The Cincinnati Bengals’ assistant quarterbacks coach, Fredi Knighten, follows the same routine every Monday morning. First, he takes his dog, a German shepherd named Vera, to daycare. Then, he arrives at the team’s headquarters at Paycor Stadium around 6:30 a.m. and begins to accumulate video tapes of the next week’s game. He studies the opposing team’s cornerbacks, analyzing the complexities of their craft: which hand they use to hit receivers, how they play releases from the line of scrimmage, any small detail that could tip an encounter in Cincinnati’s favor.The process is the same every week. But all the information will be especially valuable on Monday night.When the Bengals face the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN), one of the best matchups in the sport will be presented: Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase against Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II.
A Duel of Stars
Last season, Chase became the fifth player since the AFL-NFL merger to win the receiving triple crown, leading the league in receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708), and receiving touchdowns (17). Surtain became the third cornerback of this century to be named Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year after intercepting four passes.Before last season, when Chase and Surtain faced off in a Bengals victory, you had to go back to 1993 to find a similar battle. Jerry Rice and Rod Woodson met at the beginning of that season, on their way to being named Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively.The winner of last year’s battle is in the eye of the beholder. In an overtime victory by 30-24 in Cincinnati, Chase finished with nine receptions for 102 yards. However, when Surtain lined up as the closest defender, Chase only had three receptions on six attempts for 27 yards. But the rivalry really goes back to college. In 2019, Chase caught six passes for 140 yards and a touchdown to lead LSU over Surtain’s Alabama team (46-41). Fourteen months later, the Bengals selected Chase at number five in 2021, and Surtain was selected four spots later by Denver.Bengals backup quarterback Mike White, who grew up near Surtain in South Florida, said it’s impressive to see two players like Chase and Surtain live up to their reputations as All-Pros, from college to the NFL.I think [Chase and Surtain] cherish the moment. They know it’s the best against the best. They know that, ‘If I can win that battle, that’s going to elevate my level, my name, and anything else.’
Troy Walters, Bengals receivers coach
You see countless first-round picks who have all the tools in the world; they get to the league and just can’t hack it. [With] these guys, that’s not the case.
Mike White, Bengals backup quarterback
The Keys to Success
It’s easy to point to the measurements to explain why Surtain is such a tough defender to get past. His 78½-inch wingspan, coupled with his agile 6-foot-2-inch frame, makes him difficult to get around. That was one of the main reasons why no one wanted to throw in his direction in his last season at Alabama (48 attempts in 13 games).He also has a family background in the NFL. His father, Patrick Sr., played as a defensive player in the NFL from 1998 to 2008 and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and first-team All-Pro in 2002.But it’s not so simple to explain why Patrick II is so good.Looking ahead to his final year at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida, his cornerback teammate Marco Wilson recalled the daily post-practice routine. Each day, they played the role of wide receiver-cornerback, working on routes downfield. Three receiver routes each, changing every five yards for 100 yards.The Broncos’ defensive coordinator, Vance Joseph, didn’t temper his praise for Surtain.That always showed me that he took his craft very seriously and that he only wanted to be the best.
Marco Wilson, Bengals cornerback
Surtain said a cornerback’s role isn’t to make highlight reels, but he smiled when asked what his perfect game would be.I have never coached, nor seen, a player who has his physical traits, combined with his football IQ and work ethic. He is a sage playing in the position with the rarest physical traits.
Vance Joseph, Broncos defensive coordinator
Surtain is looking for his first interception this season, although he has defended three passes. He is the leader of a defense that was labeled the best in the league at the beginning of the season. But the Broncos have lost their last two games and the defense is closer to the middle of the table in the NFL in terms of EPA (ninth, 5.70), efficiency (12th, 61.25), scoring (16th, 21.3 points per game) and yards allowed (19th, 327.6 per game).Maybe like three interceptions and three touchdowns or something like that. A crazy stat line. It’s crazy because I feel like great cornerbacks don’t often get to fill up a stat sheet.
Pat Surtain II, Broncos cornerback
With Chase, it just starts with the basics, the foundation. Chase has rare traits in the position by any metric.Chase measured a little over 6 feet and weighed 201 pounds at the 2021 combine. He ran the 40 yards in 4.34 seconds at LSU’s pro day, while excelling in shuttle drills, long jump, and vertical jump.That kid wants to be great, and I’ve always said that a lot of people say they want to be great but they don’t actually do what it takes to be great. He does it on every play. It doesn’t mean that as a cornerback you’re not going to give up passes or big plays; the league is too good; but that young man wants to be great every day and really works every day to do it. And with the gifts he has, that’s the rarest combination of all. I love watching every play he plays.
Champ Bailey, Broncos Hall of Fame cornerback
The Broncos’ fifth-year cornerback said he can see the differences in players like Chase and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, teammates at LSU, as NFL receivers.The challenge is a bigger receiver, like [Chase], obviously they are strong, they can be physical and the combination with speed with that physicality, the bigger frame, that can become a nightmare. Because they can create space and have the physicality to keep you away from the ball and then run away from you if they get it.
Pat Surtain II, Broncos cornerback
For Chase, that has also meant what he called “more trust” from the Bengals coaches to do more things as the seasons have gone on, to present a much larger portfolio of things that defenses have to study and consider.As an NFC personnel executive said: “If [Chase] stayed at the X [outside receiver, away from the tight end] his whole career, he would have been very, very productive. Too much size, too much speed, built for the position. But he has expanded his game, they use him in more places, whether in the slot, they move him around… That’s a difficult collection of things to deal with defensively.”The biggest X-factor on Monday night will be who’s throwing to Chase. Quarterback Joe Burrow, an MVP finalist last season, suffered a toe injury in the first half of a Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and underwent surgery that is expected to keep him out for a minimum of three months.Jake Browning entered in relief in the second half and has had mixed results since then. In six quarters, he has thrown three touchdown passes and five interceptions, completing 67.8% of his throws. He has been sacked four times.Another big X factor will be how the Broncos match Surtain with Chase, especially with Tee Higgins’ 131-yard, three-touchdown night in the Bengals’ win over the Broncos last December. Burrow did practically all the damage throwing to the receiver that Surtain wasn’t covering.In college, when I saw them, they were probably relying on their athleticism most of the time. I did too, in a way, but I think as a younger player in college, you’re more likely to lean on your athletic abilities. Now I see them both with so much technical skill in what they do, they know how to use their athletic abilities. They’ve grown. Crisp routes, moments when they have to get off the line, they know how to make the release, vary their approach… so strong at the catch point, how they show late hands, just all the things to create any space and opportunity that goes beyond just being athletic.
Pat Surtain II, Broncos cornerback
Riley Moss, whom Burrow targeted a lot in last season’s matchup in what was Moss’s first game after a knee injury, is the cornerback opposite Surtain, while Ja’Quan McMillian and rookie Jahdae Barron are in the nickel and dime looks.I think if it’s a dominant receiver and he’s primary 85% of the time and they’re moving him around, you have to find a way to put Pat on him. And that’s where Pat has grown, wherever a receiver can go, Pat can match him.
Vance Joseph, Broncos defensive coordinator
But by the time the Monday Night Football game is over, Surtain believes the issue will have been decided by space. Did the Broncos’ defense prevent Chase and the other Bengals receivers from creating it, benefiting from it?It’s about studying a player’s skill set and seeing: ‘How can I exploit weaknesses?’ The player studies that, we study that. Are there things we want to run on one side of the field that we don’t want to run on the other side of the field? Are there specific types of routes we like and specific types of routes we don’t like?
Dan Pitcher, Bengals offensive coordinator
It’s about closing the distance. If you ask any receiver, they don’t like when there are hands on them, when there’s another physical presence around them, in front of them. You have to try to close that space, do everything you can to eliminate the easy throws. But know that they’re going to make difficult catches, but just don’t make it easy… Never make it easy.
Pat Surtain II, Broncos cornerback
