It’s been a busy week for Denver Broncos star cornerback Patrick Surtain II. He’s won the ESPN Monday Night Countdown HIMMY award, intercepted two passes in Sunday’s win against the Las Vegas Raiders, including a 100-yard pick six, and now he’s taking home the NFL honor of AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain earns AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors
The Denver Broncos are lucky to have a player like Patrick Surtain II. Not only can he erase one side of the field on a consistent basis, but he can also get the offense in the football if opposing quarterbacks dare to test him. Following Sunday’s dominant performance by Surtain, he’s taking home the NFL honor of AFC Defensive Player of the Week, the first time he’s won the award in his career.
The All-Pro cornerback is off to the best start of his already impressive career. So far this season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, Surtain has played all 100% of the team’s defensive snaps and has allowed ten catches on 15 targets for 109 yards total through five games while snagging two interceptions. Quarterbacks passer rating when targeting him this season has been 48.3, which is in elite level category.
In Sunday’s win against the Las Vegas Raiders, Surtain was targeted four times, allowing two total catches for 24 yards between Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers, including the two interceptions he had and his 100-yard pick six that changed the entire tide of the game for the Broncos as they were in danger of trailing 17-3. His return TD tied the game up at 10-10, which gave the Broncos all of the momentum.
Earlier this season, Surtain was rewarded with a record-setting contract extension, and he’s earned every single penny, plus interest on that deal, helping Denver’s defense come in as one of the league’s top-ranked units.
The Denver Broncos have a perennial, once-in-a-lifetime type of player at the position, and he’s locked in for the long term.
