Down nine points and the momentum was bleeding — things looked bleak for the Denver Broncos. The Green Bay Packers had just ripped off a 40-yard Josh Jacobs touchdown run to open the third quarter, and the Broncos’ winning streak suddenly felt fragile.
Then Pat Surtain II proved why he won the Defensive Player of the Year last fall.
Early in the third, and the Broncos down 23-14, Jordan Love tried to test the All-Pro deep against Christian Watson. Surtain read it, leaped in front of Watson and secured his first interception of the season — a play that ignited a 20-3 Denver run to close the game and clinch a playoff berth.
Patrick Surtain flies in for the diving INT 👀
GBvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/nRqddSbBWB
— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2025
“Obviously, it was a pivotal situation. We needed to make a play,” Surtain said. “They were up by like two possessions, I was like, ‘We have to find a way.’ I saw the ball in the air, and I had to make a play.”
The play encapsulated both the athleticism and intelligence that make PS2 one of the game’s best.
Earlier in the game, the Packers had run a similar deep shot to Watson that sailed incomplete. Surtain kept that in his back pocket.
“It was the same formation look, they threw a deep pass earlier to him, it was overthrown, and just from recognition I realized that they flipped formations to run on the other side,” Surtain said. “Obviously, they were trying to attack deep. I kept my leverage, played high, and made a play on the ball.”
Love acknowledged Surtain simply beat him.
“Pat made a really good play to be able to track it and jump in front of Christian,” the Packers quarterback said. “It’s just a tough one. … I like the concept we had and the read we had.”
The interception didn’t just change field position. It may have changed everything in the AFC for the Broncos, who saw the Chiefs killed for this fall, the Patriots lose and the door swung wide open for every dream in 2025.
“Momentum is real, man,” Packers receiver Jayden Reed said. “Once the team gets momentum, it’s hard to stop. That’s just the nature of the NFL and football.”
Bo Nix, watching from the sideline, felt it immediately. Like he has all season, he rode the momentum to push Denver into another gear.
“It was huge,” Nix said. “Any sudden turnover just gets some adrenaline and some emotion back in the game. They come out and score, and we go three-and-out. It wasn’t a great start to the third quarter. Man, he went after that football, got it, and that’s when I felt like it kind of started falling back on our side.”
The quarterback threw for three touchdowns in the ensuing 20 minutes of game time to put the Broncos on top.
“It got the crowd back into it. When our crowd is going, it’s a really hostile environment,” Nix said of PS2’s play. “It’s tough to play in for an opponent.”
Nix then delivered the line of the night when asked about Surtain’s technique.
“Yeah, we may have to use him on offense some,” Nix joked. “I think he’s one of the best players in the league for a reason, and he showed it on that play. He’s had some ups and downs this season, but he’s battled through it. That was a Pat Surtain play right there. Not many can make it, he’s one of the ones that do.
“Big-time players make big plays in big moments. That was a big moment.”
Surtain has brought up playing offense several times in the past, including for the Olympics, but the defense was sufficient for the Broncos, who were sparked.
Seven plays and 71 yards later, Nix connected for his second score, a Courtland Sutton 14-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 23-21. The Broncos never looked back, outgaining Green Bay 196-80 in the second half and holding the Packers to just 34 net passing yards in the second half.
For Surtain, the play carried extra weight. He missed three weeks on injured reserve earlier this season — the longest absence of his career — and felt some observers had written him off — even if nobody in Broncos Country had.
“I had to get back in my groove, get back to my technique, my fundamentals, but I feel like some people are trying to write me off for a few games,” Surtain said. “I just had to bounce back and find my way through. That’s what I do.”
Asked if he’d ever been written off before, Surtain shared.
“I don’t know. I took that as a chip on my shoulder sometimes. But it’s all good.”
With the 34-26 victory, the Broncos (12-2) became the first AFC team to clinch a playoff berth and extended their winning streak to 11 games. Sean Payton called Surtain’s interception “a huge moment” that led to points.
“We’re not a finished product at all. We still have more work to do, and that’s the scary part about it,” Surtain said. “Going into these last few games, going into the playoffs, I feel like we still have a lot more work to do. We just have to correct some things, but man, this team’s going places and I can feel that.”
And for those who doubted Denver’s legitimacy?
“They’re awake now,” Surtain said. “I feel like they were sleeping the past weeks, but they’re awake. We don’t let that noise discourage us and our process. We stayed diligent with the craft, we always work, we don’t have things handed to us. At the end of the day, we just put our head down and work and that’s what it takes in this league.”
The Broncos host the Jaguars next week, one of the few teams still alive for the AFC’s top spot, which is currently held by Denver.
