Pat Surtain II Provides Encouraging Update on His Injury Recovery
The Denver Broncos have been without All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II since Week 8, but the star defender insists he’s making rapid progress.
Surtain suffered a pectoral strain during Denver’s big win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.,
As The SportsRush noted, While the injury forced him to miss two straight games, he says his body is responding in a great way.
“It makes me anxious to go back out there,” Surtain told Closed on Sundays.
“Because now you can see how many more plays I can make… them boys eating up front. I feel like Wolverine, my dog.”
“I feel like Wolverine, my dog,” Surtain said. “Everything’s going on schedule. Your boy moving his arm a little bit now.
“I can do a push-up. My strength is coming back. We progressing in small increments.”
The Broncos’ defense has dominated in his absence, but that dominance has only heightened Surtain’s urge to rejoin the lineup.
“It makes me anxious to go back out there,” he said.
“Because now you can see how many more plays I can make. How aggressive I can be, because them boys eating up front.”
Despite his optimism, Surtain remained a DNP on Denver’s Wednesday injury report and is still trending toward another missed game in Week 11.
Surtain’s Injury and Expected Return Timeline
Surtain’s pectoral strain initially sparked concern that he might have needed to go on injured reserve, which would have guaranteed a minimum four-game absence.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported early that IR was on the table, but Denver ultimately kept Surtain off the list.
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 “right on schedule.”
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.
His Week 11 status remains doubtful.
Surtain suffered the injury on October 26, meaning the early end of his projected 4-6 week timetable would fall just after Denver’s 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.
Broncos’ Defense Continues to Dominate
Even without their reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Denver’s 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.
Their ferocious pass rush has been the story of the season, as Denver already has 46 sacks through 10 games.
They are on pace to break the single-season NFL record of 72 set by the 1984 Bears.
Surtain has taken notice of the historic pace and emphasized early in the year that Denver’s 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,” he said. “I said that with conviction.”
In Surtain’s absence, the cornerback unit has held strong.
However, no corner in the NFL erases top receivers the way Surtain does.
As good as this defense has been without Surtain, it came against inferior offensive competition in the Texans and Raiders.
This weekend will signal their first true offensive test against the Chiefs.
With key AFC matchups ahead and playoff positioning at stake, Denver is hopeful its Wolverine-like superstar will be back soon.
When he returns, the NFL’s hottest defense gets even scarier.
Buccaneers' Emeka Egbuka reacts to fiery Baker Mayfield, Todd Bowles comments
After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 28-23 home loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, quarterback Baker Mayfield publicly stated that he felt the Tampa Bay offense lacked a "killer instinct" at Raymond James Stadium.
Head coach Todd Bowles later agreed with Mayfield's assessment. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Tampa Bay rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka was asked about Mayfield's comments.
Buccaneers don't have "divas" who will react negatively to Baker Mayfield comments
"We don't have too many divas in this locker room who think they're above the law or anything like that," Egbuka said, per the Buccaneers' website. "We know everyone has to do their one-eleventh, whoever is on the field. People took great accountability, came in [Wednesday], and had a focused, locked-in session. [We] just have to continue stacking days throughout the week to fix everything that we need to fix before Sunday's kickoff."
The Patriots seemed to have more energy, outscoring the Buccaneers 21-3 before the hosts tallied their second touchdown of the contest, cutting New England's lead to 21-16. However, neither team managed to score throughout the fourth quarter before New England's TreVeyon Henderson iced the game away with a lengthy touchdown run:
TREVEYON ICES IT
NEvsTB on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/9StEyeQPMR
— NFL (@NFL) November 9, 2025
Why Baker Mayfield wanted to "speak up" after loss to Patriots
Mayfield clearly wasn't pleased with the Buccaneers' energy coming off their Week 9 bye. On Wednesday, he was asked why he felt the need to speak up after a loss to a club that improved to 8-2.
"There's definitely a time and place for team speeches — whatever you want to call it — or calling people out, whatever it is. There is a time and place, and for us offensively, that wasn't up to our standards," Mayfield explained. "Our leaders have to be exceptional in those moments, and everybody else has to do their role, their job, whatever that is, at a very high level. That's the NFL; it's professional football. We expect people to do their job at a high level. Nobody is perfect, but when it's things you've consistently seen on tape and we've executed, you expect them to do it well."
The 6-3 Buccaneers will need to do their jobs "at a high level" when they play the Buffalo Bills (6-3) this Sunday. As of Thursday afternoon, ESPN BET had Tampa Bay as a 5.5-point road underdog.
