Pat Surtain II is claiming the moment as he helps lead the Denver Broncos against the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the 2024 playoffs. It will be a reunion with friend and former teammate and mentor Von Miller.
Miller is now a part-time player for the Bills. But he was an eight-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl MVP during his time with the Broncos.
According to Surtain, though, that was then and this is now.
“It’s going to be a huge game for him,” Surtain told reporters on January 8. “But I’ll tell him this now: It’s our time to shine now. He had his time earlier back in his days, but it’s our time now. So but uh it’s going to be good catching up with him and seeing him.”
The Broncos beat the Bills 24-22 in Week 10 of the 2023 season in a game that was a rollercoaster for both sides.
Surtain appreciates the time he got to spend as Miller’s teammate.
“I just know how much Broncos Country supports Von, and how much Von supports the Broncos,” Surtain said. “The time that I got to share with him is pretty memorable. Us just chatting, him bringing me in as a young rookie, teaching me the ways [and] how to go about things. It is pretty awesome to see that and experience that.”
Bills EDGE Von Miller Pours Heart Out Over Broncos
GettyVon Miller #40 of the Buffalo Bills walks to the field before a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.
The former Broncos star and Super Bowl champion wants his current team to beat his old one. But there is no malice behind Miller’s desire. Despite playing his last snap for Denver in Week 7 of the 2021 season, the Bills star holds the Broncos very close to his heart.
Miller’s comments convey the message he tried to with a series of posts on Instagram, including from the 90s cult classic “New Jack City.”
“I had two days to really think about it, and it’s all love,” Miller told reporters on January 8. “I can’t even start to play that delusion of it’s hatred, or I can’t even start to play that game that I would put myself so far in a place that’s not even close to being reality. That would be – it would be hurtful to the way I want to play. I love those guys, I love everything about the Denver Broncos, I pay close attention to the Broncos.
“I want to win. It’s nothing but love. But those small three-to-four-second bursts while I’m playing in the game, that 60 minutes while I’m out there, I want to win. I want to win the game, I want to beat the Denver Broncos. It’s all love at the end of the day. But those small three-to-four-second bursts, I got to go through these guys to get where I want to go. And it’s kind of weird, but that’s that’s just how crazy the NFL is, and the universe is.”
Miller said he is looking to “embrace” the “cool event,” calling it a “full-circle moment.”
The Broncos are hoping the current playoff run goes like their last one did, ending with the Lombardi Trophy coming back to Denver. First, the Broncos must beat the Bills.
Pat Surtain Broncos, Ready to Beat the Odds
GettyRiley Moss #21 and Pat Surtain II #2 of the Denver Broncos celebrate against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Surtain knows the opportunity that lies ahead of him and the Broncos. They had not made the playoffs since Miller’s rookie season before this season, making this the first trip for Surtain and several of his teammates.
“Obviously, Buffalo is a good team, but we have a great opportunity in our sights,” Surtain said. “We just going to go on going through the week and see how the result comes out.”
The Broncos are big underdogs coming into this contest.
DraftKings lists the Bills as 8.5-point favorites in the contest as of January 9. The Bills went 8-0 at home during the 2024 regular season. The Broncos, meanwhile, were 4-5 away from Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.
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