ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Pat Surtain II focused on faith, family and just being a football fan during his monthlong hiatus from the Denver Broncos' lineup because of a strained left pectoral muscle.
The NFL's reigning Defensive Player of the Year is set to return to action this weekend when the Broncos (9-2) put their eight-game winning streak on the line at the Washington Commanders (3-8), who are are also coming off a bye week.
“It feels great, honestly,” Surtain said of returning to practice this week. “It's been a long couple of weeks not being out there. But I'm grateful and blessed to be back — to be back healthy.”
Surtain got hurt making a tackle in Denver’s 44-24 rout of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8. Although Surtain is the fulcrum of coordinator Vance Joseph's defense, the Broncos went 3-0 in his absence, limiting the Texans, Raiders and Chiefs to an average of 13.6 points.
“Them dudes are playing lights out,” Surtain said. “And it made me a fan to watch on the sideline. Just being out there seeing from my lenses, you could see those guys were playing with a full head of confidence. And you could tell everybody was together.
“When you look at stuff like that, it makes it even more excited to get back out there with the guys.”
Denver's emergence as a Super Bowl contender helped Surtain ignore any thoughts of having to rush his return, he said.
“I took my time with it,” Surtain said, “but also I was anxious to get back.”
Surtain said that when he first got hurt, he wasn't sure if his season was over.
“At first I didn't really know the severity of it,” he said. “Obviously in the heat of the moment you don't know if it's a tear or a strain, but I got the best news I could get from it. It was just a partial tear. ... I attacked rehab the right way, got it back stronger, got it back healthier.”
A full tear would have sidelined Surtain until 2026.
Surtain praised the play of backup cornerbacks Kris Abrams-Draine and rookie first-round pick Jahdae Barron while he was sidelined.
“Oh, they stood out for me,” Surtain said.
Surtain had never missed so much time in his five years in the NFL or in his three seasons at Alabama.
“So, it was a little different for me,” he said, ”because I was able to do things that I don't normally do, you know, spend some quality time with the family, talk with the family. I was more at home than usual. So, it comes with the good and bad, but through this time sitting out I was able to gain a lot."
And the Broncos just kept on winning.
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FILE - Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II looks on before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Oct. 26, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace overnight, officials said Tuesday, less than a day after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that strikes close to the alliance's territory would drive the trans-Atlantic organization to increase its support for Kyiv.
The drone was downed near the village of Pratkūnai in the Kaišiadorys district, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) west of the country's capital, Vilnius, and near the Kaunas Reservoir, Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center said Tuesday.
Lithuania’s military said that the incident marked the first time that a drone had been shot down in the country’s airspace. Authorities didn’t comment on the drone’s origin or purpose, saying the incident needed further investigation.
The incursion follows a speech by Rutte on Monday at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where he said that strikes “close to NATO territory” showed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “desperation and also his desire to sow fear and terror.”
“Russia is growing increasingly reckless as it continues its terrible war against Ukraine,” Rutte said. He also pledged to bolster the 32-nation alliance's own defenses along its long eastern border with Russia.
The menace of drones has repeatedly loomed over the skies of Lithuania, which shares borders with Belarus, a key ally of Moscow, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
Antanas Matutis, commander of the Lithuanian air force, said that the wreckage had been found, and the drone “likely” was carrying explosives.
Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the crisis center, told Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT that the drone most likely entered from Belarus. It remained in Lithuanian airspace for about 30 minutes and flew along the outskirts of populated areas before being intercepted, he said.
Meanwhile, Russian drone strikes continued across Ukraine following a social media post from U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed “not to hit” each other’s energy infrastructure.
Trump didn't offer further details on the purported agreement, and Russia didn't immediately comment on Trump’s post. Previous efforts to broker even a partial ceasefire have repeatedly fallen apart within hours, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Monday that Kyiv was “ready to support de-escalation.”
“We see that the Russians feel the pressure from our precise strikes on Russia’s war economy. And so far, no one has seen any genuine desire on Russia’s part to move toward ending the war,” he said. “But if our American partners can ensure that Russia is genuinely ready to stop this war aimed at destroying life — and to do so for real and for the long term — Ukraine will take its own de-escalatory steps.”
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Tuesday that eight people were wounded in Russian strikes on Kyiv since the start of the day, including two who were wounded in strikes on the capital's gas stations.
Elsewhere, Russian forces shot down 222 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
A “massive” Ukrainian drone attack sparked several fires in the Russian city of Taganrog, regional Gov. Yuri Slyusar said. He said on Telegram that two apartment buildings and three private homes had been damaged, as well as an educational institution, agricultural warehouses and a site belonging to Russian e-retailer Ozon.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Lithuanian soldiers are securing the area where Italian fighter jets during NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission shot down a drone early this morning near Pratkunai village, Kaisiadorys district some 90km (55,9 miles) northwest of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo) CAPTION CORRECTION: corrects removes byline attribution
Lithuanian soldiers are securing the area where Italian fighter jets during NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission shot down a drone early morning near Pratkunai village, Kaisiadorys district some 90km (55,9 miles) northwest of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo) corrects and removes byline attribution
Lithuanian soldiers are securing the area where Italian fighter jets during NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission shot down a drone early this morning near Pratkunai village, Kaisiadorys district some 90km (55,9 miles) northwest of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo) CAPTION CORRECTION: corrects removes byline attribution
Lithuanian soldiers are securing the area where Italian fighter jets during NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission shot down a drone early this morning near Pratkunai village, Kaisiadorys district some 90km (55,9 miles) northwest of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Monaco's Foreign Minister Isabelle Berro-Amadei walks past the Memory Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Lithuanian soldiers are securing the area where Italian fighter jets during NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission shot down a drone early morning near Pratkunai village, Kaisiadorys district some 90km (55,9 miles) northwest of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Lithuanian soldiers are securing the area where Italian fighter jets during NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission shot down a drone early this morning near Pratkunai village, Kaisiadorys district some 90km (55,9 miles) northwest of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
