The Broncos suffered a massive injury scare not five minutes into Sunday’s game against the Cowboys.
On a second-and-1 from the Broncos’ 1-yard line, star cornerback Pat Surtain II went up high against the Cowboys’ George Pickens, knocking a pass from Dak Prescott away. After hitting the turf, Surtain popped up just fine in celebration — but after a couple steps, fell back to the turf and began clutching at his lower right leg.
Broncos vs. Cowboys: Live updates and highlights from the NFL Week 8 game
Trainers came out to examine Surtain, who appeared in obvious pain on the turf at Empower Field. Eventually, two Broncos staffers helped Surtain limp gingerly off the field, the star cornerback seemingly unable to put much weight on his leg.
He went immediately to the Broncos’ sideline medical tent, and exited after a few minutes, appearing to test out his leg with some dropback work on the sidelines. After missing just the final couple plays of Denver’s first defensive drive, though, Surtain grabbed his helmet and walked back to the Broncos’ sideline, appearing to grab at his right ankle in a small conversation with safety Talanoa Hufanga.
He returned on Denver’s second defensive drive.
Surtain previously missed a chunk of the Broncos’ Week 2 matchup with the Colts after suffering a left-ankle injury, a performance that ended up standing as one of the worst single games of his career. Since, he’s authored a dominant follow-up to his 2024 Defensive Player of the Year campaign, holding a slew of star receivers — from the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase in Week 4 to the Jets’ Garrett Wilson in Week 6 — in check with each passing week.
Krull undergoes surgery on foot: Reserve tight end Lucas Krull, who suffered a Jones fracture in his foot and was placed on injured reserve in early October, appears set to miss more significant time. Krull is undergoing surgery to repair the fracture, a source confirmed to The Denver Post on Sunday. Krull has just two catches for 15 yards this season, but played a significant 30% of Denver’s snaps through three games before going down.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.