AFC Notes: Patrick Surtain, Patrick Mahomes, Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders

Broncos

Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II is ready for the matchup against Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase.

“He’s gifted,” Surtain said, via Around The NFL. “One thing he does, a lot of his yards come after the catch. He’s strong after the catch. He’s got very good hands, solid hands. I think the main thing is making sure what happens in the second act and rally to the ball with him.”

The last time Chase faced Surtain and the Broncos, he was limited to one catch on three yards.

“That was early in my career. Rookie year? Yeah, it was a good game,” Surtain said. “They came in with a high-striking offense and we knew that we had to eliminate the explosives, eliminate their top threat. Ja’Marr, he’s a great player. One of, if not, the best receiver in the league. They got a lot going on with themselves on the offensive side of the ball, so it’s gonna be a good challenge. Trying to eliminate them like how we did that time would be great.”

Chiefs

The Chiefs have played their last two games on short weeks but defeated the Texans 27-19 in Week 16 and Steelers 29-10 on Christmas. Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes thinks their results have shown their “toughness” and attaining the AFC’s No. 1 seed felt like a “playoff game.” 

“It showed the toughness of the team, and I think we got better as the games went on,” Mahomes said, via PFT. “The guys, they’re mentally tough and they’re physically tough, and we played some really good football teams, some hard-fought battles, and the guys came away with three wins. That No. 1 seed is important. It’s like winning a playoff game, and so I was happy to get that done.”

Kansas City now has the opportunity to rest its starter in Week 18 against the Broncos. Mahomes said the decision is up to HC Andy Reid. 

“That’s completely up to Coach,” Mahomes said. “If Coach wants me to go out there and play I’ll play. If he doesn’t, I’ll sit back. I have full confidence that Coach Reid knows what he’s doing.”

Raiders

The Raiders beat the Jaguars in Week 16 to snap their 10-game losing streak but the win hurt their chances of securing a top pick in the draft. Las Vegas HC Antonio Pierce isn’t concerned about their draft pick and reiterated their desire to win every week regardless of record.

“We don’t do this to lose,” Pierce said, via the team’s social media. “We don’t do this for anybody’s fantasy football team. We don’t do this for anybody’s draft projections. None of that s—t matters to us. Only thing that matters to us is winning and that’s all we want to do.”