The Lead
Cornerback Pat Surtain II has had a career-best season, and he and the Broncos capped it off by clinching the team's first playoff berth since 2015 in Week 18.
The fourth-year player will soon make his first postseason start, and the three-time Pro Bowler recently joined NFL Network's "The Insiders" show to discuss this weekend's wild-card matchup, as well as his success this season.
"Obviously, we knew what we needed to do to clinch our berth in the playoffs," Surtain said on the show Tuesday. "This meant a lot to us moving forward for this organization, so I think we just dialed in from the jump. We understood our destiny was in our control, and the job's not finished. And we went right away and handled business, as we should have."
Surtain — who noted that the team has "all the confidence" heading into this weekend — discussed how the Broncos have had their eyes set on the postseason all year, despite preseason predictions that the team would earn fewer than six wins.
"When the season started, we set our goals, and we were able to attain them each and every week [and] prove the doubters wrong each and every week," Surtain said. "So, I think going in towards the playoff run now, everybody's at 0-0 with a lot at stake, but we've got the utmost confidence in this team."
Denver's defense as a whole made significant strides this season, and Surtain played a huge role in the unit's success. He provided lockdown coverage throughout the season, often lining up opposite the top pass catchers of Denver's opponents. This season, the Broncos faced five AFC Pro Bowl pass catchers, including Baltimore's Zay Flowers, Cleveland's Jerry Jeudy, Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase, Kansas City's Travis Kelce and Las Vegas' Brock Bowers. When facing those playmakers, Surtain allowed just six receptions for 56 yards and no touchdowns on 16 targets. He also recorded two interceptions.
This performance has put him into the conversation for the Defensive Player of the Year award, and he shared that not only would it be "a huge honor" for him, but he believes it "would be a huge award for the defensive backs in general, just to put our position on the map and make it more valuable." In the last 30 years, only three cornerbacks have won the award, with Stephon Gilmore being the latest honoree in 2019.
"It would be a huge honor," Surtain said. "It's something that I worked for, it's an award that I dreamed of all my life. To go at the top of the professional level and win such a prestigious award, it would mean a lot. But, [as much as I credit myself], I think a lot of credit goes into the play of the team's success as well, and what we were able to do defensively as a unit, establish ourselves in this league and become one of the premier defenses in this league. And my success doesn't start without our defense's success."
As the Broncos now head into the team's first postseason contest since 2015, Surtain is eager for another opportunity to play at a high level on the biggest stage.
"I'm very excited," he said of making his first postseason appearance. "There's a lot at stake. It's a different type of atmosphere. ... I think we're very confident going into Buffalo at the end of the day."
