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In the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Devaughn Vele made a great effort to catch a deflected pass just before it hit the ground, securing a touchdown.
Despite scoring on the play, Vele got an earful from coach Sean Payton on the sideline for running the wrong route.
“Oh, Sean Payton was pissed,” Vele said after Wednesday’s practice, via DenverSports.com’s Andrew Mason. “He came to me after on the sideline, he was yelling at me. So it was kind of hard not to enjoy it.
“But, you know, that’s — when we’re in the playoffs now, you can’t make mistakes like that. We got lucky with that one, but at the end of the day, I need to make sure I’m on top of my game.”
Devaughn Vele’s tip-drill TD vs. KC was spectacular … but Vele ran the wrong route, so, he heard about it when he got back to the bench.
“Sean Payton was pissed,” Vele said. “…We got lucky with that one. But at the end of the day, I need to make sure I’m on top of my game.” pic.twitter.com/wZ91LTW5Ic
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 9, 2025
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Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix had a much more gracious reaction to Vele running the wrong route.
“I think it just goes to show you that even though Vele ran the wrong route, he didn’t give up on the play and showed great effort,” Nix said after an eventual 38-0 win. “In my opinion, it’s the effort that matters, and it’s the effort that counts.
“They say all the time for young guys, especially, it doesn’t matter if you mess up, just do it 100 percent of your effort. That’s what Vele was doing. It actually was perfect. I’m glad he did exactly what he did, and he got a touchdown.”
“aaaaaand CAUGHT. OH MY GOSH. THE DOUBLE DEFLECTION. AND A DENVER TOUCHDOWN.”
– Jim Nantz on the call for the @Broncos WILD TD pic.twitter.com/LMjTrhDytK
— NFL on CBS
(@NFLonCBS) January 5, 2025
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Vele ended his rookie (regular) season with 41 receptions for 475 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games. The seventh-round draft pick will look to build on those totals (running the correct routes) when the Broncos face the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday.