Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain left Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.
The star cornerback appeared to first suffer the injury after being tackled by Colts wide receiver Josh Downs in the fourth quarter after Surtain intercepted an Anthony Richardson pass. Surtain later returned to the game and seemingly reaggravated the injury and then left and did not return.
After an eventual 31-13 win for the Broncos, coach Sean Payton said the team did not consider resting Surtain while leading in the fourth quarter.
“Anything we do relative to a player’s injury is always if the medical staff feels like he can go back in and he’s healthy enough,” Payton said. “There is never any, ‘Well we don’t need him now.’ It is just strictly, is he healthy enough to play? If he’s not, he won’t. If he is, he will play. I think that is the only way you can approach things like that.”
PS2 doing PS2 things. 🎮#ProBowlVote + @PatSurtainll pic.twitter.com/tkcIfqyI9s
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 16, 2024
Pat Surtain injury update
Surtain’s father tweeted that he expects PS2 to be fine, but that tweet seemed to merely be speculation. Surtain was spotted walking in the locker room after the victory without a noticeable limp. Brandon Krisztal of Guerilla Sports reported after the game that it’s a low ankle sprain. That report was followed up on Monday morning by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeting that Surtain is “believed to be dealing with a minor ankle sprain.” We’ll know more on Surtain’s status when the Broncos return to practice later this week.
How long will Pat Surtain be out?
Denver has a short week before facing the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football in Week 16. It’s unclear if Surtain will be available for that game against the Chargers.
Broncos cornerback depth chart
With Riley Moss (knee) also sidelined, Denver is getting thin at cornerback. Kris Abrams-Drain and Damarri Mathis ended Sunday’s game as the team’s two outside cornerbacks with Ja’Quan McMillian playing in the slot. Besides them, the Broncos also have special teams ace Tremon Smith and veteran Levi Wallace, who was a healthy scratch in Week 15.
[vertical-gallery id=620142]