Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson is the latest to earn Player of the Week honors from teeing off on the Raiders.
It seems like an almost weekly occurrence now. Player who face the Raiders this season having their best games and being named Player of the Week because of it. The latest is this week’s AFC Defensive Player of the Week Trey Hendrickson.
Hendrickson put up a career-high four sacks along with a pass breakup and forced fumble in the Bengals’ 41-24 win over the Raiders on Sunday. He took full advantage of the Raiders’ injury issues at left tackle, getting his first sack while facing primary backup Andrus Peat and the other three while lining up across from third stringer Thayer Munford.
A couple of Hendrickson’s rushes again Munford made the rounds on social media. One in which he was run around flat footed and the other where he was knocked onto his back.
This is the third time in the past five weeks a Player of the Week came out of a matchup with the Raiders.
The first time was Week 5 AFC Defensive Player of the Week CB Patrick Surtain who had two interceptions, including a pick six in the Broncos’ 34-18 win over the Raiders.
The other time was Week 7 NFC Defensive Player of the Week Cobie Durant who had and interception, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble that was returned for a touchdown in a 20-15 win over the Raiders.
This is getting to be a real theme for the Raiders this season. They’ve often been called the cure for what ails you, but lately they’ve been the gift that keeps on giving.
Patrick Surtain and Chris Olave are injured with concussions, robbing fans of a great duel in Saints vs. Broncos on ‘Thursday Night Football:’
Unfortunately for the fans, injuries have prevented the biggest head to head matchup on “Thursday Night Football” this week. The New Orleans Saints square off against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.
Under normal circumstances, fans could look forward to Chris Olave lining up across from Patrick Surtain II. That would feature a matchup of a young ascending wide receiver against one of the best cornerbacks in the league.
Circumstances aren’t normal, however. Both Olave and Surtain suffered concussions in last week’s games. Surtain left after the first play of the game. Olave didn’t make it much further. He took a helmet to helmet hit and left the game on the third play.
The short week makes it a foregone conclusion each player will miss Thursday’s game. For the Saints, it thins out an already thin position room. The issue is only made worse by an injury to Rashid Shaheed. The Saints will be depending on receivers they thought wouldn’t even be a factor in 2024.
For the Broncos, losing your best cornerback will naturally make the pass coverage. The impact was noticeable a week ago. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them recover. Denver has an excellent set of cornerbacks, including Riley Moss. Against a hampered wide receiver corps, the advantage still goes to Denver.
Here are some important things to know about the Broncos ahead of the Week 6 matchup with the Chargers.
The Chargers are on the road to face the Broncos on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 1:05 p.m. PT.
To get you prepped for the Week 6 bout, here are five key things to know about Los Angeles’ opponent ahead of the matchup.
Last 3 out
The Broncos are on a three-game winning streak, defeating the Buccaneers, Jets, and Raiders. Denver is currently 3-2 and second in the AFC West.
Checking in on the rookie
The Broncos selected former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix in the first round of this year’s draft in hopes of him being the long-term answer at the position. After a slow start, Nix has gotten more comfortable at the pro level. He’s coming off his best performance against Las Vegas. Nix completed 19 of 27 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns while running for a score.
Bottom of the barrel offense
Even though Nix showed some promise in Week 5, Denver’s offense is still a work in progress. The Broncos are 28th in the league in total offense (270.6 yards per game), tied for 22nd in scoring (19.2 points per game), 28th in passing (163.8 YPG), 21st in rushing offense (106.8 YPG).
Dominant defense
Vance Joseph is known for engineering top-tier defenses, and it’s no different this year for the Broncos. Denver ranks second in points allowed (14.6 per game), third in total yards (271.2 per game), fifth in passing yards (159.8 per game), tenth in rushing yards (111.4 per game), third in sacks (19) and seventh in interceptions (five).
Look out for…
Zach Allen. Allen should present a tough challenge for the Chargers’ interior offensive line with how he’s been playing. He has 29 quarterback pressures, tied for the second-most in the NFL, trailing only Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson. He also has the second-most run stops among all interior defenders (10).
Pittsburgh Steelers George Pickens will face his toughest challenge since being promoted to WR1.
There’s nothing but respect between Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens and the guy expected to follow him on Sunday, cornerback Patrick Surtain III.
Pickens and Surtain know each other well from their days at Georgia and Alabama. In his last outing against Surtain in 2020, Pickens was targeted four times for two catches and 21 yards. We all know the pros are a different ballgame, but the matchup will be one to watch, as these two are some of the best at their respective positions.
“I went up against Pat Surtain in college. So, a lot of this stuff isn’t new for me,” Pickens told Steelers reporters on Wednesday. “He’s just a good player. I’m a good player. There’s a lot of good players around the league.”
Pickens knows that no matter Denver’s plan, he has to be himself.
“Just hope they have their plan correct. I don’t really know or care what they’re going to do,” Pickens said.
And good recognize good.
“I think he has elite body control in the air,” Surtain said of Pickens. “He can track the ball well. He has great ball skills. He’s a playmaker, for sure. He’s a great player.”
Surtain is going to present a tough challenge for Pickens, but it’s one that he should be up for.
“This kid is the best in the game right now,” Bailey said during a recent interview with Zach Gelb of Infinity Sports Network. “When he came out of college, I said he has Pro Football Hall of Fame potential. … There is no doubt in my mind he will continue to excel.”
The Broncos certainly think highly of Surtain as well. On Wednesday, Surtain was given a history-making, four-year, $96 million contract extension that ties him to the team through 2029.
Bailey is no stranger to being a star cornerback. During his 15-year career, Bailey was always on the opponent’s best receiver, as Surtain is today.
Denver solidified its defensive cornerstone for the foreseeable future and hopes that Surtain can continue to play at the elite level he is performing at. He is already a two-time Pro Bowler and a one-time first-team All-Pro, three years into his career.
Surtain will be one of the faces of a youth movement in Denver, hopefully to become one of the foundational pieces in what fans hope to be a team built for many years of success down the road.
Denver Broncos make Patrick Surtain II the highest-paid DB ever in new four-year deal.
It has been the off-season of the Alabama Crimson Tide with former players amassing over a billion dollars in NFL contracts. The Miami Dolphins led the charge by signing WR Jaylen Waddle to a three-year $84.75 million deal and QB Tua Tagovailoa to a four-year deal worth $212.4 million.
The Denver Broncos and CB Patrick Surtain II have agreed on a new four-year contract worth $96 million ($77.5m guaranteed). The deal makes him the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL, and it makes sense for the NFL’s No. 1 CB.
Surtain has never missed a game in the NFL and has started all 50 games the Broncos have played over the past three years. He was named a First-team All-Pro in 2022 and has posted 187 total tackles, seven interceptions and batted down 36 passes.
There was no chance that Denver would ever let their former No. 9 overall draft pick test the free agent market, but it’s awesome to see him get paid right before the start of the season. Plus, Surtain didn’t even hold out or make a big deal about it, he just showed up and worked.
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#Broncos sign Pat Surtain to massive contract extension:
There is a new highest-paid defensive back in NFL history.
The Denver Broncos have inked cornerback Pat Surtain to massive contract extension. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, it’s a four-year, $96 million deal that also includes $77.5 million guaranteed which makes him the new No. 1 on the list:
🚨 🚨 🚨
Sources: The #Broncos and star CB Patrick Surtain II have agreed to terms on a massive 4-year extension worth $96M — $24M per year.
The 24-year-old gets $77.5M guaranteed. The deal done by Tory Dandy of CAA makes Surtain the highest-paid DB in NFL history 💰 💰 💰 pic.twitter.com/ZU8YzmiTaj
Surtain, 24, is considered one of the NFL’s best players at his position.
Denver selected Surtain the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. He is a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro. Surtain has totaled 187 tackles, 36 pass breakups and seven interceptions through his first three seasons in the NFL.
Former Alabama stars continue to shine in the NFL, and 3 former Tide DBs are among the best in the league.
The Alabama Crimson Tide football program is well-represented in the NFL, with many players being household names and fan favorites due to their high level of play. As the 2024 season approaches, positional rankings continue to prove that Alabama produces some of the best players in the league.
Jared Dubin of CBS Sports recently revealed the top 20 cornerbacks in the NFL ahead of the 2024 regular season. While the list is full of talented players from colleges all across the nation, the Crimson Tide landed three former standouts in the top 20.
Former Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs has been stellar in his time with the Dallas Cowboys. He was selected in the second round of the 2020 draft and has made the most of his time in the league. He led the NFL in interceptions in 2021 and is already a two-time Pro Bowl CB.
“Diggs of course is coming off a torn ACL, and might not be at the peak of his powers in 2024,” writes Dubin When last we saw him, though, he had rebounding from being a Bland-esque boom-bust corner into someone who was much more solid in coverage, with his interception total declining but his seeming burnability also going by the wayside. He’s always going to take chances to try to get his hands on the ball, but he had found the proper balance prior to his injury, and should be able to recapture it once back on the field.”
No. 10 – Marlon Humphrey
(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Marlon Humphrey is a veteran in the league and has been a key contributor for the Baltimore Ravens since the team drafted him in the first round in 2017.
“Injuries have kept Humphrey from being at the top of his game in several recent seasons, and yet he has still allowed a passer rating over 80 in just two of his seven NFL seasons, and he’s been below 72 in each of the last two years, with only one touchdown allowed against four interceptions. His role in Baltimore changes often, and he can just do absolutely whatever the defensive coordinator asks of him. A truly marvelous player.”
No. 2 – Patrick Surtain II
Former Alabama standout cornerback Patrick Surtain II was drafted ninth overall by the Denver Broncos in 2021 and has been a star in the league since his rookie season. Though the Broncos have not been among he league’s best, Surtain is nonetheless one of the biggest overall stars in the NFL due to his consistent high level of play.
“Surtain was disappointed with his own play in 2024, and while it was indeed a down year by his standards, the by his standards part of that sentence is key. He remains a prototype modern corner with the size, speed, length, and agility to cover anyone, anywhere, at any time. He has a chance to challenge for the top spot in any given season.”
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow former Alabama football players in the NFL, as well as any Alabama Football news as the 2024 season approaches.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM.
We take a look at the Denver Broncos and attempt to predict where they may end up at the end of the season.
A team that has bumbled the quarterback position more than just about anyone in the league over the past decade lends their hope to their new rookie quarterback and their whiz head coach in Sean Payton. Last season this Denver team was surprisingly competitive despite their thin roster and mediocre quarterback play, and they are hoping a second year in this Payton offense will be able to uplift them back into playoff contention.
“At his core he is not a power thrower he is a ball distributor and an efficient executor of an offense and that is what Sean Payton wants him to do…”@GregCosell breaks down why Denver was such a good fit for QB Bo Nix: pic.twitter.com/0iiNn8DxDF
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) May 16, 2024
Quarterbacks Bo Nix and Zach Wilson are the most notable additions to the team, with the two aforementioned signal callers currently locked into a camp battle for the starting position. While Wilson certainly didn’t have much success in New York, there are still flashes of talent that perhaps Payton could tap into. Losing safety Justin Simmons and receiver Jerry Jeudy will create a bit of a hole on both sides of the ball, but bringing in receiver Josh Reynolds and drafting Oregon receiver Troy Franklin should help maintain some of the offense left behind.
This Broncos team has a lot to prove with not a ton of star power outside of Patrick Surtain and Garett Bolles. Whoever wins the quarterback battle will need to fully embrace the Sean Payton system in order to overcome the talent gap in the rest of the AFC West. Defensively this team should still field a respectable unit. If this team cannot get good quarterback play over one of their new signal callers, it could be a long season for everyone in Denver.
