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Jonathon Cooper #0 of the Denver Broncos on the field after defeating the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Denver Broncos got a hard-fought win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11, and there was certainly no love lost. Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper took issue with one play during the contest.
It involved Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, whom Cooper mentioned by name during his gripe postgame.
He also thanked one of his teammates for exacting a modicum of revenge.
Broncos’ Jonathon Cooper Calls Out Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt
GettyKareem Hunt #29 of the Kansas City Chiefs in action against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The play occurred just before halftime, with Cooper and the Broncos looking to keep Hunt and the Chiefs off the board. On second-and-15, Patrick Mahomes dropped back to pass.
As Cooper rushed off the right, Hunt caught him flush in his (relatively) exposed rib cage.
“I took a cheap shot,” Cooper said after the Broncos’ win over the Chiefs, per The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel. “Shoutout Justin Strnad, he had my back on that for real because he came back and gave Kareem Hunt somethin.”
Cooper “hobbled,” to quote CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz, to the Broncos’ sideline after the play.
Strnad brought Hunt down in a one-on-one situation early in the third quarter. There were no updates during or after the game.
So, Cooper may have avoided anything serious. But after so many players lost due to injury, Broncos Country must wait for an official update. Gabriel said that “Cooper left the locker room with training staff” after holding court with the media.
Cooper finished the game with 4 total tackles.
He did not have any sacks, but he and fellow OLB Nik Bonitto (0 sacks) certainly made their presence felt during the contest.
“Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto draw holding penalties on back-to-back snaps,” Gabriel noted on X during the game. “#Broncos pass rush has made its presence felt throughout and is really heating up now.
His status could remain uncertain until Week 13.
That is when the Broncos will return from their bye to face the Washington Commanders, who lost to the Miami Dolphins in overtime in Week 11.
Jonathon Cooper Sets Tone for Broncos
GettyJonathon Cooper #0 of the Denver Broncos celebrates a sack against the Tennessee Titans.
Cooper and the Broncos emerged from this contest tied with the New England Patriots for the best record in the NFL at 9-2, and the former seventh-round pick (2021) expressed a fitting level of confidence.
“Who we scared of?” Cooper asked. “Ain’t gotta be scared of nobody. Keep it goin.”
Cooper said that the Broncos – who were missing starters in All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II and linebacker Alex Singleton – keep the same approach regardless of the circumstances.
“We’re not going to change our style; We’re not going to play down to our opponent, we’re not going to play with our opponent,” Cooper said. “We’re going to play our game. We know our game is tough. Our game is tough, physical, fast, violent. We play together and always next man up, man. We don’t care who’s going down, who’s out there, or whatever. The standard’s the standard. We keep that.”
Broncos Bolster Position Among NFL Elite
The Broncos have beaten the last two teams to win the Super Bowl in the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles (Week 5). Their two losses this season have come against two of the better AFC teams in the Indianapolis Colts and their AFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Chargers.
Cooper and the Broncos will face the Chargers again in Week 18.
As it stands, the Broncos have a 2.0-game lead on the Chargers, who lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. However, that contest could be critical for playoff seeding later on.
Josh Buckhalter covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter
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