Jonathon Cooper Calls Out Chiefs Player After Broncos’ Victory
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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.
Despite Beating the Lions, WR A.J. Brown Still Bowed His Head to Take Blame After the Eagles’ Gritty 16–9 Win – But It Was Jalen Hurts’ Quiet Gesture That Left All of Philadelphia Emotional
The Philadelphia Eagles walked out of Detroit with a hard-earned 16–9 victory, a game defined by bruising defense and relentless pressure. But inside the locker room, there was no loud celebration. A.J. Brown — usually fiery, usually expressive — sat silently at his locker, helmet by his feet, frustration etched across his face.
It had been a complicated night: a rare dropped touchdown, a miscommunication on a key route, and only 47 yards for a receiver who always demands more of himself.
A.J. Brown on the win:
“Winning doesn’t erase everything… I’m supposed to set the tone. Tonight I didn’t.”
After the game, Brown finally spoke, voice low:
“If we had lost this one, that’s on me. I wasn’t sharp, and I put the offense in bad situations. Watching my guys grind twice as hard to make up for my mistakes — that hurts me more than anything. But they never doubted me. They still believed. And that makes me swear I won’t ever fail them again.”
Detroit shadowed him all night, rolling coverage his way and forcing Jalen Hurts to distribute elsewhere. It was not a glamorous performance, but Brown still delivered clutch first downs that helped preserve Philadelphia’s narrow lead.
And then came the moment all of Philly is still talking about.
As Brown stepped away from the podium, shoulders stiff with disappointment, Jalen Hurts quietly approached him, slid an arm around his shoulder, and pulled him aside for a private talk. Brown nodded. Hurts spoke again. And for the first time all night, Brown’s face finally eased — a faint, tired smile.
But this moment carried more weight than fans knew.
Because not long ago, the two had their public friction — sideline arguments, emotional flare-ups, and whispers of locker-room tension. There were weeks when outside noise painted their relationship as strained, even fractured.
What Hurts did in that hallway showed what was true all along.
Later, Hurts explained:
““I know that feeling — when you think the whole world expects perfection from you. A.J. is one of the toughest, most passionate players I’ve ever been around. Tonight wasn’t about stats. It was about heart. And he showed plenty of it.
”
The gesture went viral instantly.
“That wasn’t just leadership — that was forgiveness, loyalty, and love for the city,” one fan wrote on X.
A.J. Brown may not have played his cleanest game. He may carry the weight of his own expectations heavier than anyone else ever will. But with that humility — and with a quarterback who sees through noise, through ego, through every past disagreement — the Eagles are built on something deeper than football.
They are built on brotherhood. Built on battles shared. Built on the promise that in Philadelphia, you fight with your family — no matter what came before.
