Will the Broncos' Pat Surtain II outshine the top receivers in 2024?

SEATTLE – Whenever Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II is asked if he would like to face the opponent's best receiver – no matter where they line up – he always has the same standard answer.

“You always want a challenge, but at the end of the day, I'll do whatever they ask me to do, whatever is best for the team,” Surtain said. “My job is to execute the plays, execute the scheme and not make any mistakes along the way. But yeah, you always want that challenge.”

One game doesn't necessarily predict the challenges of an entire season, but Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph chose to move his most talented defender on the field in Sunday's season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Before Sunday, Joseph promised that he would consider putting Surtain on a receiver for an entire game if that pairing fits the Broncos' game plan. In Week 1, that meant Surtain had to pursue Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf all over the field. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Surtain was lined up against him on 24 of Metcalf's 25 routes.

How did it go? Surtain gave his usual cautious assessment, in which he always wants more.

“There are still some things I can correct,” Surtain said. “I think I did well at the end of the day. Whenever I get an opportunity, I want to take advantage of it.”

The official numbers exceeded Surtain's personal estimate. Metcalf had 29 yards on three pass catches, with his longest being 12 yards. (Metcalf averaged 16.9 yards per pass catch in 2023.) Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith targeted Metcalf four times. And Surtain got two penalties that questioned multiple Broncos, and one was disallowed.

Surtain also picked off a pass from Metcalf to stop a 2-point attempt by the Seahawks. Metcalf had just one pass reception on third down, a 6-yard catch on a third-and-5 attempt late in the game.

“I'm a very tough self-critic,” Surtain said. “There are certain plays that I feel like I didn't make.”

Surtain, a first-round draft pick who has made the Pro Bowl the past two seasons and was a first-team All-Pro in 2022, typically plays left cornerback. In his first three seasons, Surtain stayed at that position regardless of the opponent.

When opponents have the choice of whether to line up their most targeted and skilled receivers against Surtain, who was voted the league's best cornerback in an ESPN poll of scouts, personnel executives and coaches in July, most playmakers routinely choose not to, leaving Surtain to cover players who rarely get the ball thrown to them.

Joseph noticed this and said, “Our job as coaches is to find ways to keep people from getting out of Pat's way… and there are some things we can do to get him the ball.”

It remains to be seen how often Joseph will choose to play Surtain on a line with the opponent's best receiver. Next up for the Broncos are the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose top receiver George Pickens had 85 yards on six catches in Pittsburgh's win over Atlanta in Week 1. After the Steelers, Mike Evans of the Buccaneers (Week 3), Garrett Wilson of the Jets (Week 4) and Davante Adams of the Raiders (Week 5) threaten.

Thanks largely to Surtain's shadowing of Metcalf, the Broncos largely kept the Seahawks' passing game under control. Smith threw for just 171 yards on 18 of 25 passes, including one touchdown pass and one interception. Seattle receiver Tyler Lockett, who often played alongside second-year cornerback Riley Moss on the Broncos, made six catches for 77 yards, including a crucial third down on the Seahawks' final drive that Moss narrowly missed.

The Broncos defense played well in the first half, forcing two safeties (but narrowly missing a third) and holding the Seahawks to 102 total yards. But the Broncos run defense faltered in the second half, particularly in the third quarter, when Seattle rushed for 76 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown run by Kenneth Walker III.

“We have to hold ourselves accountable at the end of the day,” Surtain said when asked if the Broncos' defense was exhausted. “I mean, there's nobody else out there playing for us. But we have to follow the instructions and execute the plan and do the best we can. We just have to finish all four quarters of the game, all four phases.”

In the long run, the frequency with which Surtain matches up with an opponent's WR1 will depend on Denver's run defense and its ability to force opponents into long second and third down situations. But as the cornerback prepared to walk to the team bus on Sunday night, he reiterated what he has said so many times in his career.

“Whatever they ask or need me to do, I will do,” Surtain said.