In the emotionally-charged game of the year, the Denver Broncos will be without their best player.
In the place of injured NFL All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the Broncos will likely turn to a group approach at the New Orleans Saints that includes Levi Wallace, Ja’Quan McMillian and possibly Damarri Mathis coming back off the injured reserve.
Surtain suffered a concussion on the first defensive play of a Week 6 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and was ruled out for the Saints game. Fortunately for the Broncos, the Saints could be without their top 2 wide receivers in Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (knee) and have a rookie quarterback making just his second career start in Spencer Rattler.
The trip to face the Saints in the Week 7 Thursday Night Football matchup marks the first return of Denver head coach Sean Payton to the city where he was the head coach for 16 seasons and led the team to 9 playoff appearances and a win in Super Bowl XLIV.
“Surtain’s absence also meant players had to step into new roles,” wrote The Denver Post’s Ryan McFadden on October 16. “Ja’Quan McMillian had to split time at nickel — his primary position — and outside cornerback. McMillian usually only gets a couple of practice reps at outside cornerback over the course of a week, so it took him some time to get comfortable.”
Surtain One of NFL’s Few ‘Elite’ Players
Surtain became the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history in September, when he signed a 4-year, $96 million contract extension last month. The contract included $77 million in guaranteed money.
Since the start of the 2024 regular season, Surtain has shown why he’s worth every penny and has the Broncos’ signature play of the season on either side of the ball — a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in a win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5.
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.
Surtain was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft after leading Alabama to a College Football Playoff national championship and earning SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2020. Through his first 3 seasons, Surtain is a 2-time Pro Bowler and earned NFL All-Pro honors in 2022.
Surtain hasn’t missed a game since the final week of his rookie season — a streak of 40 consecutive games.
Group Approach Might Work for Broncos With Moss
The group approach might work for the Broncos with the trio — possibly duo — of cornerbacks.
A big reason it might work is the play of Denver’s other starting cornerback, second-year player Riley Moss, who is having a breakout season.
Sports Illustrated’s Chad Evans called Moss “one of the NFL’s best young cornerbacks” after the win over the Raiders in which the former Iowa star recorded his first career interception. Moss is second on the Broncos with 39 tackles and is tied for Surtain for the team lead with 5 pass deflections.
“There’s no question that Moss is having himself a year,” Evans wrote. “The 2023 third-round draft pick out of Iowa is in his first year as a starter, and the early returns have been near-on spectacular. In tandem with Surtain’s production, the Broncos are giddy. In the Broncos’ 34-18 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Moss was pivotal. He had two passes defensed and notched the first interception of his career, as the Broncos smothered the Raiders’ two quarterbacks. Between Moss and Surtain, the Broncos’ cornerback duo totaled three interceptions.”
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Broncos Could Take Group Approach to Replace $96 Million NFL All-Pro