The Broncos got a dose of relief Monday after Pat Surtain II’s frightening exit in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers appeared less severe than it first looked.
According to Tom Pelissero, Surtain is believed to have avoided a long-term injury after going down with a non-contact right ankle injury. Pelissero also reported that Surtain’s Achilles is intact, though more evaluation is still coming to determine the full extent of the damage.
The injury unfolded late in the first half of Denver’s 24-14 loss in San Francisco. Surtain, a two-time All-Pro, went down without contact, then needed help getting off the field. He was initially listed as questionable before the Broncos ruled him out for the rest of the game.
That made the scene even more alarming given how steady he had been to start the season. Through the first three games, Surtain had been on the field for every one of Denver’s 214 defensive snaps, according to the Denver Gazette.
Denver’s secondary was already under strain by the time halftime arrived. Riley Moss left in the second quarter with a rib injury and was also ruled out, which pushed Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine into bigger roles.
The Broncos were hanging around at the break, tied 3-3, but the game tilted hard after halftime. San Francisco put up 21 second-half points on its way to the 24-14 win.
“I would say it probably impacts the defense when both your corners are down coming into the second half,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said after the game, according to the Denver Gazette.
The injury list didn’t stop there for Denver. Wide receiver Pat Bryant also left in the third quarter with an ankle injury after hauling in a 30-yard catch. He was carted off, and there is also early optimism that he avoided a season-ending injury.
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After a stretch against stronger competition, the Broncos should see this as an opportunity to finally settle some of the things that have held the offense back. But a winless team can be a dangerous one if it is treated like a soft landing spot, especially in the AFC West where little margin exists for careless football. Denver does not just need the result, it needs proof that the offense can take advantage when the matchup is there. [Read more 🡒]
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The larger conversation around accountability did not stop with Mims, either. Former Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw took aim at Sean Payton after the game, and Payton did not push back in his postgame availability, instead responding positively to Greenlaws comments. Meanwhile, across the division, Raiders coach Klint Kubiak was already talking about changing the approach around Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington, a sign that coaches on both sidelines are feeling the pressure to fix problems before they harden. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos May Need One Eagles Move Before The Trade Market Shifts
Philadelphias roster has already started to look different in the wake of the Cam Jurgens trade, and that kind of movement can reshape the market before the rest of the league catches up. The Eagles are dealing with a changing front as well, with Lane Johnson retired and the club sitting at 2-2, which makes any evaluation of their veteran talent more interesting for teams watching for an opening.
From Denvers side, the name worth tracking is Zack Baun, the inside linebacker who has recently earned both Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro recognition. His contract is considered movable, and if the Eagles decide to keep adjusting their roster, the Broncos could make sense as a team ready to act before trade talks around the league shift into a more crowded market. [Read more 🡒]