The Denver Broncos can breathe a sigh of relief after star cornerback Patrick Surtain II returned to their Week 2 game against the Indianapolis Colts after a brief injury scare.

Surtain, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, appeared to hurt his ankle on a third-down play in the first half. Surtain lay on the field after the play, clutching his ankle, and limped off the field to the sidelines without putting much weight on his left leg.

The injury appeared to have come without contact, as it occurred on a Colts run play. Surtain covered Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. on a seam route and came up limping as he turned to look back at the ball.

With Surtain falling going directly to the turf, many fans feared the worst. However, after just a few minutes on the sidelines, the lockdown cornerback returned to the game before halftime. The Broncos did not report on his injury, but it appeared to be just a muscle cramp.

Needless to say, losing Surtain would have been a detrimental blow to Denver's defense in a close game. The Broncos have their hands full with a revitalized Colts offense that went rampant with 418 yards of total offense in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins.

Broncos, Colts trade blows early in Week 2

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Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) prepares to pull in a touchdown reception in the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at Empower Field at Mile High.
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Despite Surtain's return, the Broncos still struggled to contain the Colts effectively in the first half. The two teams went back and forth in the first 30 minutes of the game, giving Denver a slight 21-20 lead at the break.

The teams entered Week 2 in contrasting positions. While the Colts were nearly flawless in their dominant 33-8 Week 1 win over the Dolphins, the Broncos could hardly have looked worse in their season opener.

Denver also entered Week 2 with a 1-0 record, coming off a 20-12 win over the Tennessee Titans. The Broncos entered that game as moderately-sized favorites, but struggled with turnovers and inefficiency. They held Tennessee to just 133 total yards, but committed four turnovers — three from Bo Nix — to make the game much closer than it should have been.

Through two quarters, the Broncos' offense has looked much improved against the Colts. Denver's three first-half touchdowns are already more than it managed in Week 1 against a Titans defense that allowed 27.1 points per game in 2024, the third-most in the league.