What happened to Patrick Surtain? Broncos CB to be sidelined for "weeks"

The Denver Broncos have found some positive momentum over the past couple of weeks after winning their last two games.

The Broncos are coming off an encouraging 30-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys that pushed them toward a potential playoff push. However, Denver didn’t exit the contest completely unscathed as the promising rookie cornerback Patrick Surtain suffered a knee injury.

Broncos suffered major blow to their defense with Patrick Surtain injury

Although the ailment hasn’t been deemed a season-ending situation, he will miss the next few weeks, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN. With the Broncos heading into a bye in Week 11, it may only force the team to be without Surtain for one game. The team’s next contest after that will be on Nov. 28 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Alabama product has quickly established himself as one of the league’s top young defensive back talents. He’s played in all nine games this season, posting 29 tackles, an interception, and a team-best eight pass breakups.

With Surtain out, it pushes the onus on Ronald Darby, Kyle Fuller, Nate Hairston and Mike Ford to pick up the slack against the Philadelphia Eagles this week. His absence leaves a notable hole in the secondary as he’s helped the Broncos push their way toward possessing one of the league’s best units.

Denver is currently second with 17.0 points allowed, sixth in yards per game given up (321.8), sixth against the run, and eighth against the pass. Over the last three games, the Broncos have allowed fewer than 20 points in each of their last three games.

Denver holds a challenging schedule ahead as they still play the Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs twice each while facing the Cincinnati Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders. If they hope to chug forward toward playoff contention, they will need to feature more consistent play offensively.

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has struggled to find his footing at times this season, as he’s 11th with 2,163 passing yards, tied for 13th with 14 touchdown passes, and 19th with a 50.5 quarterback rating. Meanwhile, the Broncos are 22nd with 20.8 points per contest and 19th in passing.

During the Broncos’ recent four-game skid, he struggled passing the ball with all five of his interceptions while being sacked 11 times. Bridgewater has played with more consistency over the last couple of weeks, but if Denver hopes to make a serious playoff push, they will need him to lead the charge more effectively,