Football comes down to individual matchups. But it takes collaborative effort to win a game. NFL insiders believe the Denver Broncos are expected to be without Pat Surtain II for 4-6 weeks. Interestingly, Broncos head coach Sean Payton alludes to staying in man coverage without Surtain. That said, the team has winnable games in its next four matchups, with the Houston Texans, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Washington Commanders on tap.
Is Man Coverage a Good Idea for Broncos Without Pat Surtain II?
The defensive line and secondary work in tandem. It’s counterintuitive, but let’s check the stats. Surtain is No. 4 in PFSN’s CB Impact Score, while EDGEs Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto are No. 21 and 22 in PFSN’s EDGE Impact Score. In addition, interior defensive lineman Zach Allen is No. 14 in PFSN’s DT Impact Score.
ILB Alex Singleton, though, is just No. 31 in PFSN’s LB Impact Score. Blitzing speeds up the QB’s throw, but if you don’t have good boundary CBs, the boundary WRs, or slot WRs, can exploit the blitz with in-breaking routes such as slants, five-yard ins, and curls. Payton, though, feels comfortable with second-year CB Kris Abrams-Draine.
On Monday, he said, “When you’re dealing with 3 (George Pickens) and 88 (CeeDee Lamb) and all of a sudden, that one element (Pat Surtain II) goes away, it could be a little disruptive. But I thought Kris (Abrams-Draine) did a great job. A whole lot of them did when we went without Pat. We continued to play a handful of coverages, and yet Vance (Joseph) did a good job at adjusting. So that was very encouraging.”
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Payton said this around the eight-minute mark of his weekly press conference. He was asked if he had to be less aggressive with Surtain out of the game.
The Broncos play Houston, Las Vegas, Kansas City, and Washington in their next four games. Slot WR Rashee Rice was already going to avoid Surtain during their matchup. But trotting out Abrams-Draine onto the field in man coverage opposite Riley Moss is dicey against the Commanders’ WRs, Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel. Perhaps Surtain is back in that game, as it’s after a Week 12 bye.
