It was a long time coming for Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain to get his first interception of the season — 14 games, in fact. But his leaping effort against the Green Bay Packers in the third quarter of Sunday’s game changed everything.
Leading by nine points, Packers quarterback Jordan Love tried fitting a ball deep down the middle of the field to wide receiver Christian Watson. Watson had a step on the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, but Surtain quickly closed the gap, leaped for the ball at the 36, and landed at the 29, coming down with the contested interception.
Surtain’s play completely flipped momentum in Denver’s favor, as the Broncos outscored Green Bay 20-7 the rest of the way, en route to an eight-point win.
“Momentum is real, man,” said Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed of Surtain’s interception. “Once the team gets momentum, it’s hard to stop. That’s just the nature of the NFL and football. So once the team gets momentum, it’s kind of hard to get back going.”
The Bronco defense had struggled to that point, surrendering big plays to the Packers, and Surtain knew it was time to make a play.
“Obviously, it was pivotal situation,” Surtain of the pick. We needed to make a play. They were up by like two possessions so, I was like, ‘We have to find a way.’ I saw the ball in the air, and I had to make a play. It was the same formation look, they threw a deep pass earlier to him, it was overthrown, and just from recognition I realized that they flipped formations to run on the other side. Obviously, they were trying to attack deep. I kept my leverage, played high, and made a play on the ball.”
Surtain’s diving grab impressed quarterback Bo Nix, who joked that the cornerback could play on the other side of the ball.
“Yeah, we may have to use him on offense some,” Nix said postgame. “I’m just kidding. I think he’s one of the best players in the league for a reason, and he showed it on that play. He’s had some ups and downs this season, he’s battled through it. That was a Pat Surtain play right there. Not many can make it, he’s one of the ones that do. Big time players make big plays in big moments.”
Check out NFL analyst Brian Baldinger’s take on Surtain’s super play below.
Sutrain and the Broncos are home again this week, facing another playoff contender in the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: Bo Nix jokes about playing Pat Surtain on offense
