Patrick Surtain II Sounds off on Rematch With Raiders WR Davante Adams

Patrick Surtain II will be ready for Davante Adams when the Denver Broncos host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

In two matchups vs. the Denver Broncos last year, Las Vegas Raiders wideout Davante Adams totaled 16 receptions for 242 yards and two touchdowns. But he was targeted 26 times. 

At first glance, the implications of Adams' production vs. Denver might not reflect so well on Broncos All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II. However, Surtain was not tasked with 'shadowing' Adams all over the field. 

When Surtain drew Adams in coverage, it was based on what the Broncos defense had called on that given play. However, Surtain did lose a couple of those head-to-head reps vs. Adams, and there's no doubt that the previous defensive regime in Denver didn't have the best plan to account for the dynamic Raiders wideout. 

Will new Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph make some of the same mistakes as his predecessor Ejiro Evero? Will Joseph assign Surtain to shadow Adams? 

For obvious reasons, Joseph wasn't about to gush about his plan to account for Adams, but on Thursday, he was asked directly whether Surtain would shadow him. 

“You have a plan to get those guys stopped," Joseph said of the Raiders' top offensive players. "If you don’t stop their best people, you won’t win the game. That’s always first on our docket when we game plan versus teams. We’ll see how it works on Sunday, but we will have a plan to stop their best people.”

Running back Josh Jacobs was just as devastating to the Broncos last year as Adams, if not more so. Joseph's Arizona Cardinals defense limited Adams to just 12 receiving yards in a matchup with the Raiders last year. As far as Joseph is concerned, though, the past is the past. 

“That was last year, and that was an early game also," Joseph said. "They have evolved a lot since that game. We’ll see how it comes out on Sunday, but our plan is always to stop their best people and what they do first.”

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For those worried about Surtain's confidence in facing Adams, I wouldn't waste too much time pacing or wringing your hands. The young All-Pro extracted what lessons there were to learn from his matchups with Adams last year, and moved on. 

In the NFL, a cornerback has to have a short memory. 

"It never wavered my confidence at all," Surtain said on Thursday. "I just stayed with the flow. Move on, you've got to correct it in the film room. You've got to move on to next week. That's how the NFL works. My main thing after that game was to focus on the next game ahead, the next weeks ahead, work on what I needed to work on and move on from there." 

Surtain spends a ridiculous amount of time in preparation for opponents. Not only does he study his opponents' film, but also his own. In his pursuit of perfection, every nook and cranny is covered, but dwelling on the past is how one bad game turns into a multi-week slump. 

Surtain is smarter than that. After all, despite Adams having two 100-plus-yard receiving games against the Broncos (most of which didn't come with Surtain in coverage), Surtain still went on to perform at levels high enough to earn first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. 

"I do have short-term memory," Surtain said. "I mean, I know what I do on the field, so I just try to let those things go in a fast period of time because football—one play can change the game. If you focus on the previous play or the past, it can affect your game. So you just have to move on with it." 

The Broncos host the Raiders on Sunday to open the regular season. Time will tell how Surtain vs. Adams Part III shakes out, and how Joseph plans to account for the receiver from a schematic perspective. But don't sleep on Surtain. 

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