Broncos get bad injury news ahead of their Thursday Night Football matchup against the Saints

Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Denver Broncos have ruled out cornerback Patrick Surtain II for their Week 7 Thursday Night Football matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

Surtain suffered a concussion on Denver's first defensive play of the game during last week's 23-16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. It wasn't a pleasant sight as Surtain's head bounced off the turf. Him being ruled out against the Saints this week isn't a surprise with the quick turnaround of having just three days off.

Surtain is having an excellent season with 14 tackles, five passes defensed and two interceptions - one of which was returned 100 yards for a touchdown. He is an early favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, but his chances could take a hit if he misses significant time with the concussion.

Surtain has allowed just 10 receptions for 109 yards on 15 targets this season. Quarterbacks have a lowly 48.3 passer rating when targeting him. He will be sorely missed as the Broncos' defense struggled without him last week, surrendering 350 total yards and allowing 11 third down conversions. The Chargers also dominated time of possession at 37 minutes and 23 seconds.

However, there is a silver lining for Denver on Thursday. The Saints are absolutely devastated with injuries offensively and will be without starting quarterback Derek Carr, starting right guard Cesar Ruiz and their top two wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed for this game.

That certainly lessens the blow of being without Surtain for the Broncos. Their defense has played well as a whole throughout the season, ranking fourth in both yards and points allowed. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will get to prepare for not having Surtain for this game, unlike last week. Denver can get over the .500 mark with a win over New Orleans and stay in early AFC playoff contention.

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