En route to winning 2024 AP Defensive Player of the Year honors, Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II played the seventh-most coverage snaps of any cornerback – but was targeted in coverage just 52 times, T-71st among players at his position last year.
Surtain had a gravitational impact on not just the Broncos' defense, but in how opposing offenses attacked Denver. The message was clear: Stay the heck away from No. 2.
In the Broncos' 20-12 Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans, Surtain was targeted one time in coverage, per Pro Football Focus. It's easy to draw a line between Titans top receiver Calvin Ridley having zero catches in Week 1 and the presence of Surtain on the field.
On Sunday, when the Colts absolutely needed a first down, Daniel Jones threw it toward Surtain.
Trailing by two and facing a third-and-six at midfield with 1:50 left, Jones hung in the pocket as backside pressure from Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto closed in on him. He stood tall and delivered a throw to wide receiver Alec Pierce, with Pierce accelerating away from Surtain on a mesh concept with Josh Downs crossing by at the same time. Pierce caught the ball on the Broncos' 46-yard line and physically willed his way to the 43-yard line, enough for a seven-yard gain and a first down.
But, in one of the biggest moments of Week 2, that the Colts didn't shy away from throwing Surtain's way was notable. This is a guy who shut down guys like Mike Evans (a likely future Hall of Famer) and Ja'Marr Chase (the 2024 receiving triple crown winner) when he covered them a year ago. On Sunday, the Colts trusted their guys – Pierce included – to win individual matchups against one of the best cornerbacks in the universe, and those guys won.
The Colts take on the Denver Broncos in Week 2 of the 2025 season at Lucas Oil Stadium.
"That was one of the things we talked about this week," head coach Shane Steichen said. "We know he's a hell of a football player. When we get one-on-one matchups with him, we've got to win them when we get our opportunity.
"... I've got a ton of respect for him. He's one of the best – if not the best – in the league right now. So, a ton of respect there. But I thought our guys stepped up to the challenge for sure."
Three of wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr's four catches came with Surtain as the primary coverage defender, per Pro Football Focus. In total, the Colts completed seven passes when targeting Surtain in coverage; he hadn't allowed that many receptions in coverage since Week 4 of the 2022 season, per PFF.
"We got a lot of confidence in our room," Pierce said. "We have a bunch of guys that we believe in that can make plays for the team. And I think it's gonna be an exciting year because of that, because we'll be able to spread the ball. Got a lot of guys who can do a lot of different things, so it's exciting.
"We don't back down from anyone."
The Colts entered Sunday believing even if Surtain were to erase someone in coverage – as he's done to some of the very best receivers in the NFL – they would have the depth among their pass-catching weapons to mitigate it. But they also believed if someone like Pierce or PIttman or Tyler Warren needed to make a play against Surtan, they could deliver. The whole scenario proved to be correct, and Jones' 316 passing yards were the third-most against the Broncos in a regular season game since the start of the 2024 season.
Surtain, most likely, will shut down plenty of opposing receivers and passing attacks this season. He's a fantastic player. But the Colts on Sunday didn't play scared; they ran their offense, whether Surtain was covering someone on the biggest dropback of the game or not.
"Defensive player of the year, but football is an 11 man game," tight end Mo Alie-Cox said. "He's just one guy. Try to negate him as much as possible, but when we are matched up with him, don't fear him and go out there and make plays."
