Ah, the AFC West.. the division of legendary head coaches. The division of rookie receivers and running backs. The four-headed franchise quarterback monster. And now.. the division of the game’s top cornerbacks?
At least, that’s what Pro Football Focus believes, with two of the NFL’s top-three cornerbacks hailing from the AFC West per the outlet.
The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs were the two clubs to represent the division with Patrick Surtain II, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and two-time All-Pro Trent McDuffie earning top-three spots on PFF’s list of top cornerbacks league-wide. Surtain came in at the second spot while McDuffie followed close behind at three.
Surtain finished his ’24 campaign forcing seven incompletions while taking an additional four the other way en route to claiming the NFL’s most prestigious defensive honor. While the 25-year-old allowed a high volume of passes his way to be completed, 71.2%, he was otherworldly at making plays end on the spot.
For reference, On the 37 completions Surtain allowed this past season, opposing pass-catchers only managed to muster up a combined 82 yards after the catch. It doesn’t get any better than that.
McDuffie, in comparison, was responsible for allowing 60.7% of passes his way to be completed during his ’24 campaign. The Washington alum forced nine incompletions while totaling two interceptions throughout the season.
And just like Surtain, McDuffie didn’t allow much of anything after the catch. Pass-catchers were only able to accumulate 136 yards post-reception in total on 51 snags.
For McDuffie, the problem in 2024 was negating touchdowns from happening. With five scores surrendered this past year, McDuffie tied for the 10th-most allowed touchdowns among all cornerbacks league-wide. Surtain, in comparison, was on the hook for one.
And PFF’s top cornerback, you ask? That would be New York Jets All-Pro Sauce Gardner. However, if both Gardner and Surtain continue trending the way they currently are, that won’t be the case for long.
The same goes for McDuffie, too.
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*Top Photo: Mile High Sports
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