Patrick Surtain II, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, is often hailed as the toughest cornerback to face in the NFL. So, which quarterbacks give Surtain the biggest challenge on Sundays? That was the question posed to the Denver Broncos cornerback on a recent episode of the “Scoop City” podcast.
Since entering the league in 2021, Surtain has established himself as a bona fide lockdown cornerback. Opposing offensive coordinators and fantasy football managers alike know to avoid him whenever possible.
As Surtain’s reputation has grown, quarterbacks have gotten more wary of throwing in his direction, but what about the signal callers that give Surtain the most trouble? There are no surprises on the list, with Surtain citing arguably the five best quarterbacks in the league in Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow.
Surtain sees two of them, Mahomes and Herbert, twice a year as division opponents. He’s also seen the other three at least once in the last few years, so why not take a look at how Surtain has fared against those elite quarterbacks recently?
As you might expect, Surtain is more than capable of holding his own against the best arms in the NFL.
Patrick Mahomes
“We’ve been getting after it,” Surtaid said of the Broncos’ recent success against Mahomes. “Ain’t letting nothing up because we know one play can be a big play with him.”
In recent years, the Denver defense has given Mahomes fits. Part of that is the nature of a divisional rivalry, but Surtain plays a large role too. While Travis Kelce has a penchant for putting up big numbers against Denver, the Kansas City receivers have a much tougher time.
Last fall, in the only game Mahomes started against the Broncos, Surtain was all over veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins. It was a quiet day for Hopkins, who caught just four passes for 56 yards, and frustration boiled over into a sideline tussle.
The year prior, in 2023, it was a mixed bag for Mahomes in matchups against the Broncos, but the receivers were once again pretty quiet with Surtain blanketing them. Rashee Rice was the most effective wideout, and he caught eight passes for 128 yards … in both games combined.
Lamar Jackson
“That’s dangerous because everybody knows he can run the ball, but even just throwing it, his throws are so precise now and on a rope,” Surtain said about Jackson’s improved passing. “That’s dangerous. It’s tough to beat.”
Surtain got a front-row seat to Jackson’s improved passing game last fall when the Baltimore Ravens slaughtered the Broncos, 41-10. I say “front-row seat” because Surtain wasn’t involved in many of the plays.
Jackson had a huge game with 280 yards and three touchdowns, and receiver Zay Flowers caught five passes for 127 yards and two scores. However, Surtain wasn’t responsible for any of Flowers’ huge gains. He was rarely in the same zip code as Flowers, but to Surtain’s credit, no other Baltimore wide receiver had more than 29 yards.
Prior to that. Surtain saw Jackson very briefly in 2022. Jackson attempted just four passes in that game before exiting with an injury.
Josh Allen
“Coming off an MVP year, he’s been that guy,” Surtain said.
Allen has been “that guy” for quite a while, and he was rewarded with an MVP nod last season. Having said that, his numbers may be a little worse if he had to face Surtain more often.
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The last time the Bills and Broncos faced off, in 2023, it was a long day for Allen and star receiver Stefon Diggs. Allen threw for 177 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in a 24-22 loss to Denver. Meanwhile, Diggs was completely neutralized by Surtain. Diggs caught three passes for 34 yards, and just one of those receptions came while lined up against Surtain.
Justin Herbert
“He’s always a tough matchup just because of how talented he is and how he’s able to be consistent,” Surtain said of the steady Herbert.
Surtain really only faced Herbert once last fall because the star cornerback exited the first matchup with a concussion after just one snap. In the second meeting, Herbert and the Chargers came out on top, 34-27, and it was a nice day for the Chargers signal caller.
That’s probably because Herbert found receiver Ladd McConkey early and often. With McConkey playing in the slot quite a bit, he was able to dodge Surtain for most of the night. The big-bodied Quentin Johnston saw more of Surtain, and he reeled in just three catches for 18 yards.
Herbert missed both games against the Broncos in 2023, but in the final week of 2022, Surtain had another strong showing. Keenan Allen had a huge game for the Chargers, but you guessed it, he saw very little of Surtain. Instead, the star cornerback faced players like DeAndre Carter and Josh Palmer, who combined for seven catches and 82 yards.
Joe Burrow
Surtain said Burrow “definitely” needed to be an inclusion on his list, and it’s easy to see why. The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Broncos, 30-24, in a thrilling overtime game last season. In that matchup, Burrow exploded for 412 yards and three scores. Wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combined for 20 catches, 233 yards and three touchdowns.
At first glance, you could assume this was a long day for Surtain. Again, his numbers are better than that of Denver’s defense as a whole. According to Next Gen Stats, Surtain was lined up against Chase for 43 coverage snaps. In that time, Chase caught three of six targets for 27 yards.
The only problem for the Broncos was that they didn’t have three or four clones of Surtain in the secondary.
No fly zone
Taken individually, Surtain’s recent performances against those five quarterbacks are already indicative of an elite, but his resume gets even better when you combine his career numbers against that quintet.
Across all his matchups against the five quarterbacks Surtain deemed the toughest to face, he’s been nearly perfect. Those signal callers have been smart enough to target Surtain just 93 times, and he’s allowed just 53 completions and zero touchdowns while recording four interceptions.
Even when Surtain has allowed completions, it’s hardly been worth the risk for the opposing quarterbacks. Those five elite signal callers average just 5.4 yards per attempt when targeting Surtain, so it’s much more efficient to attack someone else in the Denver secondary.
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