Just as everyone expected, the AFC West has been wildly competitive so far in the 2025 season with the Denver Broncos out in front early with a record of 6-2. But as it typically goes in the NFL, injuries rear their ugly heads at the worst possible time.
The latest injury news for the Denver Broncos could ultimately bode well for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Denver Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain II, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is expected to miss potentially 4-6 weeks with a pectoral strain. That would cause him to miss at least one of the Chiefs' two matchups with Denver this season.
Injury to Broncos CB Pat Surtain II could bode well for Chiefs in AFC West race
Injuries have already played a major role in the AFC West race this season with the Chargers struggling to 1-3 during a recent four-game stretch. They've had to play this season without star left tackle Rashawn Slater, and second-year player Joe Alt has also missed some time. The Chargers have dealt with a ton of injuries on both sides of the ball, but the Broncos are typically a team with a very short injury report.
Sean Payton's training staff has kept the injury report rather clean over the past couple of seasons, including this year where they literally had nobody on the final injury report against Dallas in Week 8. That all changed with not only Surtain going down, but backup TE Nate Adkins (knee) as well as star return specialist Marvin Mims (concussion).
The injury to Surtain, however, is obviously the most notable of the three. Surtain will undoubtedly be out against the Houston Texans this Sunday, and while the Broncos classified his injury as "week to week", there have been rumblings that he could end up missing at least the next four games. If the team decides to place him on short-term IR, he would be guaranteed to miss Kansas City's road matchup in Denver on November 16.
The Chiefs already have an advantage in that game because of the fact that they'll be coming off of a bye week, but Denver being down Pat Surtain would make it even more difficult for them to handle the wide variety of playmakers the Chiefs have right now at the disposal of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The silver lining for Denver at this point is the fact that they have made substantial investments in the depth department at cornerback, so they may feel they can weather the storm. Still, losing your best player on either side of the ball is not a preferable spot for any team to be in.
The Chiefs will get a chance to see on tape how the Broncos adjust post-Surtain, and dissect the film during their bye week after they take on the Bills in Buffalo this coming weekend.