This NFL season has proven to be unpredictable nearly every week, with crazy storyline after crazy storyline taking place. With the Denver Broncos sitting at 3-5 coming out of the bye, it’s very possible they could become the unpredictable team that makes a second-half stretch run.
Denver Broncos eager for a second-half run after the bye week
Bye weeks are one of the most important weeks for any NFL team, and fortunately, the Broncos bye week came at an important time. Denver was able to sit back during Week 9 of the NFL season and recenter, refocus, and more importantly, reboot for a potential second-half run.
Some teams unfortunately experience their bye weeks early on in Week 4 or Week 5, but there’s an added benefit to a midseason off-week. At this point of the year, the Broncos, through nine weeks of action, have a stronger idea regarding who they are than they would have if a bye week came earlier in the season.
Denver didn’t get off to the start that they had hoped for, but after winning two consecutive games, they ran into the off-week with some much-needed momentum.
Even through their earlier struggles this year, the players inside Denver’s locker room embraced an ‘us against them’ mentality — more importantly, not worrying about what the outside noise, like local or national media, had to say. Everything was about the guys in the locker room, according to various players Mile High Sports has spoken to.
Patrick Surtain still feels like he has a lot to prove
Since entering the NFL, Patrick Surtain has been a consistent bright spot for the Denver Broncos. The former first-round pick has continued to ascend even higher, receiving consistent praise from various folks around the league, former players, current players, and executives.
Surtain embraced the bye week by getting the chance to reset and re-energize.
“I’d say the bye week helps a lot because it helps us set it back some, helps us get time to ourselves that we don’t get throughout the season,” Surtain said on Tuesday. “It gives us time to really rest our bodies and take some time for yourself and enjoy yourself.”
The NFL season features a grueling gauntlet of tough teams and matchups, but Surtain indicated that he and his teammates feel rejuvenated coming into this week as they prepare for a Monday Night Football showdown with the Buffalo Bills.
“I feel like everybody feels rejuvenated,” Surtain said. “Obviously, it’s a long season, but to have that bye week in the middle of the season helps a lot because we know the stretch that we have ahead going further along this season. I think having the bye week at this particular time helps a lot.”
Earlier in the week, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown said during a TV appearance that he felt that Surtain was the best cornerback in the NFL. While Surtain acknowledged the praise from Brown, he expressed that he still has so much more to prove as his career progresses.
“It means a lot coming from a player like [A.J. Brown], a high caliber player,” Surtain said on Tuesday. “I don’t try to look too much into it because I tell myself this every time that I’ve still got a lot to prove in my game. But when you get praise like that from players that play the game it means a lot.”
Down the remaining stretch of the schedule, Surtain will face some high-caliber receivers, including Stefon Diggs on Monday evening, Keenan Allen, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Amari Cooper, and various others in their remaining games to go.
