorded the second-highest receiving yardage total of his young career.


Only Sutton’s performance in Week 1 against Oakland was better than his Week 11 showing, as he topped 100 yards for just the second time.


Sutton recorded a catch of 48 yards on the Broncos’ first touchdown drive, and he then threw a 38-yard pass and picked up a fourth-and-1 on a jet sweep as Denver marched to another touchdown.


In the second half, Sutton had another reception for a first down as the Broncos added a field goal to push their lead to 23-7. Allen then found Sutton for 43 yards to the Minnesota 32-yard line in the fourth quarter, but Brandon McManus missed an ensuing 43-yard field-goal attempt.
 
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