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If there was a single play that had the entire NFL buzzing in Week 5, it came from Denver Broncos superstar cornerback Patrick Surtain II in a 34-18 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Denver.
Trailing the Raiders 10-3 with 8:43 left in the second quarter and with 1st and goal from the Broncos’ 4-yard line, Surtain intercepted Gardner Minshew at the goal line and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown to tie the score 10-10.
It was the first of 2 interceptions for Surtain, who signed a 4-year, $96 million contract extension last month. The contract included $77 million in guaranteed money and made Surtain the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history.
It was the second-longest interception return for a touchdown in team history behind Aqib Talib’s 103-yard return against the Dallas Cowboys in 2017. The Raiders had a 10-0. lead before the Broncos reeled off 34 unanswered points.
“Once I caught the ball, I just seen a full head of green grass,” Surtain told Fox Sports after the win. “I knew I was gonna get there … all I seen was touchdown. And I was tired when I got there, lemme tell ya.”
It was the Broncos’ third consecutive win and came on a day when the Broncos wore throwback uniforms to honor their 1977 AFC championship team and former linebacker Randy Gradishar, who became the first member of Denver’s famed “Orange Crush” defense inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024.
Surtain Long Considered One of NFL’s Elite
Before the season, Surtain was the only member of the Broncos who made PFF’s list of the Top 50 Players in the NFL at No. 35.
From PFF: “Denver’s defense was in trouble for a good portion of last season, and even their best players struggled because of it. Patrick Surtain II gave up three touchdowns on the season and a 93.9 passer rating when targeted, the worst mark of his career. But when assessing the 24-year-old, it seems foolish to put that down to anything other than variance at the position and the issues around him. The tape still shows Surtain is an elite cover cornerback and one of the best in the game.”
Surtain’s Ascension to NFL’s Elite Cornerbacks
Surtain might be a great example of Malcolm Gladwell’s famous “10,000-hour rule” — the theory that if you practice anything for 10,000 hours you’ll become an expert at it.
Surtain’s training to be an NFL cornerback may have started when he was still in his crib as a baby. His father, Patrick Surtain, played cornerback for 11 seasons in the NFL and was a two-time NFL All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler.
Surtain played for his father at American Heritage before becoming a starter as a true freshman at Alabama in 2018 before earning All-American honors and being named SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2020 as he helped lead the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff national championship.
The Broncos selected Surtain No. 9 overall in the 2021 NFL draft and in his first three seasons he made the PFWAA All-Rookie Team in 2021, earned NFL All-Pro honors in 2022 and is a two-time Pro Bowler in 2022 and 2023.
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