No time playing without Pat Surtain II is good time for the Broncos.
The prospect of potentially missing a mid-November game at home against Kansas City would be particularly tough.
Overall, though, the fact that Denver has not put the reigning defensive player of the year on injured reserve and at this point does not plan to, a source indicated to The Denver Post, is at least in part because of a timely turn in the schedule.
The Broncos play twice in five days, coming up at Houston and then home against Las Vegas on Thursday Night Football. Then they’ve got 10 days to get ready for Kansas City at home Nov. 16.
After that comes the Broncos’ bye week, followed by a Sunday night game at Washington on Nov. 30.
That timeline fits with a roughly three-to-six-week recovery for a moderate pectoral strain. Dr. Kenton Fibel, a primary care sports medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai Orthopedics in Los Angeles and the medical director for the Anaheim Ducks, told The Post that injuries to the muscle, which occur where the muscle turns to tendon, typically are non-surgical. Injuries that occur where the tendon attaches to the humerus bone typically require surgery.
“These are not the most common injuries, but it’s encouraging they didn’t recommend surgery because usually when we do recommend surgery, it’s initially and it’s pretty quick,” Fibel told The Post. “We get imaging, and we can tell based on the injury pattern.”
The recovery period typically begins with rest and immobilization, then progresses through range-of-motion exercises to strengthening work.
“For any high-level athlete, it’s getting back to all of their activities in play and feeling more comfortable and confident, but the more significant ones are making open-field tackles,” FIbel said.
Surtain has three weeks from injury to the Chiefs game and five to the Washington game. An injured reserve stint would require him to be out until at least Dec. 7 at Las Vegas.
“(Injury) comes with the game,” Surtain said in his only public comments since the injury to date, which came on his new podcast, Closed on Sundays. “I’m thinking, how can I get better from this? How can I learn from it? I’m going to attack rehab. Look to get better, look to get stronger. In the meantime, bro, I’m going to be kicking it, supporting my dogs. It’s going to suck, though, because I love being out there with the guys competing. Being out there on the field. Being that leader.
“Minor setback. I’m going to get back right. In the meantime, though, I’m going to enjoy, kick it, watch football, watch movies. Spend some downtime to myself that I didn’t get to enjoy during the season. So, shoot, that’s all I got.
“Your boy’s going to be back out there in no time.”
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