Denver Broncos fans have been through a roller coaster of emotions after cornerback Pat Surtain went down with what appeared to be a non-contact injury against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4.

It was later revealed that Surtain's ankle injury actually happened one play prior to when he went down on the field, but the star cornerback has now missed the team's last three games due to the injury.

There was always hope that Surtain might be able to return against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8, and that notion was reinforced by the fact that PS2 was not placed on injured reserve. Had he landed on IR, Surtain would have been forced to sit out at least four games (including the Chiefs game).

While there's hope that Surtain might return this week, it's certainly not guaranteed. Following the team's 30-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7, Surtain told the Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson that he wasn't really close to playing against the Cardinals. When asked if he'll be ready to play against the Chiefs, Surtain said, "Possibly."

The Broncos are scheduled to hold their first practice of the week on Wednesday. After being limited in practice all last week, Surtain will likely have to graduate to full participation this week if he's going to play on Sunday.