Broncos' Rookie CB Patrick Surtain II Named AFC Defensive Player of the Week
Patrick Surtain II was a big reason the Denver Broncos upset the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. The rookie cornerback recorded the first multi-interception game of his career, picking off Justin Herbert twice.
On the second interception, Surtain housed it for a pick-six.
Suffice to say, the NFL sat up a little straighter in its chair when it comes to Surtain. On Wednesday, he was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week the team announced.
Surtain also notched five tackles (four solo) and shut down his side of the field. Fans are starting to get Champ Bailey overtones when watching Surtain play.
Selected with pick No. 9 in the 2021 NFL draft, the former Alabama star is the first Broncos rookie ever to record multiple interceptions, including a pick-six, in the same game. It was also the first time it'd happened in the NFL in six years (by a rookie).
Surtain joins only three other Broncos players to earn Conference honors as a rookie — defensive end Dre'Mont Jones (2019), linebacker Von Miller (2011) and linebacker D.J. Williams (2004)
Currently trailing Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons in the PR battle for Defensive Rookie of the Year, Surtain closed some of the gap with his huge performance vs. the Chargers. If he can produce another two flashy games like this by season's end, there's a solid chance he could become the first Bronco since Von Miller in 2011 to win DRoY.
“He played really well yesterday," head coach Vic Fangio said Monday of Surtain. "Obviously, the two interceptions everybody knows about, but he’s [broken] up some passes too that were critical. They don’t quite get the same pizzazz that the picks do, but they’re just as critical. He’s been playing good football for us all year. We’re thrilled to have him. I don’t want to speak for [GM] George [Paton], but I think I am. If we had to redo the draft right now and it was the same players available at No. 9—it’d be the same pick.”
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