Pat Surtain is the favorite to win major NFL award ‘It’s pretty special’

Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II could be on the verge of joining a rare club as he has climbed to the oddsmakers’ favorite for the National Football League’s Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Only two cornerbacks have won the award in the last 29 seasons as the DPOY has more recently gone to top pass rushers. But because the Broncos defense, which has been one of the best in the NFL this season, has been built off of strong one-on-one coverage on the backside that allows them to get additional pressure on the quarterback—it actually starts with PS2 for Denver.

It’s for that reason that the betting market for DPOY has shifted to Surtain as the top guy over  T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers going into the NFL’s final week.

“It’s pretty special for sure,” Surtain told reporters on Thursday for the consideration about DPOY. “Just the work I put in, obviously it was a goal that I had in mind, but that’s not my main goal. My main goal is to continue to be the best version of myself to help this team win. [Help them] get to that next step, which is playoffs and hopefully get to that Super Bowl run. We have bigger goals in mind, but to be mentioned in a high regard with other great defenders around the league means a lot.”

Surtain has likely led the Broncos to a playoff spot with the team at 9-7 and just needing a win over the zombie Chiefs on Sunday. While the Broncos pass game has been much improved with rookie Bo Nix, their pass defense has been awesome because of PS2. Surtain has allowed just 33 catches for 279 yards all season, according to Next Gen Stats, which is remarkable considering he’s mostly matched up with the top receiver on every team he faces. Opposing quarterbacks targeting PS2 have just a 56 passer rating this season—for reference, the worst QB in the league’s rating is Anthony Richardson at 61.6, meaning Surtain turns everyone into worse than the worst passer in the league when they throw his way.  Pro Football Focus also rates PS2 as the best-graded cornerback in the NFL this season.

And unlike in the past when Surtain has just been a shutdown player, this season he’s made huge highlight plays too—like his 100-yard pick-six against the Raiders. Or last week’s forced fumble on Tee Higgins, which was a part of him shifting the odds to take over the DPOY race. Against the Bengals, he mostly guarded Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who is on pace to win the NFL’s receiving triple crown. Chase had just three catches for 27 yards when covered by Surtain.

A 100 YARD PICK 6!! @PatSurtainll pic.twitter.com/Xh3CG05U9J

— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024

Surtain would be the seventh corner to win the award and just the third since Prime Time won it in 1994. The six in the past are  Stephon Gilmore in 2019, Charles Woodson in 2009, Deion Sanders in 1994, Rod Woodson in 1993, Lester Hayes in 1980, and Mel Blount in 1975.

Pat Surtain’s DPOY Odds

Surtain II -200
Watt +170
Kerby Joseph +1000
Andrew Van Ginkel +2500
Myles Garrett +3000
Will Anderson Jr. +5000
Trey Hendrickson +5000

“It’s always difficult because there are so many great candidates,” Sean Payton said on Friday about the DPOY race. “I was a voter for these awards once, somebody reached out and the year I was out and I spent a lot of time. When it’s close, it’s a little shinier for the team that’s winning. When you look at the receivers he’s (Surtain’s) defended and the impact that he’s had for us and how we play defensively. It’s an easy case to make, certainly he’s deserving of that type of award. He’s that good.