Three numbers to know for Broncos-Cardinals

DENVER — Brett Rypien doesn’t have a large enough sample size to glean much about him. Sunday’s start will be just the third of his career. He also played parts of the fourth quarter in two other games, including last week.

But there is one thing that is clear: He has good chemistry with Jerry Jeudy. And after Jeudy’s career-high 3-touchdown day last week, Rypien’s presence gives the third-year receiver an excellent chance to continue building momentum — and, thus, building a case for the Broncos to commit to picking up his fifth-year option.

Jeudy’s production is where this week’s pregame numbers roundup begins.

***
90.17

That is Jeudy’s average yardage total per 60 minutes of game play with Rypien at quarterback. That is 39.47 yards better than Jeudy’s average per 60 minutes with all other quarterbacks during his three-year career.

Jeudy’s first pro touchdown catch — and Rypien’s first NFL touchdown pass — came together. They collaborated on a 48-yard strike during a 37-28 Broncos win over the New York Jets in Week 4 of the 2020 season. But the groundwork for that play was laid weeks before.

“When he was a rookie, I remember we were able to get a lot of reps together during that training camp, during COVID,” Rypien recalled Friday.

The difference in Jeudy’s production per 60 minutes with Rypien is staggering.

With other QBs:

• Targets per 60: 6.45
• Receptions per 60: 3.55
• Yards per 60: 50.64
• Touchdowns per 60: 0.21

With Rypien:

• Targets per 60: 8.89
• Receptions per 60: 5.50
• Yards per 60: 90.17
• Touchdowns per 60: 0.85

“[Jeudy is] just a guy that I’ve always trusted,” Rypien said. “I think he’s one heck of a player. He does a great job in man coverage getting open. He’s very trustworthy.”

And he could be in line for another big game Sunday.

***
45

That is the Broncos’ average total of penalty yards per game since the bye week. With 27 infractions for 225 yards in the last five weeks, Denver ranks 20th in penalty yards per game and tied for 20th in infractions per game (5.4).

That’s not great, of course.

But when you compare it to where the Broncos were in Weeks 1-8, it’s a substantial improvement. The Broncos had a league-leading 8.8 penalties for 75.0 yards per game before their bye.

Over the full season, Denver still ranks at the bottom of the league. With 97 penalties for 825 yards in infractions, the Broncos still have more than anyone else in both categories. But Arizona is close; they rank second in the league in penalties per game — and actually have more penalties and penalty yards per game since Week 9 than Denver.

***
4

Length of the Broncos’ current home losing streak. If Rypien and the Broncos can’t snap the skid Sunday, the Broncos will have their longest home skein since a 5-game home losing streak that lasted from Nov. 21, 1982 though Sept. 25, 1983 — three games in the 1982 season and two games the following year.

But in terms of single-season losing streaks, a 5-game skid would be the longest since the Broncos ended the 1967 season with 6 consecutive home defeats.

***