Another week, another shutdown performance from Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain.
Surtain shadowed Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Mike Evans on 24 of his 34 routes on Sunday, according to NFL Next Gen Stats (via the Denver Post‘s Parker Gabriel). Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield opted to test Surtain in coverage against Evans just one time in Week 3.
Surtain allowed one catch for eight yards in a 26-7 victory over Tampa Bay. His coverage was so tight on the 23 other snaps that Mayfield opted not to test him. Mayfield was forced to hold the ball often on Sunday and Denver’s defense finished the game with seven sacks and one interception.
#Broncos CB Pat Surtain's outing vs. Mike Evans, via @NextGenStats: pic.twitter.com/fzUxtSejKM
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) September 23, 2024
Surtain has been matched up against DK Metcalf, George Pickens and Evans through three games this season. The cornerback has allowed six receptions for 63 yards, according to NFLNGS.
“It’s a good stretch of receivers,” coach Sean Payton said. “We were talking about it [at] the start of the week, and I asked him, I said, ‘Hey, if Dennis Allen wants to do a quick trade for one week, I’ll take [Marshon] Lattimore and you go there and then we’ll bring you back,’ you know, giving him a hard time. Lattimore has always defended Evans well.
“So, we went and got 35 snaps, of bump-and-run Lattimore and Evans. I put it in his hot folder, [we] talked about it on the plane, and he responded, so it was good… No trade.”
The Broncos’ decision to give Surtain a massive contract extension this offseason was clearly a smart move. He’s the best CB in the NFL.
