Getty Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain sent a strong message on facing Patrick Mahomes
Cornerback Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos sent a strong message on facing Patrick Mahomes while speaking to the crew of Good Morning Football on May 5 — saying that it was something most wouldn’t comprehend unless they were actually on the field.
We have @Broncos CB @PatSurtainll in the building this morning
His advice to NFL legacy rookies, his take on Kyle’s AFC QB Tiers, and of course, we’re talking high knees on the plane pic.twitter.com/22U0AaYFph
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) May 5, 2023
“When you are out there, you watch so much film on him—the throws they make are incredible,” Surtain said. “You don’t know what he’s going to make next—he’s like a magician out there. But, when you are on the field with him, obviously playing against him, it’s like okay. I’m locked in. I’m dialed in. Until you see it live in action, it’s crazy.”
Thus far in Surtain’s career, Mahomes’ Chiefs have gotten the better of the defensive back’s Broncos, sweeping the AFC rivalry in four matchups since 2021. Kansas City has a +26 differential against Denver the past two years.
Patrick Mahomes on Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II
Back on December 1, 2021, Mahomes gave Surtain serious praise on many of his physical attributes as well as his football mind.
“First off, he’s physically—I mean, he has all the talent you could possibly want,” Mahomes said to reporters (h/t NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk). “He’s tall, he’s fast, he’s big, he’s physical, and then you can tell his dad was a player. You [can] tell those guys that they’re smart, they understand the game. Even for a rookie, he has a veteran mindset. He understands what they’re trying to do as a defense. He’s someone you definitely have to know where he’s at every single play and he’s getting better and better each and every week.”
Mile High Huddle’s Keith Cummings sees Mahomes being the brilliant strategical inverse to Surtain on the offensive side of the football for the Chiefs.
“Surtain’s first-hand experience of trying to defend against Mahomes re-emphasizes how challenging the next few years are going to be for Payton’s Broncos,” Cummings wrote. “Mahomes can beat you one minute with his sheer physical prowess, and the next, he vanquishes you with his football brain.”
Sean Payton’s Broncos Must Knock Chiefs Off Pedestal
Cummings believes the Denver Broncos must knock Mahomes and the Chiefs off their metaphorical pedestal in order to achieve the desired goal of reigning over the AFC West moving forward.
“If Coach Payton is to really get the job done in Denver, it’s going to boil down to knocking Mahomes and the Chiefs off their lofty pedestal,” Cummings wrote. “The inherent difficulty is the fact that nobody has found the necessary kryptonite to steal away Mahomes’ near-mystical superpowers quite yet.”
Cummings left the door open for the team’s coaching staff and top star defensively to figure out how to do so.
“Perhaps Payton, Surtain, and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will crack the Mahomes code,” Cummings wrote.