The Denver Broncos surely want to rebound after a brutal Week 4 loss, as not only did they get embarrassed by the San Francisco 49ers, but the team saw a trio of key players leave the game with injuries.
Patrick Surtain II, Riley Moss, and Pat Bryant all suffered injuries. Bryant was placed on injured reserve, so he'll have to miss four games, but both Surtain and Moss were not. Heading into Week 5, the Broncos are facing a much more banged up Los Angeles Chargers team, and when you look at how things are going for LA, it's clear that Denver needs to use Week 5 as a get-right game.
Well, will they have Surtain in Week 5?
Denver Broncos' CB Patrick Surtain II is NOT playing in Week 5
Surtain did not practice all week and is going to be out for Week 5. The game goes for Moss as well:
Friday's #DENvsLAC injury report:
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 9, 2026
📰 » https://t.co/pkZT6PjAXz pic.twitter.com/4DMyEOpFpt
Surtain suffered what was a non-contact injury, and the immediate thought was that he suffered an Achilles injury, which would have been the worst-case scenario. Not only was that not the case, but Surtain not being placed on IR also means the team believes he is returning in three games or less.
Had Surtain been placed on IR, he would have been forced to miss games against Los Angeles, Seattle, Arizona, and Kansas City. The team obviously thinks he'll be back by November 1st, which is the home game against the Chiefs.
The Broncos have a quick turnaround after Week 5, too, as they play Seattle on October 15th, which is Week 6's Thursday Night Football showdown. At this point, it's not clear if Surtain has a chance to play on TNF.
Parker Gabriel noted that 'Denver hopes he's back within a couple of weeks.' Him being back for October 15th might be on the very short end of that timeline, but it seems to be possible until it isn't
#Broncos biggest mode today is in absentia. No IR for Pat Surtain II. Not a big surprise but still important.
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) October 10, 2026
Denver hoping he’s back within a couple of weeks. Would need to play by Nov. 1 vs. KC to beat the IR timeline.
My own guess is that Surtain returns for the team's October 25th contest against the Cardinals, and it seems like the Broncos are comfortable with his return being November 1st at the latest. While it's less than ideal not having Surtain in the lineup, the Broncos were able to avoid the worst-case scenario, and that's the main thing here.
The Broncos facing a banged up Chargers team could actually greatly lessen the blow for the defense, as LA is without multiple starting offensive linemen, and could also be missing multiple key wide receivers, too.
Add us as a preferred source on Google