Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton was drafted No. 40 in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. During the season, the Broncos were 500 headed into the final quarter of the season with Vance Joseph as head coach and Case Keenum as the quarterback. That said, the Broncos would lose the final four games of the season and finish the season with 10 losses. It was the closest Sutton got to the playoffs until his seventh season in the league in 2024.
Examining Lean Years of Courtland Sutton’s Career
He said, “It’s a blessing. I went around the locker room and told everybody congrats because it’s not every day that you get a [No.] 1 seed. I was telling them, six years of my career, this is the last game of the year, getting ready for the offseason. There were no playoffs. Back-to-back years with playoffs, but last year was we need to win this game to get into the playoffs.”
After 2018, Sutton broke out with, most notably, Joe Flacco and Drew Lock at quarterback. In 16 games, Sutton totaled 72 receptions on 124 targets for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns. But the Broncos as a team finished only slightly better with nine losses and seven wins. Sutton was hurt in the first game of the 2020 pandemic season, and the Broncos slid back to double-digit losses (11).
In his first season back, Sutton totaled 58 receptions on 98 targets for 776 yards and two touchdowns. The Broncos, as a team, meanwhile, totaled 10 more losses in 2021. Sutton got an extension during the season, but 2022 and 2023 were just as disappointing as his first four seasons.
Then 2024 happened. The Broncos finished with a winning record for the first time since the 2016-2017 season, and made the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-2016 Super Bowl-winning season. Now, the Broncos are focused on their first playoff win since the aforementioned 2015-2016 season. Because of a first-round bye, the Broncos will have to wait until the elite eight is settled to do so. No complaints from Broncos Country there.
This season, Sutton is No. 37 in PFSN’s NFL WR Impact Metric — while the Broncos’ offense is No. 15 in PFSN’s NFL Offense Impact Metric as well. Sutton added, “For us to get this win and own the No. 1 seed and have the opportunity to have home-field advantage here at [Empower Field at] Mile High, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
