After not allowing a single reception in Week 3, Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain knew he would face a tougher matchup when he went up against Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams in Week 4.
Surtain was lined up against Adams on 71.4% of the receiver’s routes on Sunday, and he was only targeted eight times against Adams in coverage.
On those eight targets, Adams caught four passes for 46 yards and no touchdowns. Surtain broke up three passes and another fell incomplete.
“I think he did a really good job,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said earlier this week. “He was going against, arguably, one of the best in the business. He didn’t shy away from anything. I thought he competed all day and had a couple of pass breakups.
“It was great to see him step up to that and he was up for the challenge. He didn’t talk a lot, just went out there and play. I think that’s what makes him so great. Like we had talked about last week, he’s just a humble player and wants to go out and be great.”
After yet another impressive performance, Surtain again drew praise from former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman, who pointed out that the second-year cornerback is putting “clinical reps” on film against the NFL’s best receivers every week.
Every week @PatSurtainll is putting clinical reps on TAPE against elite WRs!
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) October 2, 2022
Respect ! 🤝🏾 @RSherman_25 https://t.co/EV29PsiruD
— Patrick Surtain (@PatSurtainll) October 3, 2022
Sherman isn’t the only one who’s noticed Surtain’s standout play — past and present cornerbacks chime in on the CB’s coverage every week on Twitter.
Surtain the best corner in the nfl!!!
— Casey Hayward (@show_case29) October 2, 2022
Surtain out there STRAPPIN! 👀
— Darius Butler (@DariusJButler) October 2, 2022
Told y’all that boy nice with it!! https://t.co/IWvKbuw8rN
— Darius Slay (@bigplay24slay) October 2, 2022
Patrick Surtain Jr is going crazy!
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) October 2, 2022
Surtain , Diggs and Slay top 3 so far this year https://t.co/4bEU7cg7ER
— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisJr) October 2, 2022
Surtain is only in his second season, but he already appears to be one of the best cornerbacks in the league. Broncos fans are going to enjoy watching him in coverage for years to come.