ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — This was an unfamiliar scene — Pat Surtain II chasing receivers and giving up completions. Typically, teams make his game day boring by staying far away from his side of the field.
The Denver Broncos cornerback and reigning AP defensive player of the year was in coverage when seven passes were completed on him in a 29-28 loss to Indianapolis last weekend. It's tied for the most catches he's allowed in an NFL game, according to research from Pro Football Focus.
Surtain credited
pinpoint throws by Colts QB Daniel Jones. He also vowed to fix the little things where he thought his technique was “a little lazy.” No excuses, either, not even an ankle injury he suffered early in the game.
“I hold myself to a high standard, so that wasn’t one of my best games,” said Surtain, who allowed 35 catches for 306 yards last season, according to NextGen Stats. “It’s a lot to learn from, a lot to gain from. It gives me a lot of motivation to make sure that I’m on point and I’m on cue."
Broncos coach Sean Payton had a slightly different read on the Colts “targeting” his top defensive back.
“Do I think in those Wednesday night and Thursday night game-plan meetings they were out to target Patrick? I don’t think that was the case,” said Payton, whose Broncos (1-1) go back on the road this weekend to face Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers (2-0). “I think a lot of it is the progression of a route."
To prepare for Herbert and the Chargers offense, Surtain planned to visit with Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins, who played with Los Angeles last season.
“He’s got a lot of intel, a lot of insight,” Surtain said. “It’d be good to really gain some insight.”
Mostly, though, Surtain is going to study film and work on his mechanics at practice.
“Knowing that I could have been better with my placement, my footwork, knowing what certain routes was coming,” he said. “But also they made some great throws, great catches.”
The last time Surtain allowed seven catches in a game was Oct. 2, 2022, at Las Vegas. He also gave up seven catches against the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 3, 2021, according to PFF. Both were losses, just like the Colts game.
“Shoot, it’s the league. They get paid, too,” said Surtain, the ninth overall pick out of Alabama in the 2021 draft. “I think I had pretty tight coverage.”
Last season, among cornerbacks with at least 400 coverage snaps, Surtain ranked first in lowest target rate (10.9%) and fewest yards allowed per coverage snap. It paved the way to him becoming only the seventh cornerback to win the AP NFL defensive player of the year award.
“Different teams got a different game plan,” said Surtain, who signed a four-year contract extension worth $96 million, including $77.5 million in guarantees, last September. “Obviously, I thought I could have made a couple plays here and there, but kudos to them as well for executing. It’s something to learn from and take away from that game.”
He hadn't heard yet from his father, Patrick, who was a cornerback in the league for 11 seasons with Miami and then Kansas City.
Not that his dad needs to say much.
“When I have games like that, I think he knows it as well, too,” Pat Surtain said. "It’s the life of a DB. You’re going to have some rough games, like games where you’re not on top of your game. He understands that. He also knows that I’m a student of the game.
“I’m always looking to get better. I’m never complacent in my work habits, in my study habits.”
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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed.
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