The Denver Broncos have been without All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II since Week 8, but the star defender insists heâs making rapid progress.Â
Surtain suffered a pectoral strain during Denverâs big win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.,Â
As The SportsRush noted, While the injury forced him to miss two straight games, he says his body is responding in a great way.
âIt makes me anxious to go back out there,â Surtain told Closed on Sundays.Â
âBecause now you can see how many more plays I can make⦠them boys eating up front. I feel like Wolverine, my dog.â
âI feel like Wolverine, my dog,â Surtain said. âEverythingâs going on schedule. Your boy moving his arm a little bit now.Â
âI can do a push-up. My strength is coming back. We progressing in small increments.â
The Broncosâ defense has dominated in his absence, but that dominance has only heightened Surtainâs urge to rejoin the lineup.
âIt makes me anxious to go back out there,â he said.
âBecause now you can see how many more plays I can make. How aggressive I can be, because them boys eating up front.â
Despite his optimism, Surtain remained a DNP on Denverâs Wednesday injury report and is still trending toward another missed game in Week 11.
Surtainâs Injury and Expected Return Timeline
Surtainâs pectoral strain initially sparked concern that he might have needed to go on injured reserve, which would have guaranteed a minimum four-game absence.Â
ESPNâs Adam Schefter reported early that IR was on the table, but Denver ultimately kept Surtain off the list.Â
This is a strong indication the injury was likely a low-grade strain and that the team believed he could return within a month.
So far, that timeline has held.
Surtain has missed Weeks 9 and 10, and while he continues to sit out practice, the cornerback says the healing process is âright on schedule.â
His ability to regain movement, push-up strength, and pain-free arm usage all point toward a realistic return after the bye in Week 13.Â
His Week 11 status remains doubtful.Â
Surtain suffered the injury on October 26, meaning the early end of his projected 4-6 week timetable would fall just after Denverâs matchup with the Chiefs on Sunday.
He has not practiced since being sidelined, and the coaching staff has made clear he will need multiple sessions before retaking the field.
Broncosâ Defense Continues to DominateÂ
Even without their reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Denverâs defense has been nothing short of dominant.
Over the two-game stretch Surtain has missed, the Broncos have allowed the fewest points in the NFL, and rank second in sacks and yards allowed.Â
Their ferocious pass rush has been the story of the season, as Denver already has 46 sacks through 10 games.Â
They are on pace to break the single-season NFL record of 72 set by the 1984 Bears.Â
Surtain has taken notice of the historic pace and emphasized early in the year that Denverâs defense had the potential to be one of the all-time greats.
We could be mentioned among the greats⦠the 2000 Ravens, the Legion of Boom,â he said. âI said that with conviction.âÂ
In Surtainâs absence, the cornerback unit has held strong.Â
However, no corner in the NFL erases top receivers the way Surtain does.Â
As good as this defense has been without Surtain, it came against inferior offensive competition in the Texans and Raiders.Â
This weekend will signal their first true offensive test against the Chiefs.Â
With key AFC matchups ahead and playoff positioning at stake, Denver is hopeful its Wolverine-like superstar will be back soon.Â
When he returns, the NFLâs hottest defense gets even scarier.
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