Broncos coach Sean Payton devised a plan to get cornerback Pat Surtain on track against the Buccaneers.

It worked.

On Sunday, in Denver’s 26-7 road win, Surtain shadowed No. 1 Tampa Bay wideout Mike Evans in coverage and limited him to only two catches for 17 yards. Evans recorded at least 1,000 yards receiving in all 10 of his previous NFL seasons with the Buccaneers.

“It’s something that I look forward to throughout the week. Obviously, Mike, he’s a great player. Just him and his body of work is pretty incredible,” Surtain told reporters in Tampa Bay. “So, matching up with a guy like that is pretty awesome. I just had to lock in on the details and make sure I limited him. Not allowing him to get explosive (plays) down the field.”

In the Week 2 home loss to Pittsburgh, Surtain lacked similar success against Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. Surtain got flagged three times. Last week, following practice at Broncos Park, he said: “I’m going to show myself a little grace and just sort of move forward.”

Payton helped provide a blueprint. The longtime New Orleans head coach said that Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore defended Evans well throughout his career. It sparked an idea.

“We went and got 35 snaps of bump and run, Lattimore and Evans, and put it in his (video) folder,” Payton told reporters in Tampa Bay. “(We) talked about it on the plane. He responded. So, it was good.”

Cornerback Riley Moss told The Denver Gazette that he was not surprised by Surtain’s bounce-back performance.

“It’s a confidence booster for (Surtain). It’s why we have him,” Moss said. “He’s the best in the league and he showed that today and he did a hell of a job.”

The Broncos stepped up with two turnovers against the Buccaneers. Safety Brandon Jones intercepted quarterback Baker Mayfield. Moss also forced a late fumble recovered by Jones. Denver also recorded seven sacks as a team.

“We just want to generate turnovers. We know that’s a big thing in this league, for sure. Creating chances for your offense,” Surtain said. “Collectively, as a team, we were in unison. … Make sure we dominate each and every snap. I feel like we did a pretty good job of doing that. We’ll just keep building and building and looking for more games like this down the road.”

The Broncos are 1-2 and aim to close out their current road swing with a victory in Week 4 at the Jets.

“It’s good getting that winning feeling because now we know what success looks like,” Surtain said. “I feel like getting this win on the road is very crucial … four our season down the road. I’m looking forward to it.”