It’s time for Surtain vs. Chase, Round 2

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Pat Surtain II holds the distinction of being the cornerback who made the Cincinnati Bengals’ superhuman wide receiver, Ja’marr Chase, look like a mere mortal.

Three years ago, when the Broncos and Bengals clashed in Denver with identical 7-6 marks, Surtain spent most of the December afternoon at Empower Field at Mile High aligned opposite Chase. Both teams ended up heading in opposite directions; the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance and a division title the following season, the Broncos to losses in 21 of 27 games, starting with that afternoon’s defeat that plunged them into a 5-game losing streak that didn’t end until the following September.

But in the individual duel, Surtain dominated. He held Chase to 3 yards on 1 reception. Never before or since as a pro has Chase had fewer yards and receptions in a single game. That it wasn’t enough for a win was due to other factors — including one that led directly to the Broncos’ audacious gambit for a quarterback three months later, which proved ill-fated as it put Russell Wilson in a Broncos uniform.

Of course, you could give Surtain any quarterback and any scenario and he’ll respond with lockdown precision. That’s why the Broncos gave him a massive extension just before the regular season. And that contract came with an expectation to deliver in moments like the one he’ll face Saturday against not only Chase, but a Bengals receiving corps featuring three players with at least 6 touchdown catches already this season.

There’s another layer to Chase than just his exquisite route-running and his ability to make dynamic catches downfield — it’s his ability to turn short and intermediate passes in to explosive plays. Per SportRadar.com, Chase leads the NFL in yards after the catch, with 722 on a league-pacing 108 receptions so far this season.

“I see a lot of yards come after the catch,” Surtain said. “I think he’s strong after the catch. He got very good hands, solid hands. So I think the main thing is making sure you know what happens in the second act and rally to the ball with him.”

That skill is obvious to those guiding the Broncos, too.

“[Chase] happens to be a special talent. I’ve watched him play for a lot of years, from college to now. I mean, he is a special player. With the ball in his hand, he can score at any moment. That makes him special,” Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said.

“Obviously, there’s guys in the league who can make plays and run routes, but when the ball is in his hands, he can score touchdowns, and that makes him special.”

Having Riley Moss back will help the overall effort for the secondary, but even Surtain found himself on the business end of some of Jerry Jeudy’s heroics for the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 2, when Jeudy set a record for most receiving yards ever accumulated by a player against a Denver defense.

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“We have to adjust quickly,” Joseph said. “We have to be exact in our zones and our mans and our pressures, what we do well and we have to understand when we don’t win, the whys, so, we can fix those whys.”

But one thing Surtain has done well is limit production from opposing receivers. He’s done it this year, better than anyone in the sport. He did it to Chase in 2021, better than anyone ever has.

The Bengals will surely try and craft alignments that give Chase opportunities against cornerbacks other than Surtain. But it’s Joseph’s job to make sure that the man best suited for the job of covering the NFL’s top wide receiver has plenty of chances to do so.

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