ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II, a two-time first-team All Pro and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, said he feels a little «anxious,» but is more than ready to return to the lineup for Sunday night's game against the Washington Commanders.
Surtain had missed the last three games with a partially torn pectoral muscle, a stretch he said was the longest he had gone without playing in a season in any year he has played football.
«No doubt, so it was a little different for me,» Surtain said.
In addition to linebacker Alex Singleton's return from cancer surgery Nov. 7 — Singleton missed just one game after he had a cancerous tumor removed from a testicle — it means the Broncos (9-2) will be at full strength defensively to face the Commanders.
Denver currently leads the NFL in sacks (49) as well as lowest QBR for opposing quarterbacks (46.7) and is third in the league in scoring defense.
The team, with Kris Abrams-Draine and rookie Jahdae Barron splitting time in Surtain's spot depending on personnel groupings, went 3-0 in games Surtain missed. The Broncos have an eight-game win streak, their longest since an 11-game win streak to finish out the 2012 regular season.
«Them guys they exude a lot of confidence out there, they were playing lights out, it made me a fan to watch on the sidelines,» Surtain said. "… You could tell everybody was together, flying around, playing good ball."
«We kind of had those two young guys split Pat's role and it's worked out for both guys,» Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. «And moving forward it's huge for our team to have those guys play so many meaningful reps. To get Pat back now, we have no worries. Depth is what you have to have to win a
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