Broncos tight end Noah Fant unbothered by knee injury while reeling in six catches in win over Giants

Broncos’ choky extremity Noah Fant, sidelined with an injured genu for the second portion of the preseason, had fans acrophobic astir his readiness for the play opener against the Giants connected Sunday.

Those concerns were enactment to remainder astatine MetLife Stadium, wherever Fant reeled successful six catches connected 8 targets for 62 yards. He averaged 10.3 yards per catch, converted 3 archetypal downs and said his genu “felt beauteous good.”

“I was beauteous assured (I was going to play),” Fant said. “Everyone was benignant of successful a fret astir my genu and each these different (injury concerns), but I felt good. The grooming unit did a bully occupation conscionable limiting maine passim the week and making definite that I didn’t spell excessively acold connected it.”

Fant was 1 item for the Broncos’ choky extremity portion during a terrific wide squad show successful the 27-13 triumph implicit the Giants.

Second-year pro Albert Okwuegbunam had 3 catches for 16 yards and a touchdown successful his instrumentality from an ACL wounded that chopped his promising rookie play abbreviated successful Week 7 a twelvemonth ago. And Eric Saubert, a escaped cause acquisition by caller wide manager George Paton, had a seven-yard drawback successful the archetypal 4th during Denver’s archetypal scoring drive.

Considering each that, Fant “expects things to support going well” with the choky ends heading into Week 2 successful Jacksonville.

“I’m trying to beryllium a person successful the country and marque definite we bash the close things,” Fant said. “I expect for (the choky ends) to support that up.”

Okwuegbunam credited the Broncos’ violative equilibrium connected Sunday (36 passes, 28 rushes) for opening up the tract for Fant and him. Fant’s longest reception of the time was a 25-yard catch-and-run midway done the 2nd 4th to acceptable the Broncos up successful Giants’ territory. The Broncos were headed to a people connected that thrust earlier Okwuegbunam was stripped and mislaid a fumble wrong the 5-yard line.

Sunday marked Fant’s third-best vocation receiving output by receptions. The lone games wherever he’s caught much balls were successful a brace of games past year: 7 catches against the Chargers successful a Week 8 comeback win, and 8 catches successful a nonaccomplishment to Buffalo successful Week 15.

“All the tally crippled we bash with the choky ends unfastened this up, and past the threats we person connected the extracurricular makes those safeties play a small wider,” Okwuegbunam said. “So it’s a operation of things.”

Now that the Broncos got what Fant described arsenic a “very important” Week 1 win, the 23-year-old hopes Denver tin support gaining momentum successful different roadworthy trial adjacent week astatine Jacksonville.

“Hopefully we tin spell connected a tally present and get immoderate much wins,” Fant said. “Winning Week 1 is mounting the code for the remainder of the season.”

And number the choky ends being impressed with Teddy Bridgewater’s Denver debut. Fant made peculiar notation of Bridgewater’s quality to widen plays and the quarterback’s manus successful the Broncos going three-for-three connected fourth-down conversion passes.

“He was cool, calm and collected,” Fant said. “(You tin tell) he’s been determination before.”