Pat Surtain II releases near 2,000 word essay on Broncos Super Bowl chase

In a 2,000-word essay that appeared on The Players' Tribune ahead of the Broncos opener, PS2 fired a warning shot at every team and analyst that is counting out the Broncos

BY JOEY FREEBURG

Sep 14, 2026, 2:21 PM

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Hours before the Denver Broncos open the 2026 season against the Kansas City Chiefs on “Monday Night Football,” their DPOY had something to say. And he didn’t hold back.

The 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II released a nearly 2,000-word essay Monday morning titled “Keep On Doubting Denver,” a deeply personal reflection on the sting of last season’s AFC Championship Game loss to the Patriots, his growth as a person living in Colorado, and a warning shot aimed at every team and analyst that plans on counting out this Broncos roster that appeared on The Players’ Tribune.

The essay opens in the locker room after that 10-7 loss in January. The game that kept Denver one win short of the Super Bowl.

“As long as I live, I’ll always remember what it felt like in our locker room after that loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game,” Surtain wrote. “It’s like you’re writing a book, and you know you have some pages left to go, like one more chapter to write, and then … the book basically catches on fire and that’s it.”

Surtain described the silence, the blank stares between teammates, and the lingering question hanging over every player in the room: Could I have done something better that would have maybe changed the outcome of the game?
He acknowledged the hurt but refused to let it overshadow what Denver accomplished. The Broncos went 14-3 last season, won the AFC West, knocked off the Buffalo Bills 33-30 in overtime in the Divisional Round, and came within a single game of the Super Bowl. And they did all of it while the national narrative insisted the previous year’s playoff appearance was a fluke.

“We definitely saw and felt something special with this team very early on last season,” Surtain wrote. “And to be completely honest, we did all kind of have a chip on our shoulder from everyone thinking we weren’t gonna contend. We tuned everyone else out and all just believed. Fully. And sometimes, what can I tell you … sometimes that’s all it takes.”

The essay takes a personal turn when Surtain reflects on his journey adjusting to life in Colorado. The Plantation, Florida, native who played at Alabama admitted he knew almost nothing about Denver when the Broncos drafted him in 2021. His early assumptions were limited to mountains and hiking boots. The altitude humbled him almost immediately.

“I’m walking up some steps at the facility … and not even a lot of steps, either … and I basically feel like my entire chest just caved in,” he wrote with a laugh. “In my brain it was like: Yo, if you wanna survive out here you gotta actually listen to what the people here tell you!”

Fast forward a few years, and Surtain now snowboards in Aspen with his defensive backs group after every season. He’s not exactly carving black diamonds, he admitted he still doesn’t quite know how to stop. But, the fact that a kid from the Florida coast is voluntarily riding the bunny slope with four-year-olds in oversized mittens says a lot about how much Denver has become home.

On the football side, Surtain was characteristically blunt about his own game. A four-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro who recorded one interception and 12 passes defensed last season, he still isn’t satisfied.

“I truly believe I’m the best corner in the NFL, with all due respect, but even so … I’m always noticing things I can get better at,” he wrote.

The essay’s strongest punch was saved for the end, and it was aimed squarely at the outside world. Surtain made clear the Broncos believe they are better than last year’s team, not worse, and that Bo Nix’s return from his broken ankle has the locker room buzzing.

“Bo’s back, and he’s looking better than ever. I see it every day at practice,” Surtain wrote. “That guy, I can’t even begin to tell you how special he is. And I’m not just talking about his arm or his accuracy or anything like that. I mean just as a human being. As a leader.”

Then came the final message, delivered with the confidence of a team that went on a nine-game comeback win streak last year and is tired of hearing it was a mirage.

“Everyone on the outside … keep on doubting us all you want. But let me just tell you straight up: You’re making a big mistake if you’re trying to write off Denver. There’s a reason this city is so much higher up than everyone else’s.”

Tonight, Surtain and the Broncos get their first crack at backing those words up.