5 storylines to watch for when Broncos face Commanders on 'SNF'

The Denver Broncos are set to go on the road to face the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football in Week 13. Here are five quick storylines to watch for going into that primetime showdown.

1. Pat Surtain's potential return: After missing the team's last three games with a pectoral injury, PS2 could return for SNF. Kris Abrams-Draine has been filling in as the No. 2 outside cornerback across from Riley Moss with rookie Jahdae Barron rotating in. If PS2 is cleared, he'll start across from Moss while Ja'Quan McMillian plays in the slot and Barron and KAD get rotational snaps.

2. Jayden Daniels' status: Daniels (eblow) returned to practice this week, but at 3-8, the Commanders have no reason to rush him back into action. Daniels is considered "unlikely" to play against Denver, which means Marcus Mariota is in line for his sixth start of the season. Mariota has completed 65.7% of his passes for 1,065 yards with seven touchdowns against five interceptions and rushed 27 times for 193 yards and one score this fall. In two career starts against the Broncos, Mariota is 1-1.

3. Zach Ertz vs. Jahdae Barron: The veteran tight end has hauled in 39 receptions for 387 yards and four touchdowns through 11 games. Perhaps not Pro Bowl numbers, but he's a threat, particularly in the red zone. Before their bye, the Broncos had Barron line up in coverage on Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce six times. The rookie allowed two catches for 14 yards on those snaps. We'll see if he has a similar role against Ertz.

4. Bo Nix coming out of the bye week: Nix had perhaps his best performance of the season in an upset win over the Chiefs before the break. Now, after a week of rest, he'll look to enter the final stretch on a strong note. Nix will be facing a Commanders defense that allows 249.5 passing yards (fourth-most) and 26.9 points per game (fifth-most) to opponents. On paper, this looks like a matchup that could signal a good day for Nix.

5. Von Miller playing against the Broncos: The Super Bowl 50 MVP has made it abundantly clear that he still loves his old team, and he expects to eventually end up back in Denver. Sunday will mark his third career game against the Broncos, and Miller is yet to record a sack on Nix (or any Denver QB). He's totaled five sacks through 11 games with the Commanders, and Miller is 3.5 sacks away from cracking the top 10 on the NFL's all-time sack list. He'll face one of the best offensive lines in the league this weekend.

Sunday's game (6:20 p.m. MT) will be nationally televised on NBC. Denver's considered a big favorite.

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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Sunday Night Football: 5 key storylines in Broncos-Commanders game